web-goddess: archives

Wednesday, December 31, 2003

[1]

An Australian Conversation
Me: "Ugh, what is that smell? I think there must be a house on fire nearby!"
Snook: "Nah, it's a barbie!"
Me: "What the hell are they barbecuing?"
Snook: "Mmm, smells like octopus."
Me: *blink* "You can tell that from the smell??"

I live in a place where people grill octopi in their backyard. I can't decide if that's cool or weird.

[3]

Happy blog anniversary to Robert (aka Catboy), and congratulations to him on joining our iPod revolution! You will all be assimilated.

[19]

Sock Monkey Tutorial
As folks are always asking me how I make my monkeys, I finally took the time to document it in a tutorial. That's everything you need to know from start to finish. A few of the pictures are a little blurry but I think you'll get the idea. Let me know if you make your own!

Incidentally, the demo monkey seen here (in these season's hottest color combination, of course) is for sale if anybody wants it...

Tuesday, December 30, 2003

[9]

Sorry for the silence... but I've been busy finishing my Weasley Sweater! It's a seamless raglan in deep maroon with a great big gray "K" embroidered on the front. It's 100% wool and warm as hell. It's probably actually a little nicer than the ones Mrs. Weasley makes, but faced with a choice between filmic accuracy and my desire to not wear a lumpy boat-necked monstrosity, my sense of fashion won out. (Apologies for the lack of contrast in the picture; Snookums took it at midnight as soon as I finished the thing. I'll post some better ones - and pattern notes for you knitters - tomorrow.) My costume for the Azkaban opening is taking shape... I just need to make myself a Gryffindor scarf and locate a grey pleated skirt. The Snook said I can use his black academic gown. Yay!

Update: Better photo and knitting notes added. [more...]

Saturday, December 27, 2003

[1]

I think if I found an envelope full of scabs in an old library book my first response would not be to call the local museum, but rather to puke my guts out.

Friday Five:

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?
Hmm, I don't know that I had a really big standout achievement. It was kinda like the first year of normality after a couple years of transition. I had the same job all year and the Snook and I were finally able to stop draining our saved London funds and start living within our salaries. I ate sushi for the first time ever. We marched in the anti-war demonstration in February. I made a quilt, ran my second 5K race, knitted my first sweater ever, and went on to knit one for the Snook. We flew around the world on the most amazing holiday. I actually drove a vehicle on the left side of the road. We started a vegetable garden. We threw a Halloween party where I had the best costume thus far in my entire life. It was a good year.

2. What was your biggest disappointment?
Not getting the job with Kazaa. I had a great first interview and I was basically told that the position - which they were creating for me - was all but mine. I then had a fun second interview when I got to meet the rest of the team. It would've meant a raise, better working hours, fun co-workers, and a shorter commute. I would've actually looked forward to going to work. After a month of being dicked around by the recruitment agency though, they finally admitted that Kazaa had decided not to create the position after all. Jerks.

3. What do you hope the new year brings?
My permanent Australian residency. It's weird to think that they could still kick me out after two years of living here. Once I have that, I've only got two years to go before I can take out citizenship. Then I'm pretty much clear to come and go as I please. That'll be our cue to head to the US and try to do the same for the Snook...

4. Will you be making any New Year's resolutions? If yes, what will they be?
Definitely. I resolve to stick to my diet and lose those last ten kilograms. I resolve to run the 10K at the Nike Women's Classic this year. I resolve to get a job that pays better and that I actually enjoy.

5. What are your plans for New Year's Eve?
Currently nothing. The Snook and I have been having a very boring and restful holiday so far and I don't imagine that will change.

Friday, December 26, 2003

Ebert has reposted his review of A Christmas Story along with a "Where are they now?" sidebar on the cast. Thankfully Mom sent me a copy of this a few years ago so even though I don't have TNT, there'll always be Ralphie at Christmas.

[6]

Movie Round-Up

Wednesday afternoon the Snook and I headed out to catch Peter Pan, which I'd been eagerly awaiting. It didn't disappoint. In a word, this movie is all about sex. Seriously. It's about thirteen-year-olds figuring out about sex... all in a metaphorical way, of course. In the beginning I thought Peter was pretty annoying - why is he the only American? - but by the end I'm ashamed to admit I was swooning like Germaine Greer at a peewee football game. The joys of the film are not all pedophilic, either; Jason "Lucious Malfoy" Isaacs is villainously yummy as Captain Hook. I liked the many parallels that were drawn throughout the story linking Hook and Mr. Darling, Hook and Peter, and Hook and Tinker Bell. Incidentally, the film's visuals play much better on the big screen than they did in trailers. I was expecting them to look rather cheap and cartoony but the effect is more like storybook illustrations. Highly recommended, but don't take any thirteen-year-olds unless you want to hear them giggle the whole time. (Ebert says all this way better than I ever could.)

We've actually had Spirited Away for some time now but somehow we never got around to watching it. We should've popped it in sooner. It's excellent. I wouldn't characterize myself as a big animé fan - and some of the Snook's favorites put me to sleep - but this was accessible, fun, scary, weird, and funny all at the same time. A little girl and her parents are driving to their new house when they get lost. They discover an abandoned theme park and her father wants to explore. Before long, he and his wife are transformed into giant pigs and their daughter Chihiro must try to rescue them. It doesn't look how you expect Japanimation to look. I've never seen anything like Yubaba or Boh (the giant baby) before. I loved how Chihiro dealt with the River God. The story seemed surreal at first but it was logical and it never cheated. It reminded me a lot of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. We watched it with the English language soundtrack and the characterizations were great. (I'm still patting myself on the back for recognizing Susan Egan's voice.) Again, very highly recommended.

