Saturday, September 29, 2007
outrage
In other news, I've found out that I have to wait till the 19th of October for Stardust to come out here. The 19th. That's ridiculous. Boo hiss.
Friday, September 28, 2007
drooling
I don't know why, but Stardust has come out in NZ WAY before it has in the UK. Like it's not even out in the UK yet. And I wanna see it bad.
My parents went to see it and my dad has blogged about it. I have to admit to not reading it (his post) because I don't want to spoil the movie for myself which is actually funny because 1- I've read the book so I know what happens* and 2- I skimmed through the post to look at all the pictures anyway. It looks amazing though. On the phone, Dad described it as a mix between LOTR and TPB**. I really really can't wait to see it but of course now I'm worried I'll have built it up too much for myself and it won't be as good as I expect. But still- everyone should go see and if not, read the book anyway, it's magical and Neil Gaiman is a genius.
*but it was over 2 years ago now so my memory on it is a bit fuzzy.
**The Princess Bride. If you didn't know that then SHAME ON YOU.
My parents went to see it and my dad has blogged about it. I have to admit to not reading it (his post) because I don't want to spoil the movie for myself which is actually funny because 1- I've read the book so I know what happens* and 2- I skimmed through the post to look at all the pictures anyway. It looks amazing though. On the phone, Dad described it as a mix between LOTR and TPB**. I really really can't wait to see it but of course now I'm worried I'll have built it up too much for myself and it won't be as good as I expect. But still- everyone should go see and if not, read the book anyway, it's magical and Neil Gaiman is a genius.
*but it was over 2 years ago now so my memory on it is a bit fuzzy.
**The Princess Bride. If you didn't know that then SHAME ON YOU.
WWF the cat way
True to form, the cats did "have at it" last night but in nowhere near their usual style. The night before last, Ossy did this brilliant ambush of Arthur who lay on the carpet unsuspecting but I saw her hiding under the chair. She crept out, wiggled her bum and leaped high in the air to arc down on Arthur with a body slam worthy of any WWF wrestler. She has a nifty jujitsu-esque maneuver in this video which would have made any of us proud at my former dojo.
I should apologise for the shitty dark quality of these vids- it was a bit dim and my camera is not very obliging with video in interior light conditions. Never the less, I post another vid for you to witness these two at their nightly revels. I'm very careful to watch that there are no claws involved...
On other cat habits, I came home one day and one of the pillows looked like it had been moved and my PJs were in the middle of the bed and I was sure I'd dumped them on top of the pillows so yesterday I made special note of where I left them and when I came home, sure enough, they'd been moved. I blamed Ossy and it seems I was totally correct. Jane just got back in the country and texted me to see how the week had gone and I relayed my suspicions about Ossy and my PJs and she replied saying, "Yes it is true she plays with mine too. She likes to chew them for a while and then drag them around the house. She is mad." Yup. She sure is. It's just lucky she's so darn cute and that eccentricity is a personality trait I rate highly in a cat.
I should apologise for the shitty dark quality of these vids- it was a bit dim and my camera is not very obliging with video in interior light conditions. Never the less, I post another vid for you to witness these two at their nightly revels. I'm very careful to watch that there are no claws involved...
On other cat habits, I came home one day and one of the pillows looked like it had been moved and my PJs were in the middle of the bed and I was sure I'd dumped them on top of the pillows so yesterday I made special note of where I left them and when I came home, sure enough, they'd been moved. I blamed Ossy and it seems I was totally correct. Jane just got back in the country and texted me to see how the week had gone and I relayed my suspicions about Ossy and my PJs and she replied saying, "Yes it is true she plays with mine too. She likes to chew them for a while and then drag them around the house. She is mad." Yup. She sure is. It's just lucky she's so darn cute and that eccentricity is a personality trait I rate highly in a cat.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
pumped
On Tues night, Graeme (my climbing buddy) and I did our first session of our lead climbing course.
It was awesome. I had such fun. I still get all adrenaliney and psyched just thinking about it. At first I was fairly nervous for a myriad (good word) of reasons:
1- lead climbing is more dangerous
2- I might not be fit enough to do it (turns out that at least for learning, that isn't really an issue)
3- we were being taught by Mike, the guy who taught us for our beginners course which was over a year ago now and I was nervous knowing that he was really analysing our climbing and checking our technique and I was paranoid that he'd be thinking, "Holy crap, this chick can't climb for sh*t." Which is of course bollocks but still- that's the way my brain works.
I don't know that 3 reasons makes for a myriad but they were all for naught in the end. I did not get hurt, fitness wasn't an issue and Mike told us that we progressed the fastest out of all the people he's taught so far (only 4 groups before us but that doesn't matter to me and Graeme. We know we're cool.) which was awesome.
