One for the Snook: Crossword Puzzle Apartment Building. There are clues located all over the city, and at night the answers are illuminated. Neat!
Month: January 2009
Cricket Substitutions
Substitution in Cricket. I’ve been confused by the match Australia are currently playing against South Africa, as one of the SA players got struck on the hand and had to retire injured in the first inning. I assumed that somebody would bat for him in the second innings, right? I mean, the guy got his hand BROKEN. But no! Substitutions are only allowed in the field, and the new player can’t bat or bowl or act as wicket-keeper. How odd. Seems a little unfair that a single bit of bad luck can keep a team a man down for the rest of the match.
Deep. Fried. Cupcakes.
Deep. Fried. Cupcakes. O brave new world world that has such wonders in it!
First Day at the new job..
Thanks to everybody who wished me luck on my first day at the new job. It went GREAT! Everybody is really cool and friendly, and I’m excited about the stuff I’ll be working on. Staying in the same industry is a big help. It was a huge confidence boost to be able to come in, know exactly what they’re talking about, and be able to contribute right from the get-go.
Twilight versus Lost Boys
Twilight versus Lost Boys
This past Friday, one of the arguments that the girls were giving me for Twilight‘s suckitude was that “Lost Boys was so much better!” Really? Because all I remember was Kiefer dangling from a bridge with his lame vampire gang, Dianne Wiest being super stupid and annoying, Corey Feldman having a ridiculous accent, that weird song with the chanting children, and that scene where Corey Haim is singing in the bathtub and his dog saves him from being eaten by a scenery-chewing Jason Patric. And those are hardly Cinematic Highlights For the Ages. Anyway, we may have to put it to the test considering that Popcorn Taxi is screening Lost Boys with a Corey Feldman Q&A on January 21st. (Good grief. Do you realize that movie is 21-YEARS-OLD??)
How to Freeze Greens
How to Freeze Greens (like Spinach, Collards, Kale and Swiss Chard). We got a big bundle of Swiss Chard in last night’s food box, so I’ll probably be trying out this technique tonight. I’ve also got quite a few cucumbers to use up. Anybody have a foolproof recipe for sun dills? (First link courtesy of not martha.)
Unwanted Kittens
Unwanted Kittens. Apparently the NSW RSPCA are putting down 10 unwanted kittens a day this Christmas season. I’m glad that we (and Fiona and the S.V.) were able to save Petey and his brothers from meeting a similar fate, but I’m also pissed that his mother was obviously not desexed by her irresponsible IDIOT owner.
Twilight: The Puppet Saga
Twilight: The Puppet Saga. I think most people will agree this is a big improvement on the original. (Though not cousin Jenny!)
web-goddess is eight!
Web-goddess is now officially eight-years-old. Good grief. Have I really been doing it that long? Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time on Facebook, and it’s been weird to see how many of my high school and college classmates have kids now. I guess – for better or worse – this blog is my baby. This is what I have to show for the past eight years. Each anniversary has become sort of a special point of reflection for me, when I can look back over the highlights of the past twelve months. As usual, I’ve compiled some fun statistics to celebrate. (Previously: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003.)
- Number of posts: 868 (A 7% increase from last year’s 811. Going back to a desk job probably helped.)
- Number of comments: 2195 (An 11% decrease from last year’s 2454.)
- Comments to post ratio: 2.53 (Hm. Lower than last year’s 3.02.)
- Posts mentioning the Snook: 193 (Up from last year’s 167. I must like him more.)
- Most commented posts: My first half-marathon, getting laid off, losing my step-brother, Ron Howard’s endorsement of Obama causes family arguments, getting a new job, and the now deleted “Sorry Day” post. (Man, most of those are heavy. Remember when we used to talk about silly Internet stuff?)
- Top 10 commenters excluding myself: Bex (130), rachel (104), Emily (104), Jenny (76), eileen (66), M-H (66), aim (50), jp (42), Kevin (41), and crumpet (38).
- Number of polls: ZERO! I think I, like, completely forgot about those.
- Moblog posts: only TWO! (I haven’t got it working on my new host yet, so no big surprise there.)
- Oscar contest entries: 386, won by Gerald Granozio
- Nike+iPod total distance run: 811km / 504mi (That’s a 64% increase on 2007!)
- Races run: Mother’s Day Classic, Sydney Half-Marathon, City 2 Surf (third in a row!), Bridge Run, Melbourne Half-Marathon, Tough Bloke Challenge.
- Finished knitting projects: twelve, including my “highly-commended” Road to Golden, several pairs of socks, and two novelty jumpers
- Media appearances: two (interview/photo for JJJ Magazine which never got published; interview/photos in October issue of Knitting magazine about WWKIP Day in Sydney)
- Jobs: three (knitting shop, software developer, software developer/BA)
- Trips: Los Angeles for work in July; Melbourne for a race in October; Eungai for Christmas in December
- Natural disasters: EARTHQUAKE!
- New additions to the family: Professor Death (aka “Petey”), our new kitten; and Indie Marie Carbo, my new niece
So goodbye to 2008! I just had a look over last year’s resolutions, and I did pretty well at keeping them! I ran regularly through most of the year and completed my first half-marathon (along with a second and several other races). I took swimming lessons and learned to do a proper stroke. I got a new job back in I.T. that paid better than the knitting shop. I was more organised both at work and at home. Not too bad!
Okay then, what’s for 2009? I’d like to keep up my running and improve my half-marathon time, with a goal towards running a full marathon in 2010. Towards that end, I need to drop about 10kg. I’d like to take a few more steps down the path towards becoming a full-time Business Analyst. I’d like to win a blue ribbon at the Easter Show. I’d like to do some volunteer work. Here’s to a great year, everybody!
Petey
Petey Update: Isn’t he a gorgeous boy?
This week Petey saw the vet and got his microchip inserted, which means he’s officially OURS. (Snookums insisted I register his name as “Professor Death,” which was slightly embarrassing.) He’s already much healthier than he was three weeks ago! His coat is getting shiny, and he looks a lot less starved. The huge improvement has been in his sociability. He’s gone from being very nervous and skittish to being incredibly affectionate and sweet. He loves to be petted and scratched. He’s even letting us hold him and pick him up!
We kept him sequestered in the laundry room for the first few days, but we soon gave in and let him have the run of the house. It’s been hilarious watching his interactions with Amy. Since he’s too small to be a threat, her main reaction seems to be one of SUPREME EFFING ANNOYANCE. He keeps trying to make friends, and she mostly rebuffs him and stomps away. I nearly made her head explode last night when I put down a big bowl of kitten milk, and she was torn between the urge to flee and the greedy desire to slurp it up beside him like the little piggy that she is. (Her pride won out. She gave me a dirty look and slunk away like a sullen teenager.) Progress is happening though. I’ve seen them touch noses once or twice, and the past two mornings we’ve woken to the sounds of cats chasing each other up and down the house. (Which is awesome, considering that one of the main reasons we wanted another cat was to give her exercise.) He’s just this stubborn little brother, wearing down her resistance. Yesterday morning she was lying on the floor in my office when he crept in and stretched out beside her. I immediately snapped a photo before she remembered that she hates him. Score one for Petey!