Gosford Park is another one that we've been sitting on for too long. I wouldn't recommend it unreservedly - I know too many folks that would never enjoy an ensemble English social commentary/comedy/murder mystery - but the Snook and I thought it was pretty good. At first the confusion of characters and plot lines was overwhelming and we spent a lot of time going, "Now which one was Lord Stockbridge?" and "Whose allowance is getting cut off?" But after a while you get the basic outline and things become clearer. We laughed at Ryan Phillipe's ridiculous Scottish accent but were later forced to mentally apologize. (Sorry, Ryan.) The Snook and I confessed to a mutual and irrational hatred for Kristin Scott Thomas. Bob Balaban, as ever, was hilarious. Once the murder was committed, we had a lot of fun suggesting theories and motives. Neither of us were right in the end (but that's only because you discount the real killer because of their apparent lack of motive). Oh, and if you're a fan of Jeremy Northam at all, you must rent this film. He plays an English movie star and there are several lovely passages in the film when he plays the piano and sings. "Please God," I thought to myself, "let that be Mr. Knightley's real voice." It was. Beeeeyoootiful.

And at last we come to it... The Return of the King. First, the good. (And now you're getting ready to yell at me because if there's "the good", then there has to be "the bad", right? I'm donning my flameproof vest as we speak.) The battle scenes were excellent. I was literally squirming in my seat. The CG characters just had a sense of weight that I never felt in the recent Star Wars movies. The big lumbering creatures actually looked real, and when they hit people you felt it. Sean Astin was wonderful and he deserves to be recognized. The Charge of the Rohirrim was just... awe-inspiring. I gasped in amazement. Okay, and now "the bad." See, I just didn't get into it. I didn't cry (though I got a little moist when Theoden died) and I never really managed to suspend my disbelief. The things that I liked were all technical, but it never engaged my soul. In all honestly this is a problem I have with the book too. Maybe it's a girl thing. I dunno. I was just never able to work up any real concern over the characters on the screen other than Theoden and Sam (and to be honest, I might not have identified as much with Sam if I didn't already have such strong character associations with Sean Astin). I was looking forward to Eowyn's big triumph over the Witch King, but it ended up a little too overly dramatic and "Conan the Barbarian" to be totally satisfying. I was totally bored by Denethor's stupid dysfunctional family. And what's up with cutting the whole Eowyn/Faramir relationship? They both disappear til the end. It's a completely poor resolution to the whole love triangle setup from the second film. (I know, I know. "Wait for the extended edition." But if that's the case, then I'm even more annoyed because the Eowyn bits we saw in the film are obviously only there to appease the feminist critics. There's no interest in resolving her storyline; just a grrrl power moment so they can put a female action figure in the Happy Meals.) Eh, even that rant makes me sound more involved than I actually was. I just kept wishing that Viggo would wash his hair and wondering why Arwen's decision to become mortal resulted in her lipcolor fading and wishing that there were more Legolas close-ups and congratulating myself on lasting through yet another battle without needing to pee. I never got past that. Even now, writing about these four films, the one that lingers with me the most is Spirited Away. Maybe that says more about me than it does about the films...

[16]

World Idol Reaction
In case you can't tell from CouchCam, we've again borrowed a projector from work so our living room is reversed. Tonight we used this impressive setup of thousands of dollars worth of technology... to watch World Idol, of course. Why should the eleven judges have all the fun? Read on for criticism from the Snook and myself. [more...]

[2]

At long last I can reveal that the surprise sock monkey I made earlier this month was commissioned by Matt of Scrubbles for his partner Christopher. They sent me this cute picture of their two sock monkeys reunited along with their kitty Eames. (Incidentally, Eames is the main character in a children's book that the two of them wrote together. Christopher and Matt, that is. Not the monkeys.)

Oh, and by the way? I'm loving that quilt. Hmmm, perhaps my quilting energy is returning...

[4]

Only one hour to go til Return of the King. I think we're prepared. We've eaten Krispy Kremes for long-sustaining energy and we've stayed away from excessive liquids (and caffeine). I'll have a long post about it - and the other four movies we've watched so far this break - later today...

Thursday, December 25, 2003

[5]

Merry Christmas, everybody! Unlike many other slack-ass bloggers, I will not be "taking a break" away from the Internet to celebrate. It helps, of course, that my family are all thousands of miles away and it's way too hot to make a turkey, but there you go. At any rate, you may expect new posts on web-goddess throughout the holiday season. Call it a gift from me to you...

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

[2]

I've been trying to find a selfless Christmas good deed and I feel a little like Phoebe (in the one where she hates PBS). I decided to make a sock monkey for Dean's little girl. He tried to pay me for it today but I turned him down. I felt pretty good about helping give a three-year-old a good Christmas. But then tonight, he called me out of the blue as the Snook and I were eating dinner. Turns out he was right around the block and wanted "to give me something". He showed up five minutes later with a mixed dozen of Krispy Kremes! I was floored; there are only, like, two outlets in Sydney and they're nowhere near here so he must've made a special trip to deliver them. I've never even had one before! It was such a sweet gesture. But dammit, now I need to find a new selfless good deed, and tomorrow's Christmas!

