101 in 1001 with irkstyle

He’s young. He has amazing hair. *

2009-11-14T14:17:00.002+13:00

Good LORD. It's only a few weeks until this 101 in 1001 thing is done. Honestly - it seemed like a good idea at the time but I reckon 1001 days is too long. Well, too long for me anyway. Advice for new players in the round up at the end. But NOW - what's the score?

COMPLETE/ONGOING = 51
In progress = 11
Not started = 38

What can I potentially get done in the next few weeks?
#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks
#19 Read all of Jane A.
#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
#40 Share a meal with friends or family every two months
#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
#90 Get an emergency kit for the car
#91 Make copies of important documents

Prompted to check by this short story by Paula Morris published in the NZ Herald.

* Hollywood Swoons Over That Hair, That Baton

Hey creampuff *

2009-11-13T23:48:00.001+13:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook

I'm making cream puffs on Monday. Yum.

*name on the poster...

In fact, half the time my job is just to not corpse *

2009-11-09T19:02:00.003+13:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Well the Ladysmith cake was a great success today. A cinnamon base, rasperry jam, plain cake top with chopped nuts. Not too sweet, very moreish.
Next Monday I plan to make Cream Puffs. More on that later...

#40 share a meal with friends or family every two months
As I said I thought that I wuold be hard pressed to complete this one. However, even through the dark teatime of the soul last year I managed to keep this up. The last few months I think I've eaten with someone almost every week. I feel very lucky.

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
Every time I finish one, I buy another one to add to the pile. *oops* Latest purchase "Not Safe For Work" by Emma Hart. It actually is (despite the torso/bra cover). It made me think that I need to find somewhere/someone to practice my conversation skills with. There hasn't been much exploring of ideas going on. For some reason the cat isn't interested.

* @coupdemain's interview with Charlie McD and David vH.

None of that my rabbit *

2009-11-08T11:15:00.002+13:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook

* The Belagariad, book 1. Pawn of Prophecy.

No peaks found

2009-11-03T21:12:00.001+13:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
I went to see "Julie and Julia" the other day. A local cafe organised the tickets and we all went back there after the film for coffee and cake. In the film Amy Adams, playing Julie, says something like 'it was comforting to know that no matter how crappy your day you could come home, chuck a few ingredients together and create something wonderful.' Since the book was the inspiration for the task I've been reenergised to start up again. Yesterday I made Stuffed Tomato, Stuffed Mushrooms and Trifle. My timing was slightly off so the Tomato had cooled down by the time the Mushrooms were finished and I fudged the ingredients but I'd definitely make them both again despite their fiddliness. The Trifle was a bit too heavy on the whipped cream for my liking but that would be easily fixed. When I went in for the sherry the bloke at Liquorland Orewa (recommended btw, always good) was most helpful - he explained about the different types then suggested I might like to go for a cheaper brand - although it was up to me... I went for the cheaper brand. I'm glad I did. I tried drinking the sherry and barely made it through a shot glass full. Not really to my taste.

There isn't much time left to finish some of the tasks. I've made peace with this fact. Some were a teeny bit optimistic anyway (#16). Others were more about the idea of the thing rather than the specific thing itself. For example the desire to #62 Buy something by T.B. was satisfied by the purchase of an item similar in style to the things he designs. (And much cheaper. LOL.)

*title from video playback on CSI:New York
** blog titles come from interesting phrases I've read/heard/seen. I've decided to start referencing them. #librarian

I got outrageously drunk *

2009-07-31T19:02:00.003+12:00

71. Take a cooking class
"Real food - fast!" class at a local cafe. Nat and Katie showed how to make one base and use it several times and how to make food go further AND how to cook something delicious that doesn't take that long. Excellent.

* What Karl Urban did after he found out he'd been cast in Star Trek the reboot

sweet mystery

2009-05-26T19:28:00.001+12:00

um, got nothing to say...spanish is back on with private classes (but not tonight). Other things kind of stalled.

must...get...motivated...

George R.R. Martin is not your bitch *

2009-05-15T23:18:00.003+12:00

#29 Learn basic Spanish
*sniff* my spanish beyond the basics class has been cancelled for lack of students. I was really enjoying it. Unlike Maori there was no pressure to learn it. It was just fun and now it's not. I guess it's back to the CD.

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
Trying to track down a copy of "Just" by Stephanie Johnston. Her husband reckoned that NZ women say "I'm just.." a lot (or "I was just..." etc) so she wrote him a poem that was all "I'm just..." ending with the poet running the country.

#28 Take a uni course
I'm quite reluctant to go back to tertiary education. Lots of money for a bit of paper. Lately though I've been feeling my lack of a university on-campus education so I'm rethinking my position. Maybe it's a midlife crisis?

*what Neil Gaiman said about complaints from readers about a perceived lack of progress by Mr G.R.R. Martin

abandon the kayak and climb for your life

2009-04-12T12:21:00.003+12:00

#61 Drive the Twin Coast Highway
Completed during autumn 2009. This is traditionally when roadworks are actioned in Northland so I spent many happy hours travelling at less than 60km. It was annoying but did allow me to look out at the scenery more than if I hadn't had an excuse to drive so slowly. It was a revelation driving around up north. I understand why settlers chose certain areas - the calm waters of the Hokianga harbour where you could choose to fish out of a window; the smooth plains of kumara country...actually that was a bit freaky. It was flat with nothing to break up the monotony of the fields. One particularly memorable town (memorable except for the name) had a long straight road leading to a line of about 20 houses arranged neatly along the edge with glimpses of empty stretching behind them. The road kicked to the right with another 15 houses lined up. After that a well constructed footpath stretched off into the distance and resolved itself at the area schools. Houses at one end. Schools at the other. It made me wonder what people did for a living. If I was unemployed and living in that town I think the space would drive me mad within the week.
Memorable moments - sharing a snaking gravel road with logging trucks; coming off that road to see in front of me the calm Hokianga harbour shining in the sun; a hawk lifting into the blue sky; stopping for a coffee and a chocolate bar and watching the waves; the Opua vehicle ferry; walking around Waitangi barefoo t; a waka in the harbour at Waitangi;
Typical scenes - 'Watch out for the kiwi' signs; road works; lots and lots of roadworks; glimpses of the sea; tiny beaches; amazing views.

Select 'tree planting' *

2009-03-22T16:33:00.005+13:00

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc
This has been a really rewarding thing to do. Even if it's taken me two years and 5 or 6 festivals to complete it. The last set of shows were all part of the Auckland Festival 2009. A bit of dance, some theatre, some music and a couple of circus acts all combined for a very life affirming and joyful couple of weeks. Thanks AK09. If I'd have had more money (or more space on Mr Mastercard) I would have tried to stuff more shows in.

#4 Go to a concert
One of the things I went to was Besser and Bravura a Twilight Music concert. I didn't have a clue what I was going to , only that it would fill in the time between work and a late night show nicely. Little did I know that it would be very affecting. A group of musicians (minus one who was off with his wife while she had their baby) including the composer playing various compositions. I loved the Tangiers one (world premier!) and Turn (?). One hour was over very quickly.

#36 Spend a night on Tiritiri Matangi Island
I haven't managed to spend a night on Tiritiri Matangi Island but I did finally get there. Tyla and I spent a nice sunny sunday wandering around the island. (saw two ex-workmates there - who'da thunk it??) I think the spaces are usually used for researchers so maybe sometime during the holidays? (Do researchers get holidays?)

* From the ARC website

Bees is a useless pet

2009-03-02T19:46:00.004+13:00

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart

Another one learnt - Erebus voices by Bill Manhire. I can't quite crack the voice though. Whoudl they be different? Should I rasp on the first half? still experimenting.

due to a wrinkle of the rules

2009-02-22T13:09:00.005+13:00

#34 Attend a music at the zoo concert

On a slightly cloudy and very humid night, I, irkstyle, did attend a Zoo Music concert. Hot, sweaty, covered in sunscreen and anti-insect spray I made my camp behind the stage along a pathway. There were a lot more people than I was expecting and they had all arrived before me. I was by the generator but the performers all played so loudly that it didn't matter AND my spot was really close to the coffee bar. Score!

I missed a lot of Paul Ubana Jones' set unfortunately because he was teh awesome. Jangly, foot tapping guitar music with rolling, repeating themes.

Nathan Haines and his band were next up. Liked it all and especially enjoyed two tracks - one with tenor saxophone (something about memories or memphis or twilight?) and one with a flute (can't remember anything else about this one unfortunately.) (When I was in school he was my inspiration for learning the saxophone - anything was possible. Except for the fact that I was never going to be anything but slightly above average and that was only because I had years of piano under my belt so could transpose on the fly.)

Last up was Hollie Smith. I wasn't sure how I would like this and unfortunately I wasn't in the mood for her particular brand of music - maybe if I'd had a couple glasses wine I'd have been a bit more mellow. No worries though, I skipped out into the zoo to have a look around. Most of the animals were locked away but I did see a turtle and a small alligator swishing its way along the tiny river in the enclosure.

Overall a good night out. Lots of people were enjoying themselves - eating, playing poker, drinking, listening to the music.

Dinner was delicious - salmon salad, fruit salad, a chocolate bar plus coffee and a lemon lime drink.

he says okey dokey *

2009-02-15T15:27:00.004+13:00

# 29 Learn basic Spanish
I've enrolled in a community education course to learn basic spanish. We reached the limit of my spanish in one evening. eek! still can't spell the words properly.

