The poor man's tribble

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Jordan, Robert "The eye of the world"
About three young men, two young women, one woman with magic and one dangerous man. Magic, prophecy, fighting, love. Epic by any sense of the word.
What did I think?
Better than the (several) previous reading. I'd forgotten just how much information was packed into the first book. Character development is well done. Action sequences exciting and occasionally heart-stopping. No tear this time - I think I had braced myself for it. Always been worried that the author would die before the series was finished - unfortunately this is a real possibility. Kia kaha e koro, stay strong. Recommended.
N.B. Apparently everyone thought book 10 was filled with not much as the plot threads were all bought together. Phew! I thought it was just me.

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
I've got two days minimum water for one person. It's not much but it's a start.

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
On the wind trainer tonight and OMG. How depressing. Sloooow and useeless. I need to get back out in the wind and the rain and the sun to remember how to cycle. Bring on those hills - I want them.

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
I have got to stop buying books.

You are not alone.

Went out yesterday with LoM to get new tramping boots. I thought it would take an hour or so...four hours later I managed to find some. Apparently that was very good in terms of how long it could have taken. Really good shop assistants in all the shops we went to as well which makes a nice change. Knowledgeable and helpful. Plus the boots are surprisingly comfortable. I guess they should be - they cost enough! I'm all ready for #84 Walk Auckland/Atuanui mountain on August 12. Just checking out the thermos to see whether it would be suitable to take with us. Hopefully the heavy rain will stay away - I don't mind a little bit of rain but I'd rather not get soaked!

Other progress areas
#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
The more I do this the less scary baking becomes. I have no trouble whipping up a cake or a batch of biscuits after dinner. Our cupboards are well stocked with baking ingredients.

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Pride and Prejudice" Jane Austen
The original chicklit novel - girl meets boy, girls dislikes boy, boy thinks girl's family are embarassing, boy reluctantly falls in love with girl, boy declares himself, girl is incredulous, boy goes away, girl suffers period of angst and consternation then it all works out in the end.
What did I think?
It took me a while to get into this novel. Orginally I wondered what the hell I'd gotten myself into (bad vibes for #19 Read all of Jane Austen) but then I came to appreciate the elgeance of some of her sentences. So in the end I quite enjoyed it. I took it to the last film of the film festival (for me at least.) Funnily enough one of the actors in that film was in the latest film version of the book I had just read. Everything is linked right?

That film was "Death at a funeral". (#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary.) This choice for me was a bit of a wild card. I liked one of the actors in it but wasn't sure that it was actually a valid reason for going. Boy was I glad that I had decided to go! Very very funny. I was wiping tears away at one stage. Nicely paced and edited - there was a section of high comedy then one of high drama. The whole theatre went silent. Quite a good result considering it was packed out (at the Civic) and had moments before been in hysterics. Sure, there were some over the top moments, but it could be forgiven in that environment. Best seen in a large theatre with lots of people. (There was applauding after this film which I totally understood.)

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Izzard, Eddie "Dressed to kill"
An old title (almost ten years old) written when Mr Izzard was just starting to get into films and become known over here in NZ. Musings on life with a bit of biography thrown in.
What did I think?
Another wild card choice - I wasn't sure what to read so I thought I'd search the library catalogue for the first last author listed in the "I"s. I think I'd already read it but I found it interesting all the same. I'd just read an interview so it was a lucky coincidence that this book came up. Lots of fun if you don't mind philosophy and the occasional tangent in your biographies.

My skill set

TDF...my heart is broken by your scandals.

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
I have learnt my second poem. No chance to recite it yet but I'm sure the time will come. It's "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon.

Found in the wilderness

Reflections from festival movie watching

1. Applauding after a film. I can understand if the director is there but if they're not? Just felt a bit weird.

2. Bringing mandarins as a snack. Seriously bro? Mandarins?

Can we be like the biscuits of today?

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc.

Two more films today. One in the Academy Theatre which has comfy seats but an aisle down the middle meaning noone gets to sit centre screen.