[3]

Hmmm, the US is reporting its first case of mad cow disease. I wonder if this means that they'll eventually drop the restrictions on donating blood for people who've lived in the UK...?

[12]

Gendered Gift-Giving
My boss got everybody in our department gifts today. That's nice. All the boys got bottles of booze and I got a designer sushi plate. That's not so nice. I mean, the plate itself is pretty and I'll put candles on it or something, but why the disparity? After a year, does he really know me so little as to think I'd appreciate homewares over a bottle of champagne? He might as well have given the guys Hot Wheels cars and the girls Barbies. I guess I should count myself lucky; it could've been worse. I think I saw the girl in the next cubicle opening a shower set.

[5]

As it's still December 23 in most of the world, HAPPY FESTIVUS!

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

[3]

Thanks to the wonders of eDonkey, the Snook now knows what I mean when I refer to a Charlie Brown tree. You know, I choke up every time when Linus steps out into the spotlight and starts his speech.

The Snook has been having a good giggle for the past ten minutes reading this legal analysis of Lord of the Rings. I made the mistake of asking who "Morgoth" was and got a lecture on falling asleep when people are trying to read The Silmarillion to me. Oops. (Link courtesy of John.)

[1]

It was a creative kind of night. I finished yet another sock monkey (a Christmas gift for the daughter of co-worker Dean) and a big tray of cupcakes for our Christmas Eve office luncheon. They're yellow cake mix - from scratch! - with flavored frosting and "hundreds and thousands" on top. (That's what Aussies call "sprinkles".) I know the blue isn't really seasonal, but I ran out of red food colouring during the whole Halloween "bloody cupcake" debacle and I didn't feel like running out for more. Based on the samples the Snook and I had tonight, they're pretty darn tasty regardless. Please imagine that if I was next to you right now, I'd be handing one over this instant. Merry Christmas!

Ebert's posted his list of the Best Films of the Year, which should put some folks' panties in a twist. He left out Return of the King, for instance, and included Russell Crowe's movie. Kill Bill is in there, as are both Scarlett Johansson films. He even included two Tupac documentaries. Say what you will about the guy... but he isn't predictable.

[Note: I noticed that Ebert included Winged Migration, which was called Travelling Birds here. I wonder why it was changed? I think the international title was the better one.]

[3]

Whoa, earthquake in California! No word from my sister yet...

Update: The Snook managed to reach her on the phone. I guess her office is on the ground floor so she was fairly underwhelmed. Darn her! She's ruining the perfectly good stereotype of the transplanted Midwesterner who freaks out at her first tremor.

Monday, December 22, 2003

It's frickin' hot here, Mr. Bigglesworth. We finally plugged in the air conditioner two nights ago when the humidity became unbearable. I have a lovely plumber's sunburn on my ass from gardening on Sunday. (The gap between my T-shirt and baggy cut-offs was the only place I forgot to protect.) Where's that damn ozone layer when you need it?

Me: Hey, Russell Crowe had his baby.
Snook: Did it punch the nurse?

[4]

Women who stay single stay sane. Just a link for those who are eager to get hitched... *cough* like my sister *cough*.

[4]

Australian pharmacists are in an uproar over plans to sell ibuprofen over-the-counter. I remember the first time I tried to buy it in the UK and could only find packs of ten tablets. "Why can't they sell bigger bottles?" I asked the Snook. "So people can't kill themselves with it," he replied. It's much the same here in Oz. Meanwhile I've been jealously hoarding the 500-tablet bottle of Wal-Mart $7 off-brand ibuprofen I smuggled in last January. Seriously, if the stuff was going to kill me, I'd have kicked the bucket back in college.

Saturday, December 20, 2003

[3]

"I definitely believe in plastic surgery," she says. "I don't want to be an old hag. There's no fun in that." And just like that, Scarlett Johansson has squandered all the goodwill I had towards her from Lost in Translation. That is the most ridiculous, fawning, simpering, bloody stupid interview I've ever read. I won't insult your intelligence with her thoughts on menopause and why old men like "young, fertile, fruitful" women like her. (Memo to Scarlett: It has nothing to do with "eviction" and more to do with your ass.) She sounds like a self-important little girl playing dress-up and throwing out dime-store philosophies to justify her own exploitation. Grrr.

GAH! Less than an hour after I left the Snook at our local pub with some buddies tonight, he SMSed me to let me know that John freakin' Eales just walked in. Seriously. I can't believe I missed it. (For confused Americans, Eales was Australian rugby captain and won two World Cups. Think: John Elway.)

Tracey has posted a gorgeous desktop calendar for January 2004. I'm loving it! I hope she does one every month. In a similar (but not nearly so nice) vein, I've posted a printable 2004 Roald Dahl calendar featuring covers from his books. Between the two of us, we've taken care of all your organisational needs.

[2]

Friday Five:

1. List your five favorite beverages.
Currently it's Diet Coke, Vanilla Diet Coke, lemon iced tea, water, and beer.

2. List your five favorite websites.
Based on the time I spend on them, I'd say Glitter, MetaFilter, The Sydney Morning Herald, Television Without Pity, and Slashdot.