#34 Attend a music at the zoo concert
Have booked my ticket. couldn't find anyone to go with so am going by myself. Planning menu soon.

#39 '26 things' Flickr challenge
Completed this. It's no longer based off Flickr although that's where the majority of people save their photos. I found out about it late then put it off so most of the photos are taken on the very last day of January 2009. Most of the time I like my idea but not the execution so much. Favs - in the distance, twin, different, everything.

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc
The Auckland Festival is coming up and I have booked/will be booking for 5 shows. go me! I have dance, circus, theatre, circus and theatre in my list. no opera. (not my bag baby.)

* Supernatural

a smile forming on his face

2009-01-11T12:21:00.002+13:00

success! a tiny bit of progress...

#19 Read all of Jane Austen

"Emma" Is it just me or is that girl a silly cow who gets more than she deserves? (a bit like the Shopaholic bint although it does make a nice change from the fairytale plain unassuming girl gets the guy.)

Sweet baby cheeses! *

2008-12-31T13:19:00.004+13:00

Well, I've only got myself to blame. I've done most of the easy ones and am now onto the longer term tasks which take a lot of time and effort to do. Or maybe it's just me?

I've continued to cook/bake through #35, the Edmonds cookbook. Trouble is that I'm now repeating recipes because they are 1. easy. 2. tasty. I need to get onto something different!

I need to buy two new tyres for #13 and #85.

This all conflicts with #41 and #52. *sigh*

Never mind. At least I'm still ticking along with this...

* nicked from Moata

Collision of human relationships in a totalitarian society

2008-10-01T08:15:00.001+13:00

#56 Go vegetarian for a month
Completed. I had a steak and cheese pie for breakfast. 'nuff said.

I want them to suffer the same marrow-level dread of the oceanic

2008-09-15T10:11:00.004+12:00

#56 Go vegetarian for a month How's it been so far? The first week I was anxious and HUNGRY all the time. The second week I started to feel great. I've got heaps of energy now - not that I'm doing anything with it and the adrenaline rush may have more to do with the action movies I've overdosed on than anything else. My skin has cleared up too which I'm really really surprised about. I haven't stopped drinking (estimate 1/10 intake is alcohol) or eating dairy (at the beginning this was probably 3/5 intake but now 4/10) and I've taken up with chocolate. I was at an event yesterday where someone asked one of the authors "You said that you should only eat food that is recognisable as food - what about lentils?" Haha! That's how I feel about them although as it turns out the author meant things like Twinkies and processed foods not beans and pulses. A lot of my diet consists of pasta and cheese. I've made lasagne and soup and eaten a packet of those plant-protein fake-sausages. I've eaten chips and chocolate but I feel great. Go figure.
It's not always easy I've found. Lunch was included in the event yesterday. Salmon for the entree - I ate the sprig of watercress garnish and the bread roll. Then I had the mashed kumara and spinach for the main leaving the lamb on the plate. Thank the gods for a pinot noir and dessert - nothing like a sugar rush rounded off by a good hit of caffeine.

Which of you is the least important? WHICH OF YOU IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT? *

2008-09-02T10:20:00.005+12:00

#56 Go vegetarian for a month
September is the month! So far so good (1 day in and I'm not desperate yet.) (Funnily enough it's also NZ Book Month which is all about 'taste sensations' in books.) Why September? Well, I was running out of meat in the freezer and it occured to me that instead of buying more I could just eat what I had and then look to veges. Someone asked me "why?" The easy answer of course is that it's on the list. The slightly longer answer is that I have friends who are vegetarian and I thought it might be interesting to eat like that for a while. It's really more of an intellectual experiment rather than a moral or ethical one. Lucky it's a damn tasty one ay? :)

* dalek from Dr Who

Mahe Drysdale you're an inspiration

2008-08-17T12:02:00.002+12:00

#53 Make homemade soup
Made soup - bacon bones, soup mix (pearl barley, lentils, peas etc) celery, onion, grated kumara, grated potato, water. Throw it all in a pot, boil, then simmer for a couple hours. Was a success - my lunch guest had two platefuls. Easy peasy. The closest to baking in cooking that I've found (where you combine ingredients then leave them alone for a while. )

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
Bike has a flat tye and I have misplaced my cycle kit. Excuses excuses. Silly!

I have misgivings about this mission but deep down I know we're doing the right thing

2008-07-28T07:52:00.003+12:00

#2 Make alphabet cubes
Finished! Finally. I've taken a long time to get to this point with the alphabet cubes. It seemed both too easy and too hard. The weather didn't help - it's been so cold that I've been wrapped up in blankets and haven't been able to do any crafty things. However, after a concentrated effort last weekend they were mostly finished. Then on Saturday night I finished stitching the last one up. It was very exciting. Pictures to come.

#29 Learn basic Spanish
In honour of this year TDF winner, Carlos Sastre, I have purchased a Basic Spanish audio kit ready to start learning. I've also bought a book for Latin American Spanish speakers becasue it has some good advice - listen as much as you can before trying to speal. Spanish DVDs, here I come.

#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary
Ongoing task. I went to see 9 Film Festival movies, taking a couple of days off. All very interesting although the one I think I enjoyed the least was the one I was really looking foward to. Dead parents seemed to be the theme of the day. Not by choice. V. strange.
Barefoot Cinema - NZ Documentary. Alun Bollinger and his wife Helen (Albol + Helbol) talk about their lives and his career. Fascinating insight into someone who is able to live the way he wants and work the way he wants. Well, the way they want really. (The kind of people that I wish I could be if only there wasn't so much work and so little luxury involved.)
Encounters at the End of the World - Discovery Channel documentary with German director/narrator. V. funny documentary about workers in Antarctica. nice study of just how strange the environment (and people) are.
Garbage Warrior - Discovery Channel documentary. About an eco-architect and his crew. All the best and the worst of the eco-sustainable movement and the best and the worst of modern society and governance. Happily it looks as though eco-architect and clients are legally able to build their houses now.

Jinx Sister - NZ drama. Languid, powerful, amazing acting. Excellent script, good characters - can hardly tell it was made on a shoestring budget. (About two sisters who have coped with the death of their father (then mother) in different ways. One has been in LA and has now come back to NZ.)

O'Horten - um, Norwegian (?) drama/comedy. Random events that individually are hilarious and poignant but together add up to a very Odd film. Mother is dying.

The Savages - USA drama. Excellent performances by the two leads. About a brother and sister dealing with their father's slide into senility and his eventual death. (Their lives seem to start after he is dead and they no longer have to deal with their feelings about him.)

A Song for Good - NZ drama. A couple of unnecessary scenes which make the story about characters other than the main. Strange ending but appropriate to the movie. (Main character's mum is dead.)
Trouble is My Business - NZ documentary. Assistant Principal with responsibility for student wellbeing at Aorere College in South Auckland deals with truancy, fighting, racism, self-esteem etc. Powerful documentary which shows the struggle that schools have to keep students at school let alone teach them something. Very emotionally intelligent teacher. (Unfortunately will never be on TV; it deserves a wide NZ audience. )
Welcome to the Sticks - French comedy. Cute little film but I don't understand this thing about v. attractive women with averagely attractive men. v. funny in parts that weren't focused on the language difference. (no dead parents!)

Alas poor Bill, I knew him not at all

2008-06-30T10:36:00.005+12:00

#2 Make alphabet cubes
Letters stuck onto the fabric. Stitching around the edges with black thread to keep them on. I suspect they may fray. Never mind.

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
Does Hairy MacLary count as a poem? It does now baby! "Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy MacLary and his mates."

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
I'm enjoying the baking side of this. Not so much the cooking. Mostly a matter of scale but also baking is easy - measure right, mix it well (ot not) shove it in the oven, pull it out, add icing (or not) slice and eat. Cooking = chop chop chop measure add add add add add add add sizzle watch baste watch stir watch eat.

Bees on a plane

2008-05-21T09:05:00.004+12:00

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc
Lunch with Michael Pollan on Thursday and then a Greens Party hosted Michael Pollan talk. (I was quite ticked off about this - no mention of the Greens on the promotional material and the signs all said "Greens Conference this way" NOT "Michael Pollan this way". Pity cause I had to get over that to hear what they had to say.) Quite different atmospheres (and fashion) at each event. The Lunch was very much pretty people...well, I was lucky enough to get on a front table with looked across at the slebs table. Nicely dressed people in fashionable clothes. Oh and delicious food. (In the goodie bag was a copy of the restaurant's recipe book. yum yum!) The focus was very much on food and the importance of good food and how chefs are really leading the appreciation for good food. The evening session was more about the environmental implications of the way we produce our food. Different information came out of each one so I'm glad I got to see both. Unfortunately that's all I could afford to go to out of the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival. Maybe next year?

#3 Volunteer for Project K
Putting this off. After discussion with jojomojo I decided it woldn't be fair on anyone if I did the training and then went off to Australia in the middle of my year. It was a hard decision to make. I'm really keen but I do also have to be reaslistic about it. jjmj says that I'd probably get quite keen and then be disappointed if I had to pull out. probably for the best...

