No picture today -- I'm too tired to go through them and find a nice one. I've been sick for, um, five days now, and I'm still not better yet. My head has been dizzy and hazy the entire time, so of course I didn't get anything much done.
Back at uni now after collapsing at home over the weekend, here for two weeks because I've got something on this weekend down here. Haven't really got much else to say, but I wanted to wander back over here before I forgot all about it. Still mostly concentrating on staying awake, staying upright and being semi-coherant for uni.
Wolverine
Monday, 10 March 2008
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Non-Uni Intentions and Ponderings
This is what outside my home looks like.Well, busy. I didn't mention in my previous post (I think) that we sold our house on the weekend. That birdfeeder is a new one we bought to look nice because our old one was really ratty and, well, old. So, we've got about two more months at home before it isn't our home anymore. I still haven't figured out how I feel about it, so enough of that for now.
Today went well during the daytime, and is the sort of day I want to continue, although I want the evenigns to be useful and feel positive and rewarding as well. I keep having long naps and although they feel wonderful, it means that the late afternoon/early evening period feels like a waste, and it also means that I am awake at times like now, ie, 1.55am. Something I need to work on improving is shortening the time of my naps, from a full-on sleep to a powernap.
When I finally get up and moving and showered and breakfasted, I actually really like mornigns. The light is gorgeous, they *feel* light and airy and gentle, and they're so quiet. I love quiet. What would make me feel wonderful is to get up with a decent amount of time in the morning, do all my usual mornign routine, plus a walk outside to get moving, and some reflection time that doesn't turn into internet-browsing time or book-reading time.
And it's finally quiet now, so I think I'll keep those things in mind as I go to bed, and implement them as best I can over the next few days.
Wolverine
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Mostly Uni Stuff
My folders for all my subjects finally done and sorted. I also need to charge and format my poor camera.
It's quite late again; so far my intention of shifting my sleep backwards isn't working. That's okay, because right now it's not the most super-important thing. That, currently, is getting back into uni mode and actually studying and working and getting things done.
Sorting out my folders was one of the first things on the list for uni stuff. There's a huge long list of stuff in my head, so I'm going to splurge them all out into this post and try to get them all down.
1) Get a printer card/credit and print out pages for: Geo, Chem, Computing.
2) Begin working on Civil project, qus 1-6 are already do-able during this week. Get these done by the weekend.
3) Go through everything, all subjects, and mark down all the important dates on my year-calendar. Also include non-uni important stuff.
4) Finish putting up my posters; I've done all of my large ones bar one, but I've run out of bluetac. Therefore, buy more bluetac first.
5) Read Chem and Geo labs before actually doing them.
6) Everything else I remember later.
Um. Can't think of anything else to write right now, so I'm heading off to bed.
Wolverine
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Old Stuff I've forgotten and New Stuff I'm learning
Another cool campfire photo.Today was completely a mix of old uni stuff that I really should remember but don't, and oh-crap-scary new stuff. Okay, maybe not quite that scary.
I only had classes for a single subject today, just how it worked out on my timetable, but oh-my-god, I don't remember hardly any of the stuff I need to know and am supposed to know. We're revising in a week a subject that took and entire semester at the start of last year, and not only is it highly compressed but it was a long time ago. So ack. Lots of revision needed, pronto.
In the evening I had my second-ever driving lesson. At night! Actually, it wasn't too bad once I'd actually got in, figured out where all the additional night-buttons were and just started. I could see! And I didn't hit anything OR stall.
Aside from that, it's late. Really late, and I'm tired. I finished off my container of vegie-tomato soup that's really yummy, and I'll write up the recipe for it sometime, but not tonight, because it's slightly more complicated than the chicken soup and I can't be bothered remembering all the stuff.
From my goals list, I did organise a decent amount of my bedroom today. So I know where most things are now. And I did a few ankle exercises this morning, not enough though.
And bugger, I forgot some Wednesday-specific stuff. I didn't pick up my geoscience lab manual like I was supposed to. That's about it, but bugger.
Oh well. Email lady tomorrow, maybe? Ask to pick it up at the end of the lecture since I *can't go* because it *clashes*. Grr.
Ah well. Bedtime, because now is no time for stressing.
Goals for tomorrow include getting that lab manual, practising MATLAB, washing my dishes, sending off an email to the outdoor club and... whatever else turns up. Yeah.
Wolverine
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Chicken and Vegie Soup
I realise that is not a picture of the post title. That is not chicken soup. Duh. But I didn't take a picture of it tonight, and I won't scar you with pictures of the remains.
However, I *did* make a fairly nice, simple chicken soup for dinner, so I'm putting the recipe up here.
Ingredients:
3/4 Litre of Chicken Stock (Would use 1/2 L next time)
Small handful of cooked, roughly shredded chicken (Would use even less chicken less time, maybe half a handful)
1 baby carrot, sliced (Would use 2+ baby carrots next time)
125g can of corn kernals, including liquid
Half a red capsicum, diced
Small handful of shell pasta (Probably use a different sort of pasta next time, maybe even noodles)
1. Bring some water to a boil in a some saucepan and start cooking the shells. This could probably be done in the stock along with everything else, but I was a bit unsure.
2. Put the stock on the stove and get it bubbling but not boiling.
3. Put corn, corn liquid, capsicum and carrots in. Stir occassionally.
4. When pasta is al dente (I think?), ie, just cooked, soft enough to eat but definitely still a bit firm, drain them from the water and tip them into the stock.
5. Add the shredded chicken and stir occassionally until the chicken is heated through.
This was quite nice, although it didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped. Next time, more vegies, less chicken and a bit less stock. It's pretty much a generic chicken soup recipe, but I like it.
Wolverine
Starting Again
Right, so, I haven't posted here for a long time. (Must remember to have keyboard in front of my hands, not far over out of the way.) I'm not expecting anyone to read this, but I need somewhere to be accountable to myself. I'm sick of not getting done what I want to do, and I know part of the problem is I don't set out clearly what I want to do before the day starts/ends.
So, this blog is now going become just my general blog/journal/goals page/thingy. All the different things I'm trying to include are too diverse for a topic-focused place, like FM or Steve Pavlina or the foody places I hang out. And really, the only person who *really* needs to see them is me. I don't care if other people do (it's not like any of them are embarrassing!), but this is for me.
Goals? Lots. First semester of my second year at uni has just started, and there's heaps of stuff to do. Food, exercise, organising things, things I already have booked in -- ack! And that's not even counting, y'know, the actual uni stuff. *rolleyes*
Daily Stuff:
* Ankle and back exercises (former because I sprained it a couple of months ago, latter because it's just weak), preferably in the mornings.
* As often as possible, cook my own healthy meals. If it turns out good, why not write it up and post it on here!
* Take either a light textbook or some other form of reading with me onto campus every day, so I can have something to if I have a break and no one to talk to.
* Get up with reasonable time in the mornings so I can have a shower to wake me up, and get to bed at a decent time, too.
Stuff to do SOON:
* Email Outdoors club to ask about rockclimbing next Monday night (3rd March).
* Organise my room; papers, wash my dishes, find places for everything.
* Read some of my textbooks, preferably the ones I haven't read much of yet.
* Uni organising; print out lecture notes, pick up lab manuals for geoscience and chem.
* Practise using MATLAB.
* Work out my diary and dates for the semester, or as much as possible anyway.
There's probably heaps more to do, but I can't think of them right now. It's the starting part that gets it all moving, anyway. So, it's quite late and I need to get some sleep.
Wolverine
Saturday, 3 November 2007
Friday Snippet and the missed week between them
I realise that I missed a week. I've been super busy with exams, but they'll be over soon and I won't be so hectically studying!
But for now, here's the second scene of M+D. Disclaimer, unedited first draft etc, do not steal etc. All that. And a note that the first few scenes are a bit uncertain as I got into the characters viewpoints. Later on they get shorter and 'sharper'.
POV: Meira
I twisted around in my chair to watch the building fight in the back row. That new girl had chosen the worst seat in the whole room, right next to Julian. From the look of her, though, she and the jerk might be well suited.
With short, ragged blonde hair, a dark outfit with tiny splashes of bright, clashing colours, and a scowl to rival my brother’s, she looked like a punk gone wrong. Or maybe not quite punk enough; she’d definitely need black hair to really look the part. I watched, semi-curious, as Mr Hayes broke up their scuffle. We hadn’t had anyone new for over a year now, and everyone kept glancing at her even when the fuss had died down and Mr Hayes went back to assigning lockers.
I copied my own number down neatly and then watched quietly as the class proceeded. I always felt the first few days of the year were pointless, because we never got anything done except ramble on endlessly about due dates and plagiarism and homework and God knows what else. I tended to tune out most of the irrelevant stuff and talk to my friends. Thank goodness, we were the smartest in the class, so even when they did care about the introductory babble, it never took long for them to have completed anything we were asked to do. I did it when I felt like it, or when it was being marked.
“Hey,” I said to my best friend, Lauren, who sat beside me. “What do you think of her?”
She didn’t need to ask who I meant. “Bit… brash, isn’t she? A real tryhard, but not a snob. Sort of like the opposite. I don’t understand why anyone would bother actually trying to look bad.”
I shrugged. “Well, she did have to put up with Julian. Oh, sorry, Jules,” I added sarcastically.
Lauren laughed, and straightened her books up on her desk. “That is true. Maybe she’s not too bad. But…” She glanced behind us again; I mimicked her to see Devi still writing, head down. “Well, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
I giggled too, and shook my head. “Guess we’ll have to wait another year to find someone else interesting.”
“Yeah. What locker are you?” Lauren turned to ask our other friends too, and I waited until she faced me again before answering.
“103. Anywhere close?”
She sighed. “Nope. I’m way up the other end, in 523.”
It wasn’t quite as far away as it sounded; for some strange reason, our lockers worked in batches of thirty, beginning at the hundred and counting up to the hundred-and-thirty, and then moving onto the next hundred. We’d all long since given up asking why; none of the teachers knew either. When I enquired further, I found that no one was closer than about fifty lockers away from mine.
“Ah well. Maybe I’ll actually be able to get to class on time, without you lot bugging me in the morning,” I kidded, elbowing Lauren.
She grinned back at me, knowing full well that we were always at least a few minutes early to every class. I did it because there was really nothing else to do around here; I think they did it because they seriously worried about losing marks if they ever turned up late. Devi had shown us before that it didn’t do anything except get a reprimand, if that.
The bell rang. It wasn’t recess yet, but I picked up my bag anyway. We had two morning classes before that first break in the day, and it was never long enough. How could twenty minutes be anywhere near enough to relax and eat and catch up with friends? However, today, as on all first days of the year, we had lockers to find and pack. Our class was allocated this second period to get this done before recess, so that we weren’t stuck in the busy corridor trying to do it.
“C’mon,” I said, standing up. Lauren grabbed her bag too and followed me out.
I paused, watching the miniature crowd milling around the lockers and rolled my eyes. Didn’t anyone understand the concept of taking turns? Then again, it’s a small town. Probably not.
I waded through the sea of people to my locker. Alright, it wasn’t really that many; when I went to the city, the first and only time ever, I was shocked by how many people were crammed into such a small area. Out here, where we lived, it was so different. Wide, open, spacious. But I knew people who’d lived around here all their lives, and I wanted to scream at them. Why didn’t you get out and explore?
A bag caught my shoulder and someone shouted an apology; I didn’t know them, which meant they came from one of the other localities. Brought back to school, I went in search of my locker. I knew where to look, and dropped my bag right at the end of the locker row. I had one side open, a great spot to have.
Not so great were the jock guys gathered only a few lockers across, their joking painfully loud. I rolled my eyes and dug my old lock from my bag, ignoring them. My books were all neatly packed, so it was easy for me to transfer them from my bag to my locker. Textbooks on this side, folders and notebooks on the other. Space for lunch above, space to put my bag beneath. There, easy. I glanced down at a guy throwing his stuff into his locker haphazardly and shook my head.
The jock guys still stood by their lockers, and I noticed the new girl standing waiting for them to move. Strange; for such a ‘brash’ girl, I hadn’t seen her until now, but she looked like she’d been standing there a while. Shifting from foot to foot, her bag dropped on the floor beside her, glaring at the jocks, but not saying a word.
“Hey,” I said, taking a few steps towards them.
The looked at me, half curious. I shook my head sharply. “No ideas, guys. Get a move on, though. You’re holding up the queue.” I waved my hand at the new girl. Devi, that was her name.
“Oh, sorry,” one of the jocks sneered, but with a wide grin. He raised one eyebrow at me.
I gave a short laugh and turned my back on them. “Find someone else,” I threw over my shoulder, only to see a dark shape move up behind me.
“Who do you think you are?” Devi stood close to me – too close.
I stepped back, looking up at her just a bit. Her eyes were narrowed, and there was a muscle pulled tight in her neck.
“Just helping,” I said, shrugging with my hands. “You’d been there for ages -- ”
“I don’t need any help,” she snapped before I could finish. She brought her hands up, not quite in fists, but didn’t touch me.
I took another step away and waved my own hands, brushing hers away. “Geez, I won’t help next time, then. Give it a break. Are you afraid of them or something?” I added, glancing over her shoulder at the jocks, who were now hanging around in the middle of the corridor.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said, her voice low and furious. She looked around too, and scowled as the jocks burst into laughter at some stupid joke or other. “Especially not them. Jerks.”
“Jocks, actually.” I grinned, and held out my hand. Maybe if I let it go she’d calm down? Couldn’t hurt to try. I didn’t even have a clue why she was angry.
Devi slapped my hand away, and I snatched it back. “What was that for?” I snapped.
“Leave me alone,” she hissed, and turned to her locker. She grabbed her bag and hauled it up to her chest height. I stared at her for a few seconds, absently realizing that she was keeping her locker tidy as she put everything in. Then I huffed and turned away. I made sure my own lock was shut properly before leaving her to her mood.
Lauren was waiting for me a short distance away. “What was that about?” she asked. “I was about to come over when you left.”
“Something stupid,” I said with a shrug. “Cracked it when I told the guys to let her get to her locker.” I brushed my hair back and blew out a pfft of air. “Who knows.”
“Sounds like a bitch to me.”
“Well…” I glanced over to a gathering of girls in miniskirts and tight singlets. “Maybe not quite a bitch.”
Lauren followed my gaze and laughed. “No, maybe not quite.” She looked back at Devi, in her black clothes – in this heat! “I couldn’t see her in one of their skirts.”
I laughed too. “C’mon. Let’s get back in.”
“Right.”
We headed back over to the classroom. I glanced at Devi once more, and was surprised to meet her eye for a second. She held my gaze and then looked away dismissively. I shrugged. I didn’t need any petty fights. I had enough already.
But for now, here's the second scene of M+D. Disclaimer, unedited first draft etc, do not steal etc. All that. And a note that the first few scenes are a bit uncertain as I got into the characters viewpoints. Later on they get shorter and 'sharper'.
POV: Meira
I twisted around in my chair to watch the building fight in the back row. That new girl had chosen the worst seat in the whole room, right next to Julian. From the look of her, though, she and the jerk might be well suited.
With short, ragged blonde hair, a dark outfit with tiny splashes of bright, clashing colours, and a scowl to rival my brother’s, she looked like a punk gone wrong. Or maybe not quite punk enough; she’d definitely need black hair to really look the part. I watched, semi-curious, as Mr Hayes broke up their scuffle. We hadn’t had anyone new for over a year now, and everyone kept glancing at her even when the fuss had died down and Mr Hayes went back to assigning lockers.
I copied my own number down neatly and then watched quietly as the class proceeded. I always felt the first few days of the year were pointless, because we never got anything done except ramble on endlessly about due dates and plagiarism and homework and God knows what else. I tended to tune out most of the irrelevant stuff and talk to my friends. Thank goodness, we were the smartest in the class, so even when they did care about the introductory babble, it never took long for them to have completed anything we were asked to do. I did it when I felt like it, or when it was being marked.
“Hey,” I said to my best friend, Lauren, who sat beside me. “What do you think of her?”
She didn’t need to ask who I meant. “Bit… brash, isn’t she? A real tryhard, but not a snob. Sort of like the opposite. I don’t understand why anyone would bother actually trying to look bad.”
I shrugged. “Well, she did have to put up with Julian. Oh, sorry, Jules,” I added sarcastically.
Lauren laughed, and straightened her books up on her desk. “That is true. Maybe she’s not too bad. But…” She glanced behind us again; I mimicked her to see Devi still writing, head down. “Well, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
I giggled too, and shook my head. “Guess we’ll have to wait another year to find someone else interesting.”
“Yeah. What locker are you?” Lauren turned to ask our other friends too, and I waited until she faced me again before answering.
“103. Anywhere close?”
She sighed. “Nope. I’m way up the other end, in 523.”
It wasn’t quite as far away as it sounded; for some strange reason, our lockers worked in batches of thirty, beginning at the hundred and counting up to the hundred-and-thirty, and then moving onto the next hundred. We’d all long since given up asking why; none of the teachers knew either. When I enquired further, I found that no one was closer than about fifty lockers away from mine.
“Ah well. Maybe I’ll actually be able to get to class on time, without you lot bugging me in the morning,” I kidded, elbowing Lauren.
She grinned back at me, knowing full well that we were always at least a few minutes early to every class. I did it because there was really nothing else to do around here; I think they did it because they seriously worried about losing marks if they ever turned up late. Devi had shown us before that it didn’t do anything except get a reprimand, if that.
The bell rang. It wasn’t recess yet, but I picked up my bag anyway. We had two morning classes before that first break in the day, and it was never long enough. How could twenty minutes be anywhere near enough to relax and eat and catch up with friends? However, today, as on all first days of the year, we had lockers to find and pack. Our class was allocated this second period to get this done before recess, so that we weren’t stuck in the busy corridor trying to do it.
“C’mon,” I said, standing up. Lauren grabbed her bag too and followed me out.
I paused, watching the miniature crowd milling around the lockers and rolled my eyes. Didn’t anyone understand the concept of taking turns? Then again, it’s a small town. Probably not.
I waded through the sea of people to my locker. Alright, it wasn’t really that many; when I went to the city, the first and only time ever, I was shocked by how many people were crammed into such a small area. Out here, where we lived, it was so different. Wide, open, spacious. But I knew people who’d lived around here all their lives, and I wanted to scream at them. Why didn’t you get out and explore?
A bag caught my shoulder and someone shouted an apology; I didn’t know them, which meant they came from one of the other localities. Brought back to school, I went in search of my locker. I knew where to look, and dropped my bag right at the end of the locker row. I had one side open, a great spot to have.
Not so great were the jock guys gathered only a few lockers across, their joking painfully loud. I rolled my eyes and dug my old lock from my bag, ignoring them. My books were all neatly packed, so it was easy for me to transfer them from my bag to my locker. Textbooks on this side, folders and notebooks on the other. Space for lunch above, space to put my bag beneath. There, easy. I glanced down at a guy throwing his stuff into his locker haphazardly and shook my head.
The jock guys still stood by their lockers, and I noticed the new girl standing waiting for them to move. Strange; for such a ‘brash’ girl, I hadn’t seen her until now, but she looked like she’d been standing there a while. Shifting from foot to foot, her bag dropped on the floor beside her, glaring at the jocks, but not saying a word.
“Hey,” I said, taking a few steps towards them.
The looked at me, half curious. I shook my head sharply. “No ideas, guys. Get a move on, though. You’re holding up the queue.” I waved my hand at the new girl. Devi, that was her name.
“Oh, sorry,” one of the jocks sneered, but with a wide grin. He raised one eyebrow at me.
I gave a short laugh and turned my back on them. “Find someone else,” I threw over my shoulder, only to see a dark shape move up behind me.
“Who do you think you are?” Devi stood close to me – too close.
I stepped back, looking up at her just a bit. Her eyes were narrowed, and there was a muscle pulled tight in her neck.
“Just helping,” I said, shrugging with my hands. “You’d been there for ages -- ”
“I don’t need any help,” she snapped before I could finish. She brought her hands up, not quite in fists, but didn’t touch me.
I took another step away and waved my own hands, brushing hers away. “Geez, I won’t help next time, then. Give it a break. Are you afraid of them or something?” I added, glancing over her shoulder at the jocks, who were now hanging around in the middle of the corridor.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said, her voice low and furious. She looked around too, and scowled as the jocks burst into laughter at some stupid joke or other. “Especially not them. Jerks.”
“Jocks, actually.” I grinned, and held out my hand. Maybe if I let it go she’d calm down? Couldn’t hurt to try. I didn’t even have a clue why she was angry.
Devi slapped my hand away, and I snatched it back. “What was that for?” I snapped.
“Leave me alone,” she hissed, and turned to her locker. She grabbed her bag and hauled it up to her chest height. I stared at her for a few seconds, absently realizing that she was keeping her locker tidy as she put everything in. Then I huffed and turned away. I made sure my own lock was shut properly before leaving her to her mood.
Lauren was waiting for me a short distance away. “What was that about?” she asked. “I was about to come over when you left.”
“Something stupid,” I said with a shrug. “Cracked it when I told the guys to let her get to her locker.” I brushed my hair back and blew out a pfft of air. “Who knows.”
“Sounds like a bitch to me.”
“Well…” I glanced over to a gathering of girls in miniskirts and tight singlets. “Maybe not quite a bitch.”
Lauren followed my gaze and laughed. “No, maybe not quite.” She looked back at Devi, in her black clothes – in this heat! “I couldn’t see her in one of their skirts.”
I laughed too. “C’mon. Let’s get back in.”
“Right.”
We headed back over to the classroom. I glanced at Devi once more, and was surprised to meet her eye for a second. She held my gaze and then looked away dismissively. I shrugged. I didn’t need any petty fights. I had enough already.
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