3. List your five favorite snack foods.
Since we started the whole low-carb thing, my snacking has changed quite a bit. Nowadays I'm more likely to be eating cheese, pickles, salami, hard-boiled eggs, and Cadbury Lite bars than chips and salsa.

4. List your five favorite board and/or card games.
Euchre, Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Taboo, and Egyptian Rat Screw. (That last one is an invented variation of War that my high school speech team buddies and I played throughout every meet.)

5. List your five favorite computer and/or game system games.
Ms Pac-Man, Tetris, Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Minesweeper. I like the puzzle games.

Friday, December 19, 2003

[6]

More Australian Linguistic Weirdness
Today I discovered that popsicles are called "icy poles" in Australia. I nearly spat mine out.

[2]

Merry Christmas from the Hoff!

[1]

Apologies to the vegetarians, but I was pretty amused by this turkey shooting Flash game. How many can you get? And hey, it's not like the turkeys don't fight back.

Thursday, December 18, 2003

[2]

Oh yum. Tonight my friend Martin invited Rodd and I over to his fiancee's family's Korean barbecue restaurant. It was fantastic. Twenty-five bucks for all-you-can-eat and everything was delicious. The table had a built in grilling pit and the waiter kept us supplied with glowing red charcoal. We threw on marinated beef and pork and ribs and baby octopus. We piled plates with kimchi and vegetables and strange salads of every description. We washed everything down with ice cold beer. It was the perfect meal for a balmy summer night. (The place is called Seoul Restaurant and it's on Punchbowl Road in Belfield, if you're interested and in the Sydney area.) As we were leaving, I tentatively said one of the few Korean phrases I know: "Kamsahamnida" ("Thank you"). Our hostess, Martin's future mother-in-law, looked at me surprised. Martin rattled off something in Korean of which I caught the word "grandmother" and guessed that he was explaining my heritage. His mother-in-law looked me up and down - I was about two feel taller than her - and laughed. Yeah, that's the usual reaction.

There are several new Mac OSX updates for us Apple folks today. I'm installing as we speak...

Finished! Install went smoothly, but I'm not noticing any immediate changes. Battery life remains the same. It reads 2:35 at fully charged, but as I keep it plugged in all the time I really don't know if I've suffered any degradation.

Awww! New little baby tigers at Taronga Zoo in Sydney... We'll have to go see them once the tide of schoolchildren has ebbed.

[2]

The BBC has reviewed the latest round of iPod advertising and they think it's pretty cool. I was surprised to read that there are three different songs that show with the commercials. Here in Oz I've only ever seen the one with the Jet song (which would be the "garage rock" of the three, I'm guessing). I wonder if that's because they're an Aussie band...

[6]

Oh Ebert, you contrary little man. All the other other critics in the world are falling over themselves to declare Return of the King the greatest movie ever made, yet you give it a mere 3.5 stars out of 4. And that is why I love you.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

[5]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present my RSS feed. I went with version 0.92 (for now). I started by downloading NetNewsWire and subscribing to several blogs and news sites. Then I went through to find the ones that looked best in my aggregator. Based on their XML and this sample PHP script, I put together a bit of code that actually manages to validate. If you use a different aggregator, please let me know how it looks to you or if you'd prefer a different format. Thanks!

Oh, and if any GoddessBlog users want the code for themselves, just let me know. It'll take you less than ten minutes to implement.

This is all over the 'Net today but I couldn't resist: What Tolkien Officially Said About Elf Sex.

Although Tolkien never said that the elves DID have hot gay sex, he also never said that they DIDN’T. And I know what I make of that.

Hahahaha... Even the Snook (a Tolkien nerd if ever there was one) found it pretty amusing.

[2]

Note to self: This is an excellent RSS primer.

[1]

World: 1, Overly-Sensitive-Feminist: 0
I stood out on Abercrombie Street this morning waiting for my lift to work and bracing myself for the inevitable harrassment. You see, I wore my black skirt and boots today. They're not salacious at all, but for some reason the sight of my bare knees seems to draw the troglodytes from their caves like flies to honey. Mentally I'd already armored myself and my middle finger was poised and ready to flip at the slightest hint of a honk or wolf whistle. I scanned the oncoming traffic trying to guess from which direction the harrasser would arrive. I debated which stinging insult would best put the smack down. There was only one problem... No one bothered me! I stood there for four traffic light changes and I didn't get a single leer. I started to get antsy. When you mentally prepare yourself for battle, you inevitably start itchin' for a fight. At last! My ears detected the tell-tale sounds of some Neanderthal making dog-barking noises at me. "How low can you get?" I thought as I whipped around the confront the idiot... and found myself face-to-face with a big happy golden retriever on the back of a truck. *cringe*

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

[1]

Survivor was extremely satisfying. In fact, my voice is still a little hoarse from that magic moment when I saw "Johnny Fairplay" scrawled as only Crazy Lil can. She probably would have stood a better chance against him but I can respect her decision not to reward his behavior. And kudos to the women for finally getting their sh*t together! It's about time. (Early in the penultimate episode I remarked to the Snook: "I sure hope you don't have a problem with gay folks, because if these women fail to team up and vote out Burton I'm getting a sex change.") The reunion show was mostly downhill after Sandra's victory, I have to say. Since when does Jeff have such a big crush on "Savage"? Osten shouldn't have even been allowed to attend. Does anyone else find Skinny Ryan sorta cute, in a nerdish way? Yeah, just me then.