#67 Figure out carbon footprint and reduce where I can
Found a good website to do this. Am going to plan out steps that I can take to do this. Will probably include...
Carless days
Growing salad in containers
Using less water - shorter showers, shorter wash cycles
Reducing use of electricity - turning things off at the wall so they're not on standby
Reducing packaging - buying things that aren't prepackaged or reusing bags
Reuseable shopping bags
Bokashi (Sometimes you've got to spend money to reduce.)

Off the grid

2008-05-15T10:17:00.003+12:00

I'm off to #66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc . Lunch with Michael Pollan (and lots of other peoples) and then another event tomorrow.

Only a theatre event to go for completion of this task.

Less talky, more...smashy

2008-04-06T13:14:00.006+12:00

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks

I went to the opening of the latest ARC park yesterday - Atiu Creek. We are so fortunate to have it AND it was gifted. The ARC team have worked hard to develop it into a park as the previous owners handed it over only three years ago. That might sound like a long time but I imagine there is a lot of work that goes into organising the walks, creating paths, laying roads, changing the land from a farm into a park etc. We were lucky yesterday in that we could drive much further into the park than would normally be allowed. That meant the starting points for the walks were different to the sheet of paper. Unfortunately I was on the other side of the park having lunch during the opening ceremony...I'd been walking for about an hour and I was hungry! It was great to just laze about on the grass and read my book. The park is huge! I'm really really looking forward to going back and having another look.

Pic - Entrance to the park, 69.5km from the Orewa BP.

#60 Take part in an event for charity

Did this today. A lovely walk along the beach along with a number of other people - 100+ I'd say. A few dogs and a few pushchairs. Kudos to those mums, I found it hard enough to get myself going! (Well, not really.) It was hot work but I think I was clippin' along at a good pace.

Pix - at the start; along the beach; "Did you really walk 4km?"

what we have here is a failure to masticate *

2008-03-30T13:07:00.006+13:00

#37 See a film at the Matakana theatre
I went to see "Once" in Matakana last night. Bit of a trek to get up there (80mins return) but the theatre was lovely and the film was great. I had a chocolate ice-cream waffle cone and a flat white. I could have had a glass of wine but it was dark and scary out there on the roads so coffee seemed like the best option. I was in the Roxy theatre - styled in blue fabrics woven across the ceiling with flocked wallpaper on the walls. Very comfy seats and a good sized side table. There are lazy boys at the front of the theatre but I think you'd have to crane your neck up to see the screen. Guess that's why the seats recline!

COMPLETE/ONGOING
I've adjusted a few of the completed/in progress tasks to "COMPLETE/ONGOING" to better describe their nature. After all, #9 Meditate should be an ongoing process and having listed as complete does not really say what I'm aiming for.
Here's a list...
#9 Meditate
#25 Live eco-smart - recycling etc
#68 Replace lightblubs with eco-friendly ones
#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary

* David Hewlett on the messy eating habits of his son

large following among the tech demographic

2008-03-24T11:21:00.004+13:00

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
1999 The vintner's luck / Elizabeth Knox.
1998 Live bodies / Maurice Gee.

And thus concludes my romp through the Montana Fiction winners of the last 10 years.

Checking these two against my previously list of Montana characteristics...

authors surnames usually start with J or G (close:check)
they like multiple narratives and multiple narrators (close:close)
recurring themes are drugs (nope:nope); sex (check:check - but not the good kind); murder (check:nope); homosexuality (check check - with an angel no less!:nope); illness (check:check - bonus points for mental illness); detachment from regular society (close-ish (for a bit of the story): mmm, not so much)

there is nothing to bicker about

2008-03-07T13:11:00.004+13:00

#60 Take part in an event for charity
I think my participation in this is dead in the water. After finding a team and training seriously for it, two team members pulled out or rather, defected to another team. Then the other person (LoM who has been frustratingly silent about the whole thing) pulled out too. I foolishly said that I'd refund their money which means I'm stuck with the $500 registration fee unless OXFAM take pity on me and refund it. It's so close now though that I'm not sure they will.

The closeness to the event is the main reason I think it won't be a goer. I haven't managed to find either 3 people to join me or a team to join so although I was staying positive about it 3 days ago now I'm all "Fuck it. I'll watch TV instead."

so there is something good to come out of the whole ugly debacle.

buck up carson *

2008-03-05T10:46:00.003+13:00

#9 Meditate
Doing before I go to sleep each night. Mostly it's a white light/aura expansion thing but every so often I throw in a little chakra imaging as well. I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly, or rather most effectively. It's fun though and really interesting to see/feel how long it takes to get centered each night.

* Col. Sheppard to Dr Beckett in Stargate Atlantis

Riding, riding

2008-02-04T13:21:00.000+13:00

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
Recited "The Highwayman" in the dark by the campfire. Not perfect but I think it counts.

Last published

2008-02-04T12:59:00.000+13:00

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks
Camping at Waharau on the weekend. Nice area to camp in with great flat areas, concrete fire pads, trees and a creek running around the edge. Amenities not that great (1-2 longdrop toilets by the campground; no showers.) Information on website, on map and at the park all different. We thought the Waharau ridge walk was 3 hours, 14km. (Well , that's what it says on the website.) Actually it's 3.5 hours, 12 km and includes 40mins uphill. (That's what they mean when they describe the track as "difficult".) Quite a nice trek in the end. Well established path in most places and interesting views out across the Firth. Also did the bush walk through pretty bush. Park established in 1979 and it shows (in a good way! Beautiful driveway between native trees on the way to the campsite. Good marker posts and well established trails.)

Drove past the entrance to Whakatiwai Regional Park about 3 times. It's hidden away off the side of a private driveway. (in the photo, the park is alongside the line of trees on the left.) Not much to see in the tiny bit we walked around. Contrary to the information on the website (18km, 180 mins) the sign on the park says it's a 6 hour tramp to Waharau. We shall see.

Popped into Mutukaroa/Hamlins Hill park on the way home. It's under development and is currently not much more tha dry, parched, yellow paddocks with pukeko and their offspring. I couldn't find the entrance either. Ended up in a neighbouring carpark and jumping the fence.

doo doo doodoo

2008-01-31T19:34:00.000+13:00

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
rather than wait for the next couple of years to read my "Last 10 years" titles, I'm going to go 10 years from now.

1999 The vintner's luck / Elizabeth Knox.
1998 Live bodies / Maurice Gee.

Oh, hang on...I've just noticed there's also a Book of the Year ...nah, I wanted to read the fiction ones.

Violent pandemonium

2008-01-25T18:12:00.000+13:00

#97 'Run' from home to my home town
Completed! I'm amazed at how quickly the numbers started to add up once I'd started proper training. Yes, I'm a bit tired now. Please to tick another one off the list though.

And really that's it.

in the name of all that is sweet and buttery

2008-01-15T19:49:00.000+13:00

7. Visit all Auckland Regional parks
Waitakere Ranges. The Oxfam team did the Montana Heritage trail on Saturday. Major hills up and some quite dodgy footing. Very interesting bush to look at, lots of mature kauri. We whipped through it so fast I didn't even have time to take any pictures.

Awhitu on Sunday. An older, more established park than some we've been to, it has lovely paths between the manuka and other plants. Lots of wetland planting which has even spilled over to the rest of the peninsula. A very hot day which made the dry dry dry paddocks look even drier. Very safe beach for swimming as it stays a fairly regular depth quite a way out. Advice - swim when the tide is in.

The ARCpark count is getting quite good. There are a few parks in development which I'm not sure that we can get to. Another one is a stadium and the only way to visit is to go to something that's on. That leaves about 6 to go. They are mostly south of Auckland and will mean a bit more travelling time for me. (Although hopefully not as much as when we visited Tapapakanga. Too much talking. Not enough navigating.)

#97 'Run' from home to my home town
With all the training for #60 Take part in an event for charity (Yay! we have a team! Sponsor us!) the numbers are steadily ticking up.

...more impressive if he didn't have snow on his nose...

2007-12-28T11:30:00.000+13:00

Back with a *jingle* and a *pop!*

#11 Buy a house
OMG all the paperwork is signed. House rolls over on Jan 7. First mortgage payment Feb 8.

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
Almost got the Highwayman down pat. Still have a bit of trouble with the bits that don't rhyme (must be the accent) and gabbling. Trying to slooooowww doooowwn.

#23 Spend a weekend with the sisters
Ahh. Christmas. Brilliant.

#34 Attend a music at the zoo concert
There's a choice of 6 musicians/bands. I even have some mates to go with! (Not many, it's true, and technically they are family so I guess they don't really count...) Haven't confirmed either so must get onto that.

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Another three last night - a cheesey chicken thing, kumara salad and tomato salad. Kumara was nice. Made and eaten as part of #40 Share a meal with friends or family every two months

#52 Put an amount of $$ in the pig for celebratory spend up at the end of this
Continuing erratically. Need to take the change out and get it into notes.

#60 Take part in an event for charity
Doing this if we can sort out a team. Yes. I know I'm mad.

I found myself a little peckish

2007-11-19T15:47:00.000+13:00

You : well, hi there. haven't seen you in a while. how's it going? really? fell off your bike and got a leg infection? now on bedrest? only supposed to get up for pee breaks? what are you doing here then?

Me: grumff, snurfle, arrgg!

Mo Bros

2007-11-04T20:29:00.000+13:00

Having trouble with Blogger at the mo so will keep this quick and no pics...