It also turns out that the Westway, where I climb, is the only place in the UK (or at least London, I'm pretty sure it was the UK) where they teach falling as part of their lead climbing course because it's deemed as potentially dangerous but Westway backs their course and personally, after having started this course. I don't see how you could teach lead climbing without teaching people how to fall. You're more likely to fall lead climbing so it's great for the climber to make sure you're technique is right and also for the belayer to make sure they know different ways of handling your fall.
So our first night involved quite a bit of going up the wall and throwing ourselves off it again which personally, was a hoot. I love it. I totally trust Graeme to catch me so as far as I'm concerned, it's all fun and games. That said, trust is being taken to a whole new level with this course. We did an exercise where the belayer had to close their eyes which as a climber is a little stressful as it means they're doing it all by touch and feeling the tension in the rope. But Graeme and I have a good deal going: don't drop me and I won't drop you. It's worked for us so far. ;-)
Next week will be the last session, it's just 2 x 2hrs and then we need to get a rope and get practicing as we'd like to get outdoors once before winter really kicks in and it's way too cold and wet to do it. Outside! Awesome!
It was awesome. I had such fun. I still get all adrenaliney and psyched just thinking about it. At first I was fairly nervous for a myriad (good word) of reasons:
1- lead climbing is more dangerous
2- I might not be fit enough to do it (turns out that at least for learning, that isn't really an issue)
3- we were being taught by Mike, the guy who taught us for our beginners course which was over a year ago now and I was nervous knowing that he was really analysing our climbing and checking our technique and I was paranoid that he'd be thinking, "Holy crap, this chick can't climb for sh*t." Which is of course bollocks but still- that's the way my brain works.
I don't know that 3 reasons makes for a myriad but they were all for naught in the end. I did not get hurt, fitness wasn't an issue and Mike told us that we progressed the fastest out of all the people he's taught so far (only 4 groups before us but that doesn't matter to me and Graeme. We know we're cool.) which was awesome.
It also turns out that the Westway, where I climb, is the only place in the UK (or at least London, I'm pretty sure it was the UK) where they teach falling as part of their lead climbing course because it's deemed as potentially dangerous but Westway backs their course and personally, after having started this course. I don't see how you could teach lead climbing without teaching people how to fall. You're more likely to fall lead climbing so it's great for the climber to make sure you're technique is right and also for the belayer to make sure they know different ways of handling your fall.
So our first night involved quite a bit of going up the wall and throwing ourselves off it again which personally, was a hoot. I love it. I totally trust Graeme to catch me so as far as I'm concerned, it's all fun and games. That said, trust is being taken to a whole new level with this course. We did an exercise where the belayer had to close their eyes which as a climber is a little stressful as it means they're doing it all by touch and feeling the tension in the rope. But Graeme and I have a good deal going: don't drop me and I won't drop you. It's worked for us so far. ;-)
Next week will be the last session, it's just 2 x 2hrs and then we need to get a rope and get practicing as we'd like to get outdoors once before winter really kicks in and it's way too cold and wet to do it. Outside! Awesome!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
shameless
I have done my first DIVE cover! Ooer, aren't I fancy? And fairly happy with it too, just had to share.
obligatory cat post
I'm a cat person. I can't deny it. I'm so much a cat person that even the annoying traits of cats amuse me. Don't get me wrong, I like dogs too. I like their mindless enthusiasm and eternal optimism but something with cats just resonates.
Jane is away again so once again I'm looking after the house- and now there is a new lady in the house. After the sad and untimely demise of Sweep, it was decided Arthur needed a new friend. What he got was Ossy. She is a small round, compact little lady who is about half his size and absolutely terrorises him. It is hilarious. I watch their play-fighting with half a watchful motherly eye, making sure it doesn't digress in to anything serious but right now they seem happy to just beat each other up, sans claws, which is just fine.
This is Arthur.
As is this.
And this is the little madam. Amongst her other more catty traits is the desire to wake me up in the middle of the night to scratch her under the chin for a few minutes so that she can then trot off back down to the end of the bed where she usually sleeps. If I didn't have such a warped sense of humour, I would not find this amusing.
She is also very good at the cat habit of walking just in front of you so that you live in eternal fear of stepping on her or tripping over her.
And that's it folks. I'm sure I'll manage to blog something of more substance at some point...
Jane is away again so once again I'm looking after the house- and now there is a new lady in the house. After the sad and untimely demise of Sweep, it was decided Arthur needed a new friend. What he got was Ossy. She is a small round, compact little lady who is about half his size and absolutely terrorises him. It is hilarious. I watch their play-fighting with half a watchful motherly eye, making sure it doesn't digress in to anything serious but right now they seem happy to just beat each other up, sans claws, which is just fine.
This is Arthur.
As is this.
And this is the little madam. Amongst her other more catty traits is the desire to wake me up in the middle of the night to scratch her under the chin for a few minutes so that she can then trot off back down to the end of the bed where she usually sleeps. If I didn't have such a warped sense of humour, I would not find this amusing.