"The Planet" - about global change (not just climate change) and how humans have affected the earth. A bit like a music video at times (pulsating bass with environmental sounds and conversation snippets) but also inspiring and depressing all at the same time. Some very interesting talking heads. The experts did come out at the end and say what they thought we could do - it's all about getting to a tipping point of positive public opinion and action before we get to the tipping point of global decline.

"How to cook your life" - About a zen chef (tenzo?) who teaches cooking at the same time as dispensing wisdom. Sounds a bit pretentious but was quite enlightening. Actually resonated with me quite a bit as I'm learning a lot during my quest to cook through the Edmonds. It's not about the cooking or the baking, it's about other things.

#74 Cook risotto from scratch

Last night I cooked Jamie Oliver's pumpkin risotto. It took ages but was worth the effort in the end. Next time I think I will pick the thyme leaves off before I start cooking AND leave out either one of the three dairy ingredients that get added in at the end. The recipe didn't say to leave any of them out but all three made it very cheesy and rich. Tasty but. We ended up with heaps so it was lucky that LoM was over for dinner. (#40 Share a meal with friends or family every two months.) Oh, and I knocked 3 more recipes off the #35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook as well.

Building strategic relationships

Bah. The "Babylon 5" DVD is corrupted. Or our DVD player is corrupted. Either way it can't be watched for more than 5 minutes before pixellating. Grr. Argh.

#79 Read "The art of war"
Since I had some time on my hands I read this book. I found it fascinating. The translation I have included footnotes (or paragraph notes) for some of the recommendations/ideas in the book. They were a bloody-thirsty lot back then. Even relatively minor transgressions could result in beheading or punishment. Recommended. (The book not the punishments.)

Also counts as #70 Read the books I own but haven't read. Possibly the title I have owned and wanted to read for the longest time.

Would you like to order more tickets?

Nothing much going on here. I'm too busy watching Babylon 5 and the Tour de France. *sigh* Le Tour... *stares off into space dreamily*

An unexplainable discrepancy

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
I made such a delicious banana cake the other day that I even surprised myself.

#36 Spend a night on Tiritiri Matangi Island
Having a bit of trouble with this one - I'm not the only person who thinks that this is a great idea. The Saturdays are booked solid until 2009 which isn't open yet. Looks like I'll be taking a couple days off to go and stay.

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit and #90 Get an emergency kit for the car
The weather has been doing some crazy things lately and I'm just lucky I haven't been caught out. It's made me more determined to sort these two. I have to get over the fact that the home kit doesn't need to be portable and that I will probably still have access to essentials like saucepans and coffee plungers. It will be a different story for the car kit...

Triplux is back in town. Welcome back! Now I'm not saying he's the ultimate 101/1001 but he certainly makes lists seem fun and interesting.

Shut up just shut up shut up *

#57 Have a cheap-as-chips movie day - all movies, all day
(also counts for #66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc. and #76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary)

Done and done. Four movies in one day. I thought they started at 11am and that I'd missed the start because of the traffic. Then it turns out they started at 11:30am so all was good.


First two films were at Sky City village theatre. Nice, comfy seats and places to put your drink. Next one was at the Civic. Luckily it was a short one becaus those seats weren't very comfortable. Plus I got an itch and fidgeted all the way through the film. The last one was at the SkyCity Theater. Comfy seats but nowhere to put a drink except on the floor. And they had the sound too loud. I kept wanting to put my hands over my ears!