[18]

Just thinking aloud...
This review of blogging tools got me thinking about the Movable-Typeification of the "blogiverse". (I can't believe I just used that word.) Don't get me wrong; MT sounds great and some of my favorite blogs use it. In fact, a *lot* of them use it. I find that vaguely discomfiting somehow. I think it's because most of them look sorta the same (I mean, in that they have the same set of components) and there are certain features that are only accessible to other MT users (like TrackBack). I feel the same way about LiveJournal, to be honest. It annoys me to have to post as "anonymous" on my friends' LiveJournal sites. I don't think that everybody has to program their own CMS; I just resent companies' attempts to turn blogs into walled-off communities. It's good for everybody to be a little different, isn't it?

I tried making a mental list of all the blogs I know that don't use one of the popular systems and I couldn't come up with many. There's me, Jeff, Jann, Martin, Tracey (well, she uses Greymatter, but that's pretty rare these days)... Can you think of any more? Out of curiosity, if you don't use one of the popular systems, why not? If you do, what do you like about it? Does the ease of set-up make up for slight loss of freedom? To be honest, this is just me going, "Hmm, everybody else is using MT. What do they know that I don't know? Should I accept the inevitable and move, or should I bother writing the crap myself?"

Monday, December 15, 2003

[7]

Go 7396!
Just checked in with Amy, who's coming up on Mile 18 as we speak. She's going a lot of walking but she's hanging in there and she sounded pretty upbeat. You can track her live results here (search on "Amy Howard"). Go Sis! I'm just in awe right now.

Update: SHE DID IT! Final time was just over seven hours. Thank you so much to everybody that supported her and donated to the cause.

Sunday, December 14, 2003

[7]

Two more monkeys...
I had hoped that this week would finally mark the end of my sock-monkey-making labours, but it's not to be. I made the fellow on the left there for my friend Kyrenia, who's leaving our company and moving to Melbourne with her boyfriend. (Check out his jaunty wool scarf; it gets cold in Melbourne!) To my chagrin, the entire office fell in love with him and I had requests for three more. I couldn't say no. I'll be sewing blasted sock monkeys til I die! The rockstar monkey on the right is at long last being shipped off tomorrow to Adrien. His scarf is knitted from eyelash yarn and it's so tomorrow, you know. If I have to make the damn things, I can at least make them fashionable. :)

Step by Step Guide to Voting by Absentee Ballot. Very handy bookmark for us expatriate types.

Friday Five:

1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
I'm going to have to agree with Kristen here and rant about how "hemispherist" this question is. Folks, the majority of people in the world never have a white Christmas. Nobody in the southern hemisphere does (unless they live on top of a mountain). Nobody on the equator does. Hell, a good portion of the northern hemisphere never gets cold enough. So stop ramming it down our damn throats! That said, I personally wish I could have a white Christmas, not because it's "traditional" or anything, but because that's what I remember growing up. I miss sledding with Amy and Antny.

2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?
This is another one of those questions that stings for someone with loved ones on more than one continent. Ideally it would be my family and the Snook's and all of our friends together... but it's never gonna happen. Best not to dwell.

3. Do you do have any holiday traditions?
The day after Thanksgiving, we would always hit Michael's craft store to pick up plaster ornaments and paints. Then back at the house we'd eat leftovers, paint the ornaments, and put up the Christmas tree. Mocking my brother's artistic attempts was always a highlight. There'd probably be some sledding (if we had snow). As Christmas neared, it was inevitable that Amy and Antny - or as I like to call them, the Christmas Sneaks - would try to convince Mom and Dad that we should open our gifts Christmas Eve instead of morning. I was the traditional holdout. Sometimes they won; sometimes they didn't.

4. Do you do anything to help the needy?
Not nearly enough. The bitter cold of London was always a sharp reminder that there were people out suffering in it. Here in Sydney it's easier to sail through the day without noticing. I should make more of an effort.

5. What one gift would you like for yourself?
A really nice new digital camera, maybe even an SLR. That'd be cool.

Last night I convinced the Snook to come to an advance screening of Lost in Translation with me. He was reluctant at first. (I think he was a little worried it was going to be a girly movie.) Within five minutes he was loving it just as much as I knew he would. The opening shots of Tokyo are just mesmerizing. I just kept thinking, "It looks like a William Gibson novel!" The Snook said he was mentally comparing everything to anime films. We laughed when we recognized some of the more bewildering video games from the George Street arcade in Sydney. He squeezed my hand when a giant EPSON billboard floated past. We laughed at Bill Murray's fish-out-of-water routine. It was all very amusing.

Then it changed. It changed for me when Bob Harris agreed to go out with Charlotte's friends. It was at once unbelievable - that a fifty-year-old guy would go out with these young people - and totally understandable, because it was the first "real" thing this guy'd done in a long time. By that point, I realized I actually cared about the characters. I kept worrying that they'd show Bob standing in the corner by himself. I was worried that Charlotte would be embarrassed by him. Instead they sang karaoke and danced and talked to strangers and had a great time. They became friends. So then I was hooked. I wanted them to get together - because neither of them seemed to have anything else - but I also wanted them to resist that cliché. In the end I was totally satisfied with the resolution. I agree with Ebert that the words they exchange at the end of the film are none of our business. When two actors create characters so real, sometimes you have to grant them their privacy.