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks
Went camping at Tapapakanga regional park. Lucked out with the weather. Great companions. Nice walk (even steep Fuck-off Mountain.) Wine and toasted marshies around the fire delicious. Sea not too cold. Shower much too cold and public. Felt a teensy bit guilty as companions experienced and well organised campers. Tried to make up for it with fetching and carring and food making/baking. However. Someone had to watch the fire while the others went looking for firewood right?
Also went to Botanic gardens for Sculpture walk. (#77 Walk around an outdoor sculpture park.) Arrived three minutes before a guided tour went around so were lucky to tag onto that. One of the artists was explaining his work and the motivation and intention of the other artists and how the piece was either very specific to the placement in the garden or not. Interesting to see how placement could affect whether or not the piece worked for me personally - I though some would be better in an urban environment. Loved loved loved several pieces.

Who should control the family plantation

2007-11-01T12:48:00.000+13:00

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit

If I'd know how easy this was going to be then I've have done it a long time ago. It took two shopping trips to buy all the stuff I wanted for the box and it's done. (I haven't quite stuck to the list I made but I think there's enough food to feed us for three days.)

#90 Get an emergency kit for the car

It turns out that the Van kit I referred to in this post is actually on the list although I expect it should also include things like fire extinguisher and orange cones or something. Haven't started this one but perhaps with the success of #46 under my belt...

#6 Write a novel

First day of Nanowrimo today and I've discovered that I should have done all the plotting and character development before today. Dash-it. Can character outlines count towards the 50,000?

It could have been a goblin

2007-10-28T19:08:00.000+13:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
'pon my word I haven't posted for a while. That's because nothing has been happening! However today I made a couple of things that I hadn't made before - Chocolate brownie and Chocolate cake. The brownie is tres chocolaty. The cake is for my sister to take on tour with her. Hopefully it's cooked. :)

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2001 The book of fame / Lloyd Jones
I have read this before but figured I should read it again. I do like Mr Jones' stuff.

#59 Join a writing club

I have joined Kiwi Writers an online writing group. I know that it's not the same as meeting up with people who can ask you what you're up to but I do better when I don't have to talk to people. *nervous grin* I've also signed up for NanoWrimo. If I hit the word target (50,000)then I will consider #6 Write a novel complete. Here's hoping!

Perhaps nothing is happening because I've got all the easy stuff out of the way? It's the tough stuff like #73 that I'm going to find particularly challenging.

Oh, and it's six months since I've started. Let's look at some stats...
28/101 COMPLETE
17/101 in progress
56/101 not started

Read me and release me

2007-10-21T18:24:00.000+13:00

#47 Walk the isthmus
This is so worth doing. It took LoM and I 5.5 hours but would have taken less if we hadn't have stopped for jet planes and coffee and scones and to read memorials and take pics plus other detours along the way. Landmarks are surprisingly close together - for example, 20 mins (a few mins to take a pic of the Maidment theatre and a few more to pointedly not look at a couple film sets by the university (modern cars AND horses? WTF)) from the Domain to the Viaduct.

We started at lunchtime (had to see the Rugby World Cup final first) after a complicated "park your car and we'll pick you up then The Farrier will drop us off" maneuver. It goes from Beachcroft Ave park in Onehunga up through Jellicoe Park, Royal Oak, One Tree Hill Domain (Maungakiekie), down through Cornwall park along Pohutukawa Drive then Puriri Drive, through Melville Park, past the Auckland College of Education, up Mt Eden (Maungawhau) along past Auckland Grammer, across the motorway, through Outhwaite park, up and down through Auckland Domain, past the university then Albert park, through some little back streets, along Customs Street, past Britomart and the Ferry building to finally officially end by a souvenir shop at the Viaduct but unoffically end at O'Hagens pub for wedges and beer. Or it goes the other way, it depends on what you want to do. I decided that South to North and Suburb to City was the way to go. I think it was the right choice. (Onehunga was a bit grim in the cloudy half light when we started and would have been worse in the drizzle at the end. And there wasn't a pub, only a scungy old toilet block.)

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

Second dance show for Tempo dance festival was Touch Compass 10 year anniversary show. Absolutely brilliant. I'd forgotten how innovative they can be. Fantastic use of wires to fly people over and around each other. A couple of funny films too. Plus the dancers actually look as if they are enjoying each other and the work. Favourite piece - Hephaestus and Ares - the disabled god of the forge interacts with his brother the god of war. Magical.

2007-10-21T18:08:00.000+13:00

2007-10-21T18:07:00.000+13:00

2007-10-21T18:06:00.000+13:00

2007-10-21T18:05:00.000+13:00

2007-10-21T18:04:00.000+13:00

2007-10-21T18:03:00.000+13:00

2007-10-21T18:01:00.002+13:00

2007-10-21T18:00:00.002+13:00

Where school children and tarantulas live

2007-10-19T19:13:00.000+13:00

Doing this

#47 Walk the isthmus

tomorrow before the second dance show for

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

Read another one of these

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read.

Bought the following things for this

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
4 litres of water (total 9 litres)
1 large can spaghetti
1 large can baked beans
1 can mince
1 pack uncle toby's rice pre-cooked
1 large can peaches
1 small can cat food

Hoping that the timing will work for a bus tour that will incorporate this

#81 Do a local wine tour

and this

#77 Walk around an outdoor sculpture park.

The weather is better, so, after a bike service, I'm hoping to do this

#85 Cycle to Bees Online from my place

although I guess I should do this

#98 Change a cycle flat in under 10 mins

first.

Just like a performing monkey

2007-10-16T20:13:00.000+13:00

#69 Participate in Bookcrossing
I must say, it's very weird to leave a book wrapped in a plastic bag with a post-it on the front saying "FREE BOOK" at a bus stop and then walk past 30 mins later to not find it cause it's gone. There's a lot of rubbish on the BookCrossing site about abandoned books constituting litter. Obviously they don't feel that way cause dude, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I agree. I hope that the book wasn't just thrown in the bin and that whoever picked it up will read the instructions and register the book on the site.

I left another one at a cafe. I think the waitress might pick it up.

I can see how this might get addictive.

But only if whoever finds the book registers it found!

Mother Teresa or a baby eater

2007-10-14T16:02:00.000+13:00

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
Dammit. If only this had been sorted. Okay, if only I had got it sorted. Our water was off today for a while and now it's back the hot water cylinder is running murky water. (I just used extra soap.)
Here's a list of things that I will need (in the hopes that this will speed up the process cause I'll have a shopping list.)

18 litres of water (Plus 3 that I already have and some more for cooking, etc. That's a huge pile of 1.5 l bottles.)
3 large cans spaghetti
3 large cans baked beans
3 cans mince (or something)
3 packs uncle toby's rice pre-cooked
3 large cans peaches
3 small cans cat food
1 jar coffee
1 tube milk
Anti-bacterial handwash

I think I'm struggling with the fact that we'll be at home so we'll just eat what we've got. Or not. As the case may be. Plus, some of the other things will be at home.

Torch
Radio
Blankets
First Aid kit
Toilet paper
Rubbish bags

I also want to do a van kit.
Blanket
Towel
3 litres water
2 square meals
Running shoes
Rain jacket (old cycling one, bright yellow but need to be stuck together with duct tape...which can then go into the at home kit.)
Socks
Sticky tape
Toothpaste + Toothbrushes
Anti-bacterial handwash

I used to have one in the van all the time. Extrememly useful when I'd forgotten my towel for swimming!

Gotta get thru this *

2007-10-10T07:33:00.001+13:00

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2007 Mister Pip / Lloyd Jones

* song title

Nibbly

2007-10-06T18:00:00.000+13:00

#51 Visit North Shore literary locations

Completed this morning. LoM came over to Devonport on the ferry. We wandered around the Stanley Bay and Devonport literary walks for about an hour and a half and then had a delicious breakfast at a cafe on Church St. Although we didn't know all of the literary personages it was interesting just walking around and looking at houses. A nice young gentleman helped us when we were a bit lost so that was nice too. The cafe was a real neighbourhood cafe. It was well patronised and every person who arrived after us seemed to know someone who was already there. About 5 dogs were attached to various people. They were well behaved and looked as if this occurance was a regular Saturday morning thang.

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks

After finishing at Devonport we drove up to Long Bay. And it is looong. It took a crazy amount of time to wander around the park. It took an even longer time to realise that the land I was looking at over the water was the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Felt like a complete egg especially after taking a careful look and identifying bays and individual buildings. Stopped looking at the buildings on the way back to the car. See, the sun was out and the birds were singing but the mud was deep in places. So on the way back we came back along the beach.

The rocky, slippery, twisty, shelly, tricksy beach. I fell over a couple of times. My shiny white shoes are no longer so shiny. I am sunburnt. I almost had to claw my eyes out because of the nude sunbathers but luckily remembered to be distracted in time and babbled on about walking Shakespear Park. (At the end of the aforementioned Peninsula.)

One of the best ARCparks. Good parking, well patronised (lots of teens flexing) (not that I was interested in them!), good facilites for BBQ etc, nice beach. Highlight - it's close to suburbia but unlike some of the others, doesn't feel like it.

It's got the x-factor...

Karma used me to do its dirty work

2007-10-05T19:13:00.000+13:00

#95 Buy some bonus bonds

Finally got this sorted. Had a nice chat with the bloke behind the counter. He said that he'd given up marathons because he'd managed to run the last few kms of one without realising he'd done it. I told him that sounded briliant but he wasn't having a bar of it.