She is also very good at the cat habit of walking just in front of you so that you live in eternal fear of stepping on her or tripping over her.
And that's it folks. I'm sure I'll manage to blog something of more substance at some point...
Friday, September 21, 2007
buddy!
I don't know what it says about me that I get a kick out of my dodgey spam mail. The gem of this morning was
I think it was the "buddy!" that made me smile.
As of tonight I am once again house/cat sitting for one of the ladies from work. Expect a lot of cute cat pics and "funny" cat stories over the next week coz these two are supercutiepies. Arthur is the "kitten" the size of a horse and his new buddy, Ossy, is about half his size but that doesn't stop this spunky chick. Oh no. She takes great delight in pouncing on him and generally terrorising the gentle giant- it's like he doesn't realise he could squash her with one paw. Good times.
Good morning, buddy!
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I think it was the "buddy!" that made me smile.
As of tonight I am once again house/cat sitting for one of the ladies from work. Expect a lot of cute cat pics and "funny" cat stories over the next week coz these two are supercutiepies. Arthur is the "kitten" the size of a horse and his new buddy, Ossy, is about half his size but that doesn't stop this spunky chick. Oh no. She takes great delight in pouncing on him and generally terrorising the gentle giant- it's like he doesn't realise he could squash her with one paw. Good times.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
almost famous
Well not personally but I was almost close to someone famous. I could have met him. I was definitely within line of sight. And so, ladies and gentlemen, without further a-do, may I present Quentin Tarantino:
I know, I know, it's a shit pic but my camera hates nighttime shots and has a pathetic zoom so it was the best I could get. I was at a premiere event to promote his new movie, Deathproof. A movie premiere would have been nice but instead this was a banger car rally which actually turned out to be quite fun. 
A bunch of us from work rocked along and chose a car each and cheered them on. Some of them got pretty crunched up, it was hilarious.
I know, I know, it's a shit pic but my camera hates nighttime shots and has a pathetic zoom so it was the best I could get. I was at a premiere event to promote his new movie, Deathproof. A movie premiere would have been nice but instead this was a banger car rally which actually turned out to be quite fun. 
A bunch of us from work rocked along and chose a car each and cheered them on. Some of them got pretty crunched up, it was hilarious.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
confession of a font nazi
I have a dirty little secret to share. In the October issue of DIVE, there will be Comic Sans.
Sorry.
My defence of this travesty is 'post-modern-irony'. I know it's Satan's font but because in this particular situation, it was actually appropriate (and those occasions are few and far between), I have let it through. So how did I come to stoop so low you ask? Well we have a regular feature every month called 'InDepth' and it always has a map of the area covered. October's is Cuba and the opener was a spread where we had postcard-styled photos of variosu aspects of Cuba and the map was one of these. As such, I sent our cartographer the instructions to cheese up the usual map style so that it looked more postcardy and when it came back, which was pretty much minutes before deadline, I saw that he had used Comic Sans as the font for the place names.
I actually wailed out loud.
But time was running short and, when you think about it, so many postcards use Comic Sans and so, with a nod to Fate's twisted and ironic sense of humour, I let it through. I could have changed the font, I had the technology. But I let it stay.
And that my friends is the burden I must bear.
Sorry.
My defence of this travesty is 'post-modern-irony'. I know it's Satan's font but because in this particular situation, it was actually appropriate (and those occasions are few and far between), I have let it through. So how did I come to stoop so low you ask? Well we have a regular feature every month called 'InDepth' and it always has a map of the area covered. October's is Cuba and the opener was a spread where we had postcard-styled photos of variosu aspects of Cuba and the map was one of these. As such, I sent our cartographer the instructions to cheese up the usual map style so that it looked more postcardy and when it came back, which was pretty much minutes before deadline, I saw that he had used Comic Sans as the font for the place names.
I actually wailed out loud.
But time was running short and, when you think about it, so many postcards use Comic Sans and so, with a nod to Fate's twisted and ironic sense of humour, I let it through. I could have changed the font, I had the technology. But I let it stay.
And that my friends is the burden I must bear.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
addicted
I've been scanning Hayden's iTunes and have joyously rediscovered The Brunettes. And, as I am wont to do when I find a song I like, I have been playing and replaying and playing and replaying Dancefloor which I think has to be one of the cutest songs ever. I love it. Love love love. Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere on the web to send you guys to listen to it. But check out their myspace anyway.
In other news, it turns out that my curry man is a smoker. Should I tell him it's because of that that we will never be together as opposed to his impinging on my personal space in an unwanted manner?
In other news, it turns out that my curry man is a smoker. Should I tell him it's because of that that we will never be together as opposed to his impinging on my personal space in an unwanted manner?
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