[3]

I noticed the other day that Stairs has his iChat name listed on his site. Nobody else I know has it and I haven't been able to try out the Voice Chat yet. This morning I found him online and was able to have a quick chat. It worked perfectly! That same two-minute call to the UK would've probably cost me $5 on the telephone. Now if only I could convince my family to all get Macs... You know, in the long run it would probably actually be cheaper, considering how much I spend on my Telstra bill.

Friday, December 12, 2003

[10]

Absolut Vanilia + Diet Coke = Everything I Dreamed It Would Be.

Jesus the Hot Air Balloon. If I saw that at a distance I'd probably drive off the road. I think it might even be tackier than the Titanic Super Slide (in terms of tacky inflatables, that is).

[1]

Running out of cash to buy an awesome gift for that special someone? Send them an E-Gift! My friend Sharon Lee designed and built that site and it's adorable. She's such an awesome designer. I'm hoping to get her to do some stuff for the Dahl site. I can vouch that she won't spam you or anything; it's just a fun Flash widget to drum up interest in her design company. (If any MeFite wants to post it to the 'Filter, please feel free. I'd have done it but I don't want to get called out for a self-link.)

[8]

Time Wastage in Review
As I did last year, I spent some time today searching through the dusty recesses of web-goddess to compile the list of top commenters. As always, I was far and away the leader... but the rest of the list might surprise you. Read on to see where you ended up! [more...]

Thursday, December 11, 2003

[4]

So what's the deal with the US finale of Survivor? We just saw Christa get booted and apparently there are only two episodes to go. We're getting one Sunday night and then the last on Monday. Does anybody know the US schedule? Basically, I'm trying to find out how long I have to go Internet-less to avoid being spoiled...

[1]

Create your own snowman. Kinda fun. I like these little fun Flash widget thingamabobs.

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

[1]

New Poll: Mom sent me a picture of little Joey sitting on Santa's lap. I was surprised to see that the kid wasn't screaming. Every picture of me on a mall character's lap up til the age of five features me bawling my head off. I think the Easter Bunny was the worst. At least Santa is a recognizable human. Which mythological childhood character scared you the most?

[14]

RunningBlog: I've got sympathy jitters.
My sister's marathon is this weekend and she's pretty nervous. She's been battling injuries throughout her training and she's worrying that she'll push too hard and hurt herself and not be able to finish. Have any of you done anything similarly difficult? If you've got time, feel free to leave your story and words of encouragement in the comments. I know she'd appreciate it. (And it would probably be more useful than my suggestion to "see a hypnotist.")

In case you missed the announcement, Ask MetaFilter launched this week. Cool. I found the digital camera recommendations pretty helpful.

[1]

The winter Knitty is here! I definitely think little Joey needs a knitted coonskin cap.

[8]

Not all Americans are stupid... but according to this quiz, I pretty much am. Ouch. I got 14 out of 20. In my defense, it was mostly the geography ones that I missed. Never been too good at that... (Link courtesy of Brigita, who is way smarter than me.)

TechTV's Top 20 Gifts for 2003. Also known by its alternative title, "Kris's Christmas List."

Tuesday, December 9, 2003

[21]

When did Anderson Cooper go totally gray? My friends and I had the biggest crush on him in high school. I once wrote him a (joke, I swear it was a joke!) obsessive stalker fan letter. We would swoon over his twee flannel shirts and badmouth stupid Rawley Valverde, who would inevitably be sitting on his ass back at the "Hacienda" while Anderson dodged bullets in Bosnia. It's disappointing to think that Lisa bloody Ling is probably the most famous Channel One alumnus. Anderson totally deserves to be a news-reporting megastar. Now if only he'd do something about that gray... (Link courtesy of Adrien.)

Hmm. Too bad the evil bastards didn't hire me or I might be able to comment on this. Kazaa sucks.

[3]

Damn. TGI Friday's now has an Atkins menu! That is too cool. It actually looks fairly tasty too. Now, if only there was one on this continent... (Link courtesy of Tricia.)

Update: There are actually three in Australia! Too bad they're all in Victoria. I sense a road trip coming on...

[3]

Hmm. I'm debating whether I should close commenting on posts after a certain point. I get annoyed policing the neverending flame wars about Paris Hilton and requests for Goonies videotapes. What do you think? How long should our discussions here last?

[3]

not martha alerted me to the fact that this season's colors are pink and brown. Guess what colors the pretty Bonds underpants I bought were? Yay, I'm in fashion!

Monday, December 8, 2003

[5]

Merry Christmas!
I've just posted a few new Christmas items at my Roald Dahl site, including a printable Gremlins Christmas card and ornaments to color. Knock yourself out...