#51 Visit North Shore literary locations

Meeting LoM at 7am tomorrow. Walking, having breakfast, maybe walking a bit more if the weather holds. It's nice round those parts.

Only famous for being famous

2007-10-03T19:06:00.000+13:00

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
In a couple weeks it will be "Get thru" disaster coping week. I PROMISE I'll get to this one then. (Appropriate cause it's been bucketing down round here and I'm not sure that our hillside is going to continue to cope with it...) (Well, not really. A little self scaremongering never hurt anyone right?)

#95 Buy some bonus bonds
Payday tomorrow! Heres my chance to get this one done. Friday. Definitely Friday.

#51 Visit North Shore literary locations
Maybe this weekend.

I know it seems as though a lot is planned but I think it's a reaction against my slothfulness over the last few weeks. Since I sorted 86 and 87 it's felt like I haven't been working on anything. LoM is back and we'll be chivvying, erm, encouraging each other to get things done. It's interesting to see that the easy things that don't require much effort on my part are often put off because of the very fact that they are easy and shouldn't take too long.

I went to Bath from Bristol

2007-10-01T18:24:00.000+13:00

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
I'm back drinking and it's brilliant.
Quite an eye-opening experience this. I thought it would be all positive - no hangovers or seediness; save money; better skin (no toxins to get rid of); ability to converse without slurring or rambling; no "OMG- I can't believe I said that" moments. However, there's a real social price to pay if you're a non-drinker. Perhaps if I was a regular abstainer I wouldn't have noticed it as no-one else really commented upon my non-drinking. For e.g. I was the only woman at a casual work meeting and the only one without a drink. Usually I'd have had a beer so it felt like my otherness was accentuated because I wasn't drinking. There were a couple of other dinner/social occasions were I would normally have had a drink that felt very weird without one or even offering one to others who were there. What will this mean for the future? Well, I'll be taking a page out of a colleagues book and drinking lower alcohol beverages (beer instead of spirits, watered wine) and recognising that a drink or two of a night isn't a huge health hazard. I'm glad I did it and to be honest, this was probably the best month as I had a lot of responsibilities at work so had to find other ways of relaxing.

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
LoM has noticed that there aren't any reviews on these. That's because a) they aren't the types of books I'd usually read and b) I don't want to bag them out of ignorance. What I've noticed so far - authors surnames usually start with J or G; they like multiple narratives and multiple narrators; recurring themes are drugs, sex, murder, homosexuality, illness, detachment from regular society (not quite the 'man alone' but almost).

Did I mention I'm back drinking?

Plan your day

2007-09-28T07:25:00.000+12:00

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years

2002 Stonedogs / Craig Marriner.

Cheese, HP sauce and a jar of coffee

2007-09-23T16:50:00.000+12:00

#80 Have a p.j. party
I made a cake and put up a few balloons for this. My sister and her family plus LoM came round. The movie was a bit disappointing. Never mind though cause it was fantastic to have everyone to hang out with. I did themed food - nachos and dips to start, crunchy chicken and salad for dinner and then cake for tea. The cake was decorated with a pool party theme - I was quite pleased with the jelly babies in fruit rings in the jelly pool but wished I'd added a bit more green to the icing.

Strangely appealing

2007-09-21T18:01:00.000+12:00

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
oof. can you feel the reluctance to tackle more of these?

#80 Have a p.j. party
It's tomorrow! Now, I must confess that I'm not entirely sure how far to go. It's just me, my sister, my nieces and my friend. (and maybe my boyfriend although he is threatening to bail). do I go the whole bash and have party food, streamers and themed stuff or not?

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
This month cannot be over soon enough.

They play for the full 80 minutes

2007-09-20T07:30:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Zusak, Markus "The book thief"
Narrated by Death this book tells the story of a little girl during a specific period of her life.
What did I think?
Fucking brilliant. I was daunted by the size of the book until I read the first paragraph. This is one of those books that I don't think I will ever be comfortable reading again as the first time was so perfect.

A great way to finish #86.

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2004 Slow water / Annamarie Jagose.

Portugal scores!

2007-09-15T23:50:00.000+12:00

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Zarafa: the true story of a giraffe's journey from the plains of Africa to the heart of post-Napoleonic France" by Michael Allin
About a giraffe who was gifted to France and her journey overland from Egypt to Paris.
What did I think?
A lovely story. Much more interesting once the author gets to the giraffe - yes, the history (and people named) is interesting but it's the giraffe I want to know about. Makes you think about what it would be like without all the communication technology that we have now - letters for correspondance, few books, no movies. Also interesting to compare what was happening over in France with what was happening in NZ at the same time. (Man we're a young country.)

Great Wall of Sound

2007-09-14T19:00:00.000+12:00

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Yu-Gi-Oh: volume one (Aka: The Millennium puzzle.)" by Kazuki Takahashi
About a boy who solves a puzzle and becomes the guardian of right and is given the power to pass judgement on evil. He doesn't know he has this power.
What did I think?
A typical manga with some violence, justice and a bit of sexiness thrown in for good measure. Plus of course the TV/Film tie-in which results in massive popularity. I caught one of these on TV one day - now I understand it. Surprisingly fun with a pretty good storyline...not sure if I'll follow it up but I certainly won't have the same attitude toward it as before. (i.e. damn kids and their messsed up cartoons.)

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2003 The Shag incident / Stephanie Johnson.

Lunch special

2007-09-09T21:36:00.000+12:00

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2000 Harlequin rex / Owen Marshall
2006 Blindsight : a novel / Maurice Gee

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Robin Waterfield "Xenophon's retreat : Greece, Persia and the end of the Golden Age"
About the retreat of an army led by Xenophon (among others) over rugged land way back in, um, I forget the exact date, but it's before Alexander the Great.
What did I think?
I thought that it was going to be heavy going as the first chapter dives right into the story and descriptions of the weapons. However, with a bit of concentration, it turned out to be a fascinating bit of history. The Greek soldiers made an already arduous journey more complicated by their own treachery and greed. Of course, that all seems so obvious from our vantage point in history but I guess if you're desperate you're not exactly thinking clearly.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Xinran "What the Chinese don't eat"
A collection of columns from the Guardian.
What did I think?
An interesting reminder of the differences between Eastern and Western culture and of the fact that China is such a large country that even if a Chinese person was willing to talk to you about their country it wouldn't follow that every Chinese person thinks that way or has expereinced that situation. Which is pretty bloody obvious when you think about it.

Yancey, Rick "The extraordinary adventures of Alfred Kropp"
About a boy who gets involved in stealing a sword and then has to deal with the mythical aftermath.
What did I think?
I very much enjoyed this take on the Arthurian legend. Especially the very well done bit just before the wrapping up scenes. Some very exciting blood and violence for the boys in this story, perhaps not so much for the girls - sometimes Alfred comes across as a bit of a whiner. Apparently the rights have been sold to Warner Bros Pictures...I hope they get the casting right. One tiny niggle about the resolution about parentage but if it hadn't have panned out the way it did what would be the point of the story? Recommended. (oh, it's another teen book.)

don't tell me it's fuckin not blahdeblahdeblah

2007-09-05T21:30:00.000+12:00

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
Right. Almost gave up on the first night. Managed to make it through a nice dinner out (spanish tapas without red wine *gasp*). Hopefully will make it through tomorrow night (another work thing) without a drink. I suspect I will be too tired to even lift a glass. Yay for not enough sleep.

#80 Have a p.j. party
So, like, High school musical 2 is released on NZ in a couple weeks and I thought that I'd like, have a pj party to celebrate.

I might be the only one there.

sweating like a pig

2007-09-02T18:56:00.000+12:00

oh dear. last week was so busy that I didn't even have time to get on the computer let alone do some blogging. missed it.

#30 Have a weekend with the whanau
Spent this weekend with the family. Saturday we raced off to the Lily Pad cafe in Cambridge for Dad's birthday luncheon. Delicious - although I wished I'd picked the pancakes instead of the vege stack because all I could smell was the maple syrup from my sisters pancakes! Spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around the emergency dentist while the other sister got her tooth checked out. Poor thing. She ended up full of anesthetic and foul tasting mouthwash. Watched the game (damn Canterbury for nicking the shield in the first 10 mins) then went to bed early. Had a rolling breakfast in the morning. It's nice to hang out at Mum and Dad's place. All we seem to do is read the paper, drink cups of tea and watch telly but it's a very companionable individualistic time.
And yay! Dad has a stack of bottling jars to lend me. Superb.

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
This is the month! It nearly fell over last night but luckily we forgot to buy a bottle along with dinner. And no. It isn't anything special that I have chosen a month with only 30 days in it. :) From the previous month food diary I have concluded that alcohol makes me (variously and at the time/the next day) tired, nauseous, lethargic, sneezy, give me itchy/bloodshot eyes, makes me go red in the face and saps my get up and go. Will I be a bit more energetic this month? Let's find out!