"A world of shorts" - Short films from around the world. Top one - "Family Reunion"About a girl from Iceland who has moved to New York. She has a girlfriend there who her family doesn't know about. Then she goes back to Iceland for a family party where she thinks her secret has been discovered. Excellent twist at the end. Some other thought provoking films in the lot too.
"The great happiness space" - Japanese host clubs where men encourage women to come and party (i.e. get drunk and shout a lot. Oh, and moon over their host.) Very interesting. I thought the host men were a bit like geisha in that they provide support and emotional comfort to the woman who go there. It was quite sad in that host clubs were quite expensive, so to support their 'habit' the women they interviewed had moved into sex trades to get the money. Therefore it was a bit of a revolving circle of sorrow and money and sex and desperate attempts to feel something and manipulation and lies and deceit.
"Manufactured landscapes" - This wasn't what I was expecting so I didn't really get into it until after the film. It was about a photographer who interprets man-made landscapes. During the course of his career he has come across many interesting created landscapes which show the influence that manufacturing has had on the environment and on people's lives. Some of his phtotos were amazing - great, enormous caverns that were quarries, making huge dumptrucks look tiny. Large factories in China where there are over 50 rows of workers (a shot of the factory opened the film. I didn't count but it must have gone on for several minutes, just dolly-ing down the side.) He had a few pictures that showed the end-life of some things we use - ships that are taken apart by hand and computer components that were melted down and all useable metal salvaged. He didn't really come out and say "You idiots! Look what your desire for stuff has done to these people and this country and it will be only a matter of time before this impacts on your lives!" but you could tell that he had thought about the consequences of his actions and what he does etc. I think it would be a good companion piece to "An Inconvenient truth" (which I have not seen) and "The Planet" (which I will see next week.)
"Helvetica" - about the font. Wonderfully done. The font is treated like a person with its history delved into and opinions on it from a number of graphic artists. They are all interesting people if slightly manic. I love the way they describe how the font makes them feel, what it reminds them of and why (or why not) they use it. The most surprising thing to me was how many people were NOT graphic artists (all the articles I've read seem surprised by the opposite.) The director was there and told a great story - apparently he is now tired of Helvetica and sees it everywhere. On Sunday he went out to Piha and climbed Lion Rock. What should he see but Helvetica on the sign. Priceless :) However, his doco was not priceless. All financed by Mr Visa so if you get a chance go see it, buy the DVD and download the music. (All available later this year.)



#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"On a hoof and a prayer : around Argentina at a gallop" by Polly Evans.
About a woman who rides around Argentina on a horse.

What did I think?
It was interesting to compare this book with the Llama book. Both women travelling alone. Polly has also written a great book about cycling through Spain. Their attitude was certainly different - Polly being a bit more concerned about appearances and comfort and eating well. This one was okay. Read the book that's "Not about the Tapas" rather than this one for a better travel story. Bussing somewhere and then jumping on a horse was interesting but not as gritty as the cycle story.

*song title/chorus

My tornado hell

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"New Spring" by Robert Jordan
A prequel to his Wheel of Time series which is up to book 11 and still counting. It is the story of Moiraine, how she became Aes Sedai and how she bonded Lan to her.

What did I think?
This is pretty good. I used to read the Wheel of Time series but sort of lost interest when the books a) became big enough to use as door stops, b) contained no movement or story advancement and c) took ages to be published. After reading this I think I'll go back to it. The characters are a bit annoying (does she have to be so snooty? does he have to be so aloof?) so don't start reading unless you love fantasy books and think you might like to start a loooong, epic series.
Fun fact #1 - I always cry a couple of tears in the same place in the first book every time I read it. Every time.
Fun fact #2 - I once walked into a book store and was up at the counter paying for a book in this series before I'd even realised that it was on display. Magic.

This title also counts in #70 Read the books I own but haven't read. Surprinsingly there weren't that many of them. Well, not that many if I don't count the ones I have read and then bought but not read after buying. So far I've read "New Spring" and...
"Wizard of the pigeons" by Megan Lindholm.
About wizards in Seattle - or are they just ordinary people with mental issues?
What did I think?
Loved it. The characters, the situations, the mix of magic and realism. I think there are some fuzzy edges around the plot but I was too busy enjoying myself to care. This author also writes as Robin Hobb who I highly recommend. (Except for her latest which I just couldn't get into.)

I am finally starting to get better. There is still a tiny cough plaguing me but it will hopefully be gone by Monday because I am #66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc. I have 4 movies to see as part of the film festival. Since they are cheaper than ordinary movies (because I got in on the earlybird rate) they will count as #57 Have a cheap-as-chips movie day - all movies, all day. I'm really looking forward to them. I used to belong to the film festival when I was just a young thing but somehow I lost sight of how much I enjoyed it. The four films I am seeing on Monday are "A world of shorts" (short films from around the world), "The great happiness space" (Japanese club for women run by men - if you get my drift...), "Manufactured landscapes" (building and progress in China) and "Helvetica" (about the font). There are three others booked on other days too. I'm just ticked I can't afford more films and more time off to see them.