Sunday, December 7, 2003

[4]

Things fall apart... the center does not hold.
I'm speaking of underwear, of course. It has recently come to my attention that all my underwear is falling apart (except for Hello Kitty, of course). Just about everything I have was purchased at Marks & Spencer on arriving in the UK four years ago, and four years is apparently the threshold at which M&S smalls start to disintegrate. Thus I found myself staring glumly at the lingerie department in Kmart yesterday. I hate shopping for that stuff. In desperation I went with the only brand name I recognized... Bonds. To my surprise, everything fitted well and looked nice. And hey, it's all new and supportive and cute! And, oh, how nice it is to not have a wonky underwire digging into your armpit! I happily pranced out of the dressing room and dropped $80 on undergarments. Now I'm sitting here in 100% cotton comfort. I feel my overall outlook on life improving. Perhaps I should sell this as a self-improvement strategy...

Saturday, December 6, 2003

[6]

Random Non-Linky Stuff:

It's been pretty windy and stormy for the past week, and though our corn and tomatoes are loving the rain, they've been taking quite a battering. Do you think we should stake them upright? I'm just worried that if this wind keeps up it'll blow all our plants over!

I just got back from the newsagent where I stood in line nervously for five minutes hoping they hadn't sold out of today's Daily Telegraph Lord of the Rings "Saruman" pin only to have the clerk pull out a giant bag of about a hundred and then struggle to tear it open, thus proving that I was the first nerd in the whole shopping center to actually ask for one. *cringe* And I have to go back tomorrow for Gandalf day!

Helen finally got me. I had a bunch of fake little plastic spiders out as decorations for my Halloween party and that cheeky Luna Lovegood went around hiding them in my house to scare me later. I found most of them right away (though it did take me a couple weeks to discover the one floating in the jalapeno jar at the back of the fridge). Then last night I decided to take a shower in the guest bathroom for the first time in ages. It was all steamy; I didn't have my contacts in; and as I lifted up the bar of soap something black with many legs flipped up off the dish. My response is best left to your imagination, but I will say it's a wonder I didn't kill myself jumping around on the slippery tiles. Damn you, Helen! :)

Gollum goes hip-hop. This made the Snook and I giggle insanely. (Link courtesy of Kevin.)

Hmm. Pride and Prejudice gets the Clueless treatment. Some of the reviews don't sound too bad though, for a low-budget film with a reworked plot and no-name actors. I'm also pleased that they observed the unwritten rule that all men who play Mr Darcy must have sexy sideburns. I'd definitely watch this. (Link via an e-mail from my sister.)

Friday, December 5, 2003

[4]

Yet another sock monkey...
At last, I can cross another sock monkey off my To Do list. This one was commissioned by a well-known blogger as a Christmas surprise for his sweetheart. (I don't want to give it away in case said sweetheart should stumble across this.) He's stripey white/tan/brown with blue eyes. Cute, huh? Now there's only one to go... He'll be there soon, Adrien, I swear!

[6]

It's gettin' serious. I just got a letter from the Department of Immigration to let me know that my two-year temporary residence period is nearly up. Now Rodd and I basically have to go through the whole application process again to secure my permanent residency. We have to provide sworn statutory declarations that our relationship is continuing and genuine and then back that up with all the evidence we can (photos, bills, bank statements, joint travel itineraries, wills, everything). Such a hassle. At least I don't have to do the full medical checkup this time. The only thing that makes it easier is knowing that we'd have just as much difficulty (if not more) getting the Snook into the States. These international love affairs ain't easy, you know.

Knitting goes to war. Fascinating information about knitting during World Wars I & II. I love the historical posters, especially the one with the "glamour girl" knitting.

[2]

Johnny is a baby name. Now come on, Australia. Even I think you're munching on some serious sour grapes there. :)

Thursday, December 4, 2003

We had a massive thunderstorm this afternoon. By the time I left work, water was gushing from light fixtures in the ceiling in four places! Pretty scary.

[8]

A-HA! I was all confused last week because the episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that we saw wasn't listed on any of the show's websites. Turns out - based on this TWoP discussion - that we Aussies actually lucked out and saw an episode that hasn't aired in the US yet! Pretty sweet. This week's episode was our "series finale", which was the one with Psycho Girlfriend Lisa. Man, that Blair guy really was pretty useless. Can anybody fill me in on the situation with him? Did they fire him and hire Jai?

[1]

Great post about one person's experience losing thirty pounds on Atkins. He says a lot of the stuff I've been ranting about for the past year.

[3]

Public Service Annoucement
Apparently Amazon have done something recently to break everybody's wishlist links. If you link to your website on your blog (like I do, way down at the bottom of the right column), you may need to change yours. The solution is pretty simple. (Link courtesy of Bill.)

Ha! The guys who run the shop where I bought my panda shoes are claiming that they own the Doc Martens logo. I'm not sure what grounds the English judge has for taking it off them. Sounds like they bought it fair and square.

[4]

'Tis the season...
I just got into a huge fight with, like, half my office. It all started when a co-worker mentioned that she'd heard something on the radio this morning about Lucy Turnbull, the mayor of Sydney, outlawing Christian Christmas carols in the city. There was a predictably huffy response from a couple other people, saying that it was censorship and that "If non-Christian people don't want to be offended, maybe they should just stay home." I tried to inject some sanity. First, I can't believe that she got the story right. I can't verify because it hasn't been posted on any of the news sites (which gives weight to my theory that it's not a real issue and merely some wanker talk-back radio host mishearing a quote or something), but there's no way I'd be, like, arrested for walking down Martin Place and singing "Silent Night." I mean, duh. She insisted that she'd heard the story accurately. So I theorized that maybe Turnbull was just saying that the city wouldn't fund any carolers to sing exclusively Christian carols, and that I thought that was a fine idea. Mistake. Immediately I had about fifteen pissed off people telling me that this country was "founded on Christianity" and "ordered around the Christian calendar" and that if people who migrated in got offended by hearing about it then they could bloody well leave. I kept trying to explain that it's not about being offended, it's about f***king separation of church and state, and that regardless of whether the majority of the population is Christian, an elected official shouldn't be seen to favor that religion over all others. Things just got worse. The normally friendly guy across from me started ranting about "guys in turbans at the pub when I'm not allowed to wear a hat"! The girl behind me - who's an immigrant herself, I might add - actually argued that Australian society was intrinsically Christian and if people didn't like it, "they shouldn't come." I finally gave up. It's insane. I'd never realized before how xenophobic and anti-PC some of these people are. Nobody's saying that you can't sing Christian (or Buddhist or Jewish or whatever) songs all you want. All I'm saying is that it should be an individual activity, not a state-sponsored one. Is that too difficult to understand?

And now I look like the office Communist or something, simply for trying to be rational. Sheesh.

How to eat a pomegranate. It might be "no-mess", but it still sounds like too much bloody work for some fruit. (Link courtesy of Brigita.)

[1]

Sometimes the weirdest things make you homesick... like this Metafilter discussion about hitting deer and moose with your car. I've never hit one but I've come close, and I think half the members of my family have smooshed one at some point. Ahh, good times in Indiana.

Wednesday, December 3, 2003

[2]

Yesterday I held a check for $1.2 million. In my hands. A real check. Wasn't made out to me, of course...

[2]

I was going to post something snarky about the "iPod's dirty little secret" guys and warn y'all not to give any credit to their assertions, when Daring Fireball beat me to it. Ha!

[2]

Where is Bill Watterson? Great article about the famous cartoonist behind Calvin & Hobbes who abrupty retired in 1995. Rodd and I have a few of the books and quote them fairly regularly. I always identified with that Susie Derkins...

Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Knitted fractals and mathematical formulae. Those are so cool. I feel a major nerd sweater coming on... (Link courtesy of Kirsty.)

[5]

RunningBlog: I know she hasn't updated her training page in a while, but my sister is less than two weeks away from her marathon and I think she's just about ready. She's run two half-marathons already in preparation. Recently she organized a phenomenally successful "bachelor auction" that put her within $1500 of her fundraising goal. If you haven't donated - and you feel like doing a Christmas good deed - please consider sponsoring her. (You can donate money through her training page.) It's all for cancer research. At the very least, please join me in being proud as hell of her. I can't believe she's gotten this far!

[3]

The Australian Labor Party (which is pretty much equivalent to the Democratic Party in the US) have finally chosen a new leader: Mark Latham. This is the guy who called John Howard an "arse-licker". Awesome. Now I only wish I could vote in the next general election.

[6]

Survivor was awesome last night. Right now I'm hoping for Burton to win, simply because I believe he's playing the game the best. (It doesn't hurt that he's cute either.) Thoughts on the episode:

Sandra has plummeted on my list of favorites. Her little maneuver with the fish was really pretty low. (Not the low point of the night, of course, but down there.) I'm not against a little sabotage within the context of the game - Mick did it extremely well on the first UK series - but she dumped the fish out of pure spite. It's not the fault of the other contestants that she never formulated a strategy beyond "coast along with Rupert". How childish.
I really did feel bad for Christa that she got blamed. It was harsh to see her get attacked once you knew she didn't do it. She should've pointed out that Sandra had at least as much motive and opportunity that she did.
As much as I think Jon's a dick, I have to admit that he's been growing on me the last few episodes. I always like an unapologetic villain. He's playing the game the only way he can. I think his strategy is really interesting, too. He's basically ensured that everybody left wants to take him to the final two, reckoning that he's more repulsive than them. Juries have a way of rewarding the snakes for their ingenuity, so I don't think it's a bad plan. And bravo for the dead grandmother bit! The Snook and I were speechless. I was hoping Jeff would somehow reveal it, but I'm guessing that he's not allowed to influence the game in any way. Reward challenge aside, it was a great way to ensure some sympathy with future jurors. I've got to hand it to the jerk.
I didn't notice the "liaison" mispelling either. I must be slipping in my old age.
Nobody knows how to wear the damn cutlass but Burton. That annoys me. If pirates wore it on their front, they'd cut their throats the first time they tried to pull it out!
Sandra and Christa screwed up badly. They turned down an alliance of four - all girls - for an alliance of five - with two boys. They failed to boot the strongest player left. They bought into Jon's bullshit yet again. (As the Snook put it, "How many times are they gonna let him pull the football away?") They deserve to go soon.

I can't wait for the last episodes. It's no Amazing Race but it's pretty darn good. And yay! I saw a preview for the upcoming Big Brother audition special. Bring it on, Gretel.

[3]

How Lemonheads Are Made. Neat!

Monday, December 1, 2003

Netdecider-spotting! Christian Heilmann's got an article up on A List Apart.

Wisdom for a Monday morning...

the way I see it, as hard as it is to find someone to like that also likes you back, you'd have to be fundamentally evil or ignorant to stand in the way of any kind of loving relationship. -- mcsweetie

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