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
It's NZ Book Month. Montana winners, here I come. Here's the list...
2000 Harlequin rex / Owen Marshall.
2001 The book of fame / Lloyd Jones.
2002 Stonedogs / Craig Marriner.
2003 The Shag incident / Stephanie Johnson.
2004 Slow water / Annamarie Jagose.
2005 Tu / Patricia Grace.
2006 Blindsight : a novel / Maurice Gee.
2007 Mister Pip / Lloyd Jones
2008 ?
2009 ?

it's all in the breathing

2007-08-26T20:52:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Updike, John "Villages"
A man remembers his life as it applies to sex and the computer industry in its early days.
What did I think?
Hhm. Didn't like the main character all the much. Actually, any of the characters. Thought some of the exposition was clumsy. I think I'm the wrong generation for this type of book. (Although I remember enjoying one of his other books (can't remember the title) so perhaps it's just this one.)

Voight, Cynthia "When she hollers"
About Tish who has had enough of being abused at home and has taken a knife to school to protect herself. How she copes during the day and what happens when she finally (justifiably) freaks out.
What did I think?
Harrowing portrait of when an abused girl snaps and can't take it any more. Written very much from her point of view so you can very much expereince her heart pounding and confusion over what her confession (if) will do to her and her family. Well respected teen-aimes author. Have to confess it did seem a bit like a book focusing on 'issues' that was all the rage in the late 90s. Worth persisting. Some loose ends for me - what happened with the teacher? What happened to her friend?

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Tres proud. Did my first variation today. Granted it came from some fancy kitchenware shop via LoM but it has made me wonder - what if I made it with CUSTARD POWDER rather than COCOA? No pics - it came out of the ovens, our friends turned up, we ate it. (Pictures of crumbs ain't that much fun to look at (although hellishly fun to make.))

Apart from iTunes. Obviously.

2007-08-23T19:08:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles*
Stevenson, Robert L. "Torchlight"
Think of yer classic early 90's action film with square jawed hero and feisty heroine. Now give him a friend who turns out to be the actual hero and give her a psychotic, dangerous adpotive father. Oh, and throw in some deep sea diving facts.
What did I think?
I think you can tell by the plot...and no linky love because the other famous writer (yes, they're related) comes up when I Google him.

Thomas, Dylan "Under Milkwood"
A radio play which is "...an orchestration of voices, sights and sounds that conjure up the dreams and waking hours of an imagined Welsh seaside village within the cycle of one day."
What did I think?
Fantastic. I'd love to hear it as an audio track. (I'm partial to things that roll and tumble and lollop and twist like fighting kittens. Dance, music, writing - it doesn't matter what it is I'm partial to it. Think of then like the equivilent of kowhaiwhai or celtic knots.)

*I thought I'd be clever and start combining the author/title reading list. It's working but unfortunately I'm reading faster than I can get the damn books. Off the list "Shamanka" by Jeanne Willis and "Living Hell" Catherine Jinks - 2 excellent teen aimed books.

#43 See a performance that doesn't include anyone I know
King Lear at the ASB theatre in the Aotea Centre. A mixed bag this. The sound was shit. LoM couldn't even understand what they were saying - I thought it was just me and that I didn't have my shakespeare ears on. Wasn't helped by the coughing (have a fuckin lozenge people) or the deep breathing of the bloke behind us OR the man in front with the squealing hearing aid (although I forgive him. Like I said the sound was shit.) In some places the actors were 'doing' shakepseare - intoning, swooping up and down the register, screeching etc. (Might be personal preference though. That's just not my style.) It was made worse by the flashes of brilliance thoughout the production. Some really nice interpretations of individual lines. If they slowed down they were great too. I guess it's easy to race through the words when you've been doing it for a while. Highlights - blue painted jazz man (I think it was Edgar); the rain/on the beach scene; the arrest scene. Ian McKellan turned in a performance fine at times.

Update 26/8/07: the nasty brother was pretty good too. He always seemed to be on his knees, bouncing up and down, preparing to sprint over and slash someone's throat. Great stuff.

Sasparilla oooyyyy-yaaaaaa *

2007-08-19T21:12:00.001+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos "Shadow of the wind"
About a boy who finds a book written by a man who seems to have disappeared. The boy feels compelled to track down the author and find out what happened to him.
What did I think?
Simplistic plot explanation not matched by the writing. Excellent story and translation. Exciting and mysterious with a little bit of love and death thrown in. I love it when books turn out to be like those celtic knots where everything repeats and roils around. Great stuff. Recommended to others as this was recommended to me.

* song title/chorus

Brutal in summer

2007-08-18T19:49:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Pratchett, Terry "The Wee free men"
About a girl who has to get her brother back from the 'quin' with the help of some pictsies.
What did I think?
I do enjoy a good Terry Pratchett. This is aimed at teens and has a number of highlaryoos situations. What I most enjoy about his books set in Discworld is that it seems so logical and right that the characters behave as they do. They are mostly noble and always come through in the end. Recommended.

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"The quick" by Laura Spinney
About a doctor who treats a patient with a machine lent to her by her old boss.
What did I think?
Atmospheric and isolating, detached character. Like one of those films where emotions are exaggerated (he's really angry! she's really sad! they're really messed up!) Interesting exploration of what grief can do to people.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Quigley, Sheila "Run for home"
About an old mystery, bad luck, violence, death and slavery. Has a large cast of characters. And lots of swearing.
What did I think?
Once I'd got over the accent-writing ('yer') I quite enjoyed this book. It's heavy on dialogue. Clever use of the characters makes it seem as though you are looking into their lives in a defined space of time. Nice situations that only occasionally seem over the top and illogical.

like a lamb

2007-08-14T20:03:00.000+12:00

So. I can't get through my first choice 'Q' book (so what if it's acclaimed overseas I'm just not that into it (and it's a million fucking pages long)) so I go to the shelf to get a replacement "Q" title book. Not there. So I go to the shelf to get the next author book. Not there. This means I am between books on the list. There isn't one there for me to read.

Not without a book though.*

"In the company of ogres" by A.Lee Martinez while not on the list is rocking my world.

Triffid alert

2007-08-14T19:51:00.000+12:00

Those are the house rules punk

2007-08-13T19:47:00.000+12:00

Piccies from Mt Atuanui

At the start of the tramp. Here's all of us together. Apart from me - I was taking a photo. Oh, and Suzy (from Forest and Bird, Kaipara) who had taken the previous photo . Oh and the other girl who'd run out to take a photo too.

Tramping through the forest. this mus have been on teh way back because the sun is out. It was pretty cool listening to the wind rushing through the trees on the way up but it did get a bit chilly.

A tiny hooded orchid. Unfortunately I can't often see what I'm taking a photo of until I upload it so I take them and hope for the best. It's the fuzzy green thing in the front. You can't tell but it looks a bit like a cobra hood with black stripes down the back and two little chinese dragon whiskers out the side. I'll try to do something with the other picture of the orchid and post it tomorrow.

You can just see LoM in the distance snapping me as I was snapping her.

The black specks in shadow in the foreground are the trampers. We're heading to the top of that ridge. I'm creeping slowly down trying to save my knees. No problems going up but going down? Freaking pain nightmare.

An afternoon with the people behind you...

2007-08-12T18:51:00.001+12:00

#84 Walk Auckland mountain

Done and done. The weather was fine albeit quite windy. It had been raining so the ground was pretty muddy, especially in the farmland walk before you get into the trees. Once in there it was quiet. I guess the birds were hiding out from the wind. Saw a few plants that were so tiny and insignificant I would never guessed at how cool they were. Quite hilly in places - my knees were protesting the downs by the end. I was surprised at how spacious it seemed in places - none of the rampant foliage I'm used to in the ARCpark walks. Great to have people who actually know what they are talking about (rather than just relying on a book) guide you on the walk. Thinking of going back in summer to have a look at the changes.

#1 Tramp a Great Walk

Bit concerned about this now. If I can't even get through a short walk without knees playing up then how will I go a multi-day tramp?

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

O'Connell, Carol "Shark Music" (aka "Find Me")

About a tough (and possibily sociopathic) New York detective who has gone off the career path to drive down Route 66 and solve a crime while being followed by two men who love her.

What did I think?

Apparently number 9 in the Kathy Mallory, oops sorry, just MALLORY series. I think I've missed a few - probably thrown when the author (who is barely around on the interweb (WTF - noone is not on the net) so no linky love) took a bit of time off to write another character. Quite odd (and naaaaasty) with a detached kind of writing style. I do wonder whether people really are that happy to love like the blokes do, with no reason to believe that they will ever be appreciated for that devotion...oh wait. OF COURSE. That's what people do all over the place. Plus she's all blonde and sexy and cold green eyes etc etc. Whatever. Recommended.

All the world's a stage

2007-08-10T20:03:00.000+12:00

Planning lots of drinking this month so I can see the difference when I #44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results. Am just the tiniest bit disappointed that I have slowed down consumption recently (not that I was ever a HUGE drinker (OMG DENIAL *heehee*)) so this now seems fairly redundant. Keeping a food (and drink) diary for the next month as a base.

Sooo looking forward to #84 Walk Auckland mountain this weekend. Went out for lunch today and had a small conversation about tramping and the necessity of buying quality gear upfront. Here's hoping the weather stays nice.

Wicked drunk or otherwise

2007-08-09T18:59:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Newbery, Linda "Set in stone"
About a man who is art tutor to two girls who have a secret that is not their companion (who also has a secret.)
What did I think?
Took a long time to get going, was really exciting about 5 chapters from the end and finished too quickly. All the characters sounded alike. Good plot but.
N.B. Don't search Real Groovy for "Set in stone" unless you're interested in butch-on-butch erotica. Search Newbery.

This task and #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles seem to be going on forever. At least I'm over halfway with both of them now.

Feeling a bit 'fah' with the way things are progressing (if only I had "put on weight" as a task...)

Again.

I'm pretty sure there will be bees

2007-08-06T18:59:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

Kingsolver, Barbara "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"
About the author and her family spending one year eating locally, which for them means eating as much from their own garden as possible (while not being too precious about it (although this is a woman who hasn't eaten bananas in years in protest at the gas they use getting to the USA.))
What did I think?
This has made me more determined to eat locally, in season and also possibly to go organic. I've read lots about this and always think this is a good idea but never quite get going on it. Hopefully this time it will be different. There will be some challenges to overcome. We don't live on a farm. We live in a rented, steep, sea-view suburban house. Growing things to eat isn't something that I have grown up doing - the garden was always my Dad's area of expertise. We are both people who find it easier to keep doing the things we have always done because they are easier rather than making a bit of extra effort to change. Oh, and our fridge freezes anything lower than the second shelf in random and mysterious ways. Recommended. (The book not dodgy cooling units.)

Lackey, Mercedes "Sanctuary"
The final book in a triology following the adventures of a former serf who has risen to become the leader of a group of new style dragon riders.
What did I think?
Had to read this to finish off the set. Not her best work.

Morris, Paula "Trendy but Casual"
About publicity girl Jane who is told she is "ugly on the inside" by a street person (bag lady? Crazy woman? Can't remember the term) and then spends the rest of the book trying not to be while interacting with a large cast of characters.
What did I think?
A much easier read than her first one "Hibiscus Coast" (local! to me!) as this is more in the vein of the 'Shoppaholic' series rather than a look at art forgery through a detached narrator. Easy and with a much lighter plot (which doesn't mean better as I enjoyed the other one as well.) Recommended.

#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary.
Watched the inspiration for this task on DVD today -"Hot Fuzz". Laughed until I cried. Am having lots of luck with funny English comedies at the moment.

#31 Go away for a romantic weekend
Left early on Saturday morning to drive up to the Farmers market in Matakana. Bought beers, (bit of advice - if you buy beer from the Leigh Sawmill Brewers make sure to take a note of which type of beer matches which colour sticker and then mark all the other cans so you know which is which) lemons, dried banana chips, (if we eat local within 100km (seems to be the thing although it's the 100 mile diet overseas which would give us a few more kms to play with (another 60 in fact)) we can still have bananas) spicy hot chocolate and whitebait fritters. Drove over to Pakiri then to Leigh, winding our way back to Matakana taking every turn to a beach and going via Snells Beach. Paused at a local tea cafe (recommended - if only I could remember the name - it's on the roundabout corner opposite the cinema and shares the space with a stitching shop and soon potters and something else) before holing up in the motel for a quick rugby break. Decided not to go to the movies as there wasn't anyting on that we really wanted to see. Went to dinner at the place downstairs - delicious, expensive and we left pretty soon because we gatecrashed a table - then spent slightly longer in the wine bar upstairs. Spent some of the movie money on a bottle of a delicious local red. Next morning we'd planned to go to breakfast at a place in Warkworth but it wasn't open so we went to the Queen Street cafe and had a great breakfast there. Took the backroad to Puhoi before stopping at the Cheese factory. Spent teh rest of the movie money on cheese, took in a couple of open homes and then went to our home. About 3 minutes after we had unpacked the van it bucketed down. Great weekend looking around places we usually just drive through/past.

The poor man's tribble

2007-07-31T19:06:00.000+12:00

#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.

2007-07-29T07:36:00.000+12:00

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

2007-07-26T19:24:00.000+12:00

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

2007-07-25T12:15:00.000+12:00

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?

2007-07-22T16:24:00.000+12:00

#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

2007-07-20T13:48:00.000+12:00

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?

2007-07-19T19:30:00.000+12:00

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

2007-07-18T13:20:00.000+12:00

#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 *

2007-07-17T09:42:00.001+12:00

#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

2007-07-14T19:13:00.000+12:00

#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

2007-07-09T11:35:00.000+12:00

#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...

2007-07-04T13:49:00.000+12:00

#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

2007-07-02T17:18:00.000+12:00

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

2007-07-01T18:30:00.000+12:00

#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!

Change of name by statutory declaration

2007-06-29T09:15:00.000+12:00

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
Still haven't heard from Transit but checking Wikipedia has give me an article which has a list. I'm going to use the total of State Highway 1 including the current A and B routes. At the moment that total is 2097.4

Sniffles of boredom

2007-06-28T14:08:00.001+12:00

#97 'Run' from home to my home town
I've done a couple before work runs this week. Nothing too major - only 20-30mins but every little bit counts right? It's a bit of a struggle. I definitely need to do more running than walking. Plus I need to get new shoes so I don't get blisters which slow me down and give me an excuse (which I don't need and don't want) to stop.

Getting warmer by degrees

2007-06-27T09:45:00.000+12:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Off to a farewell function for a work colleague today. We have to take a plate so I thought I would make sponge drops and take them. What a disaster. They looked lovely in the oven but as soon as I took them out into our unheated house they flattened like paper. Also they stuck to the baking paper and I had to scrape them off. They were yummy (like the edges of a sponge cake) but you'd really need to make them when the kitchen is warm. (As an example - I had a banana that was sitting out on the bench - it felt like it had been in the fridge.)
I really wanted to make carrot cake so I was doubly ticked when the sponge drops didn't come out.

Flee the exploding house

2007-06-26T19:07:00.001+12:00

Ooh! Pictures from Duder ARC park.

The indie dudes could not have been nicer

2007-06-26T13:57:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

Harrison, Kim "For a few demons more"

About a witch who specialises in supernatural bounty hunting only this one is more about demons, her flatties (a pixy and a living vampire) and a personal vendetta with an elf. Number 5 in the series.

What did I think?

Well, I really enjoyed the first one. And the second. I think it all started going wrong for me about the third. You know what it's like - you're reading a series that you've enjoyed and then you strike one which doesn't quite do it for you but you keep the faith and try the next one, then as if you can't quite believe your eyes you read the next one too hoping against hope that it will all sort itself out... That's happened to me with a few series. It's not necessarily that the series goes bad (although Anita Blake baby - I'll make an exception for you) just that it loses what you liked about the first book and then you find another 'first book' which contains the things you've liked and since it's all shiny and new you forget about the original series. I get that the author has to advance the character for interest but I'm not sure that sliding her into doing things that she was vehemently against at the beginning of the series is actually developing the character. In this book particularly the main character seems very, not nice, and the supporting characters are just caricatures of who they were in the beginning. Plus there's an incident when someone dies and that doesn't get resolved. (At least, I don't remember it getting resolved but by that stage I may have just been reading to finish the book.) I will probably read the next one to see if the character is redeemed or actually learns anything (and makes changes because of it) from her experiences. I'm not going to hold my breath though.

N.B. I will add a little disclaimer here and just say that I read a lot of these types of books so I may have got them all mixed up with each other. :)

Ice-cream is a food group

2007-06-25T19:11:00.000+12:00

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

I went to my first festival event! Matariki Breakfast at the Stardome Observatory. Matariki is the celebration of Maori New Year - when the Matariki constellation rises above the horizon before dawn. This constellation is also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. Apparently every culture in the world has a story about the constellation. It is also visible in the evening during summer - so I might have more success in seeing it in summer then than I did in the morning.

First I was up really early (4am) to drive into town. Of course without any other cars on the road (although I must say I was surprised at the number that were on the road that early on a Saturday morning) it took me half the time that I was expecting it to take so I was super early. Second, when I got to the Stardome I actually pulled into a different parking spot first, blinding two men with the car's high-beams because I thought that they were part of the group but it turns out that they were not, in fact, part of the group but two pissed off citizens of South Auckland doing a deal. (I don't know if that's true but that's what I decided they were as they squinted at me through the windscreen.) Third, the sky had been clear when I checked at 4am but the clouds and wind had got up during my drive in. So after the walk up to the top of One Tree Hill all we could see was cloud and haze along the horizon where Matariki was supposed to be. It was blowing a gale up there! Fourth, our guide did her best - pointing out other stars like the Chief (he stands alone) and Reigel (Puanga) and some other constellations but we didn't have any luck. The clouds covered where Matariki should have been and then when the clouds had gone...the sun was coming up so it was too light. (I was well wrapped up against the cold but I think some others were freezing by the end.)

We did get to go back down to a fantastic, delicious breakfast (not enough coffee for that hour of the morning) plus a zip through what the stars should have looked like in the Stardome theater. Well worth the experience. There's something really elementary about looking at the stars and wanting to know what they are. You can feel a real connection with the ancestors as those were the same stars they were looking at. they bought more coffee out after the shows - but took away the sugar and milk. :)

Most embarassing moment - (LoM would say it was realising that the person walking behind us down the hill could hear every word of our conversation but...) when I went into the stardome the second time and it was dark and I didn't wait to let me eyes adjust so a) I tried to walk up the side of the chairs where there wasn't actually any space and b) eventually walked very quickly into the side of a chair.

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks

Also on Saturday LoM and I visited Ambury regional park. It's a cute little farm in the lee of Mangere Mountain. ARC uses it as an educational camping park so there are fun signs on the paddocks with animal picture and names like 'Timmy' (the turkey) and 'Freida' (the pig). We wandered around the animal pens before coming back to see the cows being milked (Amber and Fresia) and pet the calves (not named yet).

It was pretty windy out on the exposed farmland but since I was wearing polypro (whoever invented that stuff deserves a medal, it's brilliant) and a rain jacket I was warm as just popped toast. We ambled round the perimeter track and then took a little side trip toward the bird hide in the Watercare land that is right next to the park. Didn't actually make it to the bird hide as there were some words like 'quiet' and 'move slowly'. There looked to be some really interesting walks out to the stone fields so that might be something for another day.

Funniest moment - watching a brown sheep stalk a pukeko. The pukeko would nibble some grass. The sheep would sneak up behind it without actually looking at it. It would stand there. It would lower its head but not eat any grass. The pukeko would walk away. It would nibble some grass. The sheep would sneak up behind it etc etc. Hai-lari-oos.

Drove over to check out Mangere Mountain but since we'd have to get out of the car to walk to the top (in the wind) flagged it, went home, got changed then went to a couple of cafes. This is something on LoM's list. We managed to get to 2 so that was pretty good.

I got to recite "The Jabberwocky" which of course is poem one for #20 Learn 10 poems by heart. I am onto learning poem number two which is going to be "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon. Stanza four is used in military rememberance ceremonies so it is quite an emotional poem because of that.

To top off the day we joined up with some friends and went to see Lobby Hero at Silo. it was excellent. The audience was fairly quiet but warmed up after the interval. It took a little while for the actors to settle into their accents. No problems once they had and we were drawn into the story. Highly recommended. (Great set design too plus good direction.) It doesn't count as #43 See a performance that doesn't include anyone I know since I do know someone in it.

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook

No baking this weekend which I got stick for at work today.

Now's not the time Munro

2007-06-25T10:14:00.000+12:00

#54 Write a book for my niece
Apparently she had made her decision before clicking on the link.

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
Added another 20km on the windtrainer. It's amazing how much better it goes when the tyres are pumped up correctly... Thinking about doing Round Taupo later in the year which will add on a few k's and also prepare me for #96 Do the Round Taranaki cycle early next year. I didn't have that great a time last time I did Taupo though so still thinking.

Hard day's night

2007-06-20T20:36:00.000+12:00

#54 Write a book for my niece
Next installment is up. There was a bit of confusion - I thought the comment would come through on the TFAW_you _choose blog but they've come through on the other one. Plus I had done something weird with the comments so TFAW had to use another aunties sign up and then get her own. Oh well. She may as well become computer literate now right? I'm not that crash hot as an author - I've just noticed two continuity errors in two posts. Dearie me. I've made it trickier by setting a limit of 300 words for each story post. 300 words exactly as Word counts it. It's harder than it sounds. I've just spent an hour trying to delete 9 words while stuffing in the whole end arc!

The press have jumped the gun

2007-06-19T13:04:00.000+12:00

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
On Sunday I made English muffins for breakfast, honey oat, hokey pokey and chocolate chip cookies, bread and Russian fudge (which is not like chocolate fudge at all except that it is just as delicious.) Most of the day was baking in fact. Baking, cooking or laundry.

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Getting things done : the art of stress-free productivity" by David Allen
How to structure your working and home environment effectively so that you feel 1. in control and 2. on top of things and 3. you are working effectively and efficiently

What did I think?
There's a lot of really great stuff in here that I will use in the future. I'm doing okay with keeping on top of things at the moment so I'm not going to implement some of the suggestions. Plus I already do a version of some of them so there's no point in changing something that works. (This title is another great example of a 'worldview' thing - it's come up lots of times on various blogs that I read.) Some of the reviews I read say that it is 'amazing' and 'totally changed my life'. One of the more balanced said exactly what I have just said - there's some great things etc etc

"Hot springs of New Zealand" Sally Jackson
Lists hotsprings around New Zealand including location and a description including personal observations.

What did I think?
This also links to #65 Go to a natural hotspring. In fact I got it so I could find one and plan a trip. Unfortunately my original version of a hot spring - not man-made - has turned out to be quite scarce so I'm going to revise. There are natural hot springs e.g. hot water beach but you don't get much of a soak and that's what I'm after. There are also private pools that you can go to but I'd rather not bother someone. So now the version will be water that is heated naturally in a natural as possible surrounding. I'm still looking. The book itself is very well done and seems to be quite comprehensive. Only annoying thing is the descriptions of springs that you can't go to any more! e.g. the one on the Tongariro crossing.

#1 Tramp a Great Walk

I'm investigating Waikaremoana for this. LoM and I were going to get to it several years agao and just never made it. She has done the walk before and has generously agreed to go again. I've been looking at maps and visitnig websites. We will probably aim for early next year. Since I'm not much of a tramper that should give us enough time to do some practice over-nighters in the big ARC parks.

not mr right now even eow

2007-06-18T13:09:00.000+12:00

Busy weekend.

#40 Share a meal with friends or family every two months
When I put this on the list we'd just finished a round of hanging out with friends and family and I could see a vast stretch of time without anything planned. I was afraid that if I didn't give myself a kick I might just lapse into a stay-at-home-tv-watching-isolate. However it has turned out to be no issue at all because something always comes up. for e.g. Friday - dinner with friends; Saturday - dinner with friends; Sunday - dinner with a friend. So this one is going pretty well.

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks
Two more parks off the list. I'm feeling a bit, uncomfortable, at my attitude re just getting the parks done and marked off. I'm enjoying wandering around but feel that I shouldn't just be focused on marking it off. Having said that I do want to go back to a couple of the parks and do some of the walks that we didn't get to do so I guess that once again it isn't really an issue.

On Saturday LoM and I went to Omana and Duder parks. They are at the southern end of Auckland. I'd often cycled past them on training rides but didn't realise it until now.

Omana is a pretty little park with views out to the islands. They feel very close - almost close enough to swim to. Or maybe kayak to. It's interesting to see the islands from the 'other side' as it were. We walked the perimeter - round past the pa site and the goats (Dixie, Trixie and Pixie), through the manuka and kanuka (soft like cashmere), past the mangroves and up over the top to the lookout. Although I think of that area as being in the country it is actually quite built up. There was a sports ground quite close and a busy road that you could hear all over the park so it didn't feel like you were away from it all. Maybe at a different time of the day? A good park to go to with the kids - there were pigs, rabbits, chickens, dinner, I mean guinea pigs, and sheep. Plus the -ixies. It's fairly small in terms of land mass and has quite diverse eco-systems to look at.

Duder is just down the road and around a few corners. They have the best board out of all the parks we've visited so far. (Oh, and theirs and Omana's pamphlet boxes are well stocked too.) They also have orienteering maps to take out with way markers to hunt out. We were on a timeline but we did as many as were on our route. By golly the wind was cold! The walk started off along a flat bit. Nice, well gravelled road. I spotted a plastic bag in the bush with a clue - maybe an orienteering clue? The frame was supposed to be in this area but damned if either of us could find it. Lots of sheep in the paddocks as we started up the hill. We went out to the pa. Amazing views out into the bay. Once again the islands looked close enough to swim out to. Now it was quite warm - get out of the wind and it was very warm! More sheep and some large Herefords which I'm afraid to say I freaked out a bit at. One of them on the way back (while we were waiting for the hang glider man to do his thing) ambled over to say "hi" and crept closer and closer while it was munching on grass. I was ready to run and leap for the fence even though LoM said they were harmless.
This is probably the park where we saw the most people. Even though it's out in the middle of nowhere it was well patronised. People were even arriving as we were leaving at 3pm. The weather was fantastic so I guess that bought lots of people (like us) out.

Nibbled to death by...cats...

2007-06-15T07:41:00.000+12:00

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

Godin, Seth "All marketers are liars: the power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world"
"Successful marketers don't talk about features or eve benefits. Instead they tell a story, a story we want to believe." (from blurb)

What did I think?
I got a bit lost in a couple places where what I think the author was trying to prove didn't actually match up with what I thought he was saying. Most interesting bit was where he talked about worldview and how individuals will interpret events, situations, stories according to how much it matches their worldview. If it doesn't match then they dismiss it. Previously to this I was thinking how much this matched a couple of other books I've read c.f. after that I thought that it wasn't surprising that it serendipitously fell into the same category as I probably got all the titles from the same place which reinforces my worldview. (Because, yes, I think stories are incredibly important, both ficition and non-fiction, because of the way they help or encourage us to interpret events and represent ourselves.) It reminded me of the story about how the Aborigines of Australia ignored the first sailing ships that cruised along the coast becuase they didn't fit into their worldview and therefore didn't actually exist. (Is this a story or actually true? Who knows? It's a good one.)

Higson, Charlie "Double or die"
A young Bond book about a young James Bond. This is the third title in the series and in this one Bond gets his first taste of codes and ciphers.

What did I think?
That I need a lie down after reading that book. Wow! Mr Higson certainly packs a lot into a book. He is very clever and should be commended for these additions to the Bond canon. Young Bond differs from Alex Rider (I recommend the audio version) in that he doesn't do these things alone. There are usually other young people (even girls) helping him out. He does have to rely on himself and grit his teeth to manfully soldier on etc etc and he really is alone in terms of family but he does have a good circle of friends to call on. Excellent, rollercoaster, edge-of-the-seat read. Bring on the next one.