Breathing, itchy skin

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles

"The Know-it-all: one man's humble quest to become the smartest person in the world" by A.J. Jacobs
About a man who decides to become smarter by reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica. All of it. Including the Macropedia.
What did I think?
Loved the bits of trivia in the books. Hated the bits about their struggle to have a baby. Thought the author was a bit of a twat. Flagged halfway through the book/alphabet. Decided the author was actually alright. Found out his Dad likes to give fake names to strangers (which I have been known to do.) Was pleased when they got pregnant. Liked the summing up of what he learnt on the last couple pages.

"Llamas & empanadas: 5000 kilometers by bicycle through South America" by Eleanor Meecham.
About a New Zealander who cycles South America almost by accident and by herself for much of the time.
What did I think?
Well, I'm a sucker for a cycle story so this one had everything going for it before I even started. Great writing and a certain amount of self-disclosure ensure that the story doesn't disapoint. I admire people who can do what she did and just get out there with no fixed plan trusting that it will all turn out. A fitting tribute to her brother.

"Magic or madness" by Justin Larbalestier
About a girl who is sent to stay with her grandmother when her Mum has a nervous breakdown. Her mother has warned her about her grandmother all her life so she is understandably nervous about staying with her.
What did I think?
A couple of moments when I wondered how old the characters were - they get served alcohol in a restaurant and go out to a nightclub - and a few character behaviour moments that I didn't quite get but overall an interesting read. It's the first in a series of three.


Haven't been doing anything else because I am still sick. First tonsillitis, then a tummy bug and now a head cold. The Boyfriend had an operation a few days ago so I've had to play nursemaid. And the cat was sick. To be honest, I feel a bit ripped off.

and the beat goes on...

#5 Call in sick
It didn't work. I went into work yesterday feeling a bit squiffy. This morning I was up at 4am because I felt so yuck and couldn't sleep. Oh well.

Must think of other things to do while I'm laid up...

Acceptance of responsibility

I wanted to speed up completing items on the list but I really could have done without #5 Call in sick. Experience shows that from a tiny puffed up mucus producing throat (such as the one I have now) comes a full week off work with infected tonsils and sinuses. Taking a day off today will hopefully derail that train.

ma easy goin' nature is being sorely fuckin tested

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles

"Ivy tree" by Mary Stewart
About an individual who impersonates another individual ostensibly to get some cash from her co-conspirators but then it turns out that she may not be what she seems. There's a couple of handsome men, a doting sister, dying grandfathers, thwarted love affair and possible Roman ruins.

What did I think?
I like Mary Stewart. I really do. I especially liked her King Arthur series. And there's another one - something to do with greyhounds? But this I hated. It felt like reading for an assignment. The format didn't help - old, brown falling apart paperback with text that had started to bleed across the page. Maybe it's because the story is so set in it's time - with different norms and expectations. Or maybe it's the way they all refered to each other as 'darling' or the creepy sister love. *shudder* (Found through Unshelved book club - "Ivy tree" here.)


"Joust" by Mercedes Lackey
About a serf who is rescued from his serf-y life by a dragon rider (aka a 'Jouster') who takes him into the dragon compound and teaches him about caring for a dragon. This 'Jouster' has trained his dragon from an egg so they have a bond that the other riders (who steal their dragons when they are young and then entrust their care to others who ensure they are drugged up) lack.

What did I think?
Alert readers will note a similarity between this one and the 'A' title book. This is the beginning of the series and it makes so much more sense now. (There is definitely a bonus in reading a series in order.) So this time there didn't seem to be so much action going on in the background of the story. The character had his troubles and managed to work through them. I'm pretty lazy so reading about how hard someone works is always fun. Still, not her best title.

#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary
Didn't have to attend this one by myself - Transformers. This movie is nothing but action action action. Plus a bit of talking in between. Seriously - how wrong can you go with shiny vehicles, Shia LaBoeuf, men in uniforms and lots and lots of guns? Just leave your brain at the door and have a good time. More than meets the eye baby!