9 weeks until I'm in Brisbane and 4 weeks until my birthday.

It's a bit weird knowing my birthday has come up as since the beginning of the year, I started to think of myself as "almost 26" and I shortened that in my head to "26", and it got to the point where a couple of times I actually forgot how old I really was - 25 or 26. I'm 25. I'll be 26 in 4 weeks' time.

I was going to go skiing for my birthday and take some time off work, but I think organising the whole thing will just get too tedious. This is saying something, because there's two things I love doing there - skiing and exploring new places, and I'd be doing it at the best time of year. It's a really bad sign to show just how lazy I've gotten and, worse, how much I've gotten to love being lazy. I'd like to say it's a dangerous mix, but if I'm doing what I want to do, it's difficult to dispute.

The same thing sort of applies to the Brisbane trip. I'm going for a week and a half since a week isn't enough and 2 weeks felt like just a bit too much last time, and I want some time to myself when I get back to Melbourne, ideally before and after the trip. Ideally I had in mind to plan every single day of the trip as best as I could before I left because everytime I go there I'm doing stuff a bit too aimlessly.

The next couple of months are going to be quite busy. Or quite lazy. I'm not sure yet.

I know it's a bit late seeing at the festival was yesterday, but it was in NME issue dated 5/July/08 page 66...



If you can't read it it says:
Best Party
Mighty Boosh/Hop Farm Fests
Watch Gary Numan, The Kills and Peaches get out rock 'n' rolled by the psychodelic shenanigans of The Mighty Boosh Band, on Saturday, then hop into Sunday with Neil Young, Primal Scream and Laura Marling.
Where: Kent Hop Farm (Sat,Sun)
www.nme.com/festivals

X-posted to many other booshy places...

OK, um, so, as far as the season finale of Doctor Who goes, can I just say, yes, I do scare myself sometimes? Mmm, psychic spoilers... {laughing hysterically}

Since finishing my big project, and completely exhausting myself in the process, my sleep pattern has been totally whacked. I slept all day Friday, slept in late yesterday, and then collapsed yesterday afternoon and slept into the evening. So now I've been up all night because I couldn't sleep. Despite the vague tug of sleepiness now, I'm staying up all day and getting to bed at a decent hour so I can get myself back on schedule.

I also have to confess a serious fall off the bandwagon. I discovered the free games on yahoo, and they have been eating my life. I am such a junkie. Oy. Must stop playing them as of today. I have no self control.

So, on my feet to do something productive, like clean up around the house. I must get back on schedule of being my usual organized self as of tomorrow, and that will be easier with a clean house.

Martha. Rose. Sarah Jane. Every other character who is available? Check.

Russell T Davies crams as much as he can for the two part finale. He may not be leaving for another year, but I think this the concluding chapter to his four years on the show. And it's a pretty good one too. I wouldn't say it was prefect, but getting all the characters from the spin offs together, throwing out so many references to past stories - It's all here. Even a second Doctor! I didn't see that coming. I knew the regeneration would be quickly brushed off but didn't expect that.

However, Rose continues to annoy me. Here we are, trying to be told that Rose has grown up, she doesn't need the Doctor any more. Part One all she does is pine for him (although their initial meet up before the cliffhanger was a great moment) and when she finally gets back, she turns into child mode again. Not any more mature, still pining after the Doctor, so much so she's given a spare Doctor. That was "interesting", to say the least. Here's a question, he's meant to be an identical copy, if a little more angrier, slightly human. You think he'd like to be stuck on one planet? Living a normal life? Don't think so. And what about Mickey? He doesn't even get a farewell scene with Rose, I thought that was interesting. His scene with Jackie was probably the sweetest moment - "I'm going to miss you the most". Awww. At least the rumours of a Torchwood with Martha and Mickey are probably true. We may see these two in the Whoniverse again, but I think that's the end of the Tylers. Sad, really. I thought Rose would get a better send off than that. I was expecting her death actually.

Donna is the hero in this piece. Her DoctorDonna link was clever, and it was brilliant seeing her becoming more like him. The end with her back to the way she used to be was a little sad. I would of liked to have seen a little moment with maybe not her remembering anything, but a glimpse at her slightly changed for the better. Doctor's moment with her grandfather was great. Shame we won't see him again. And his moment with her mum - "try telling her that once in a while" - great to see that my main criticism of Turn Left was addressed.

Davros wasn't that bad. Still the same old madman, although the weapon reminded me a little of the universe killer from the Big Finish Dalek Empire episode, which name completely escapes me. I think laughing Dalek Caan and his twist to the good side at the end was the best. Seeing what the Daleks really were was a top moment. And no reset switch! Thank god for that!!!

I have to give this episode 4 out of 5. I really think this episode could of done with another five or so minutes, it was very fast. That moment where all the companions all around the TARDIS saving the day was one of the best scenes from the series so far. Well done Russell. You may have had your weak moments and I am looking forward to Stephen Moffatt, but you started a show we thought long gone and made it a success again.

It's time for you to just scroll on past....

• 09:49 Waiting for the museum to open :) #
• 15:03 Short short video from the museum trip: www.vimeo.com/1286362 will post more detail later #
• 20:21 @akaMonty PBS FTW! #
• 20:22 @lizzistardust if I hadn't already put Brianna to bed, we'd be on our way down right now. I'll just have to content myself with a movie :P #
• 20:23 settling in for the extended version of the Russell Crowe biopic Gladiator #
• 20:28 Now THAT's an order "On my signal, unleash Hell" #
• 20:54 Uploading museum pics to flickr #
• 20:58 or maybe not. either flickr uploader or my network is acting up #
• 21:11 Looks like it was just time to reset the DSL modem #
• 21:40 @akaMonty I do not think that word means what you think it means #
• 21:52 @akaMonty I've a healthy mancrush on him myself :) #

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Word count - 807
Weekly count - 5038

Not bad, I wrote on my computer tonight and it's not a good idea. It took from 9 to 11:30 just to get those 807 words. Tomorrow night it'll be back to Mom's.

According to the usage graph on the bill, in the March-June quarter we used more electricity than for the same quarter last year.

Which sucks, because I would have thought we'd have used less. In fact, when I first glanced at the account I misread it as having used less and figured that made sense on account of a few things we've changed. And I felt really pleased!

Most of our lights are now compact fluoros, the TV and associated items are on a powerboard with individual switches so we now turn them off properly rather than leave them on standby. Ditto the washing machine. 10B turns his monitor off at night.

And we've hardly used the heating at all on account of the absence of winter.

But there's the pump for the greywater system. This is the only major change I can think of.

Swings and roundabouts!

Other possibilities: leaving the electric blanket on night and day for our geriatric cat, the fan heater in the bathroom (but that's only intermittent), my propagation tray (which I'm pretty sure doesn't pull much power). We're watching a lot more telly....

I only got my motorised scooter a year ago - Bazza is permanently connected to the charger. That might be doing something.

The quarter we are in now is the biggest use period for the year, according to the little chart on our bill.

So now I'm wondering what we can do next.

~~~

At some point, we'll get a new fuse box and when we do, the airconditioning goes on its own fuse, so we can turn the darn thing properly off for half the year at least (it's a standby system). But that's in the future.

Still need tumble dryer.

I'm not prepared to unplug Bazza, even though he doesn't see daily use. I want him there when I need him. Certainly not convinced it would be wise to unplug the greywater system either - we are using the greywater.

All I can really think of is that we be more fussy about switching lights off, but I can't see that achieving a whole lot.

My first solo Sunday School went well.  We talked a little about why we have baptisms, then the kids drew pictures, played with Play-Doh, and I taught the fourteen-year-old who helps how to make Good Paper Planes.  (I have a technique which seems to be little-known, but is simple and yet makes planes that fly really nicely.)  Afterwards Maureen saw the leftover planes and I ended up showing her too, for her to play with her great-grandson.

Then later I flirted with her husband.  My church is great.

Next week J. is back, and she and I are pledged to catch up, because I haven't seen her in about a month, so.  Huzzah!

George and Maureen offered me a lift home, but I declined with thanks and walked - it's turned into quite a beautiful day, in contrast to when I walked there, and it was so cold there was still frost on the ground in the shadows, even though the sun had been up for at least an hour.  (People who live in snowy places: you have only yourself to blame.  Frost is unusual here, especially frost that lasts past sunrise.)

Best of all, foods!  When I arrived, early, people were still having the between-services breakfast, but you know, toast, not so much.  However, after the service, the morning tea munchies included slices of apple, which meant there were munchies I could eat!  It was excellent.  I needed the blood sugar hit after running around looking after the kids.

Plans for today include a nap, I've had way too little sleep and have had a busy morning.

My name is Chris and I approve this season of Doctor Who.

Holy fuck...

I saw the Doctor Who finale. Here are my SPOILER-FILLED thoughts. Don't read if you plan on seeing it later.
( Serious spoilers follow behind the cut. )

Harlan Ellison turned 74 years of age the other week. And so I dug out my copies of THE GLASS TEAT and THE OTHER GLASS TEAT, the collections of his columns on television written circa 1969-1971, and began to re-read them, as I do every couple of years. The thing you need to know about the GLASS TEAT books is that, for all the wrong reasons, they’re timeless. The states of American network tv, dissent and education have not notably changed since he wrote those columns in his mid-thirties. (I’ve been re-reading those books since I was 20 or so, and it’s a shock to realise I’m finally older than he was when he wrote them. And I don’t want to think about how long it’s been since I first picked up a volume of his short stories in Rayleigh Library. With my dad making approving noises behind me: "Harlan Ellison. Good writer.’’)

I met him once. I’d made a crack somewhere online about Harlan’s heart being held together with garden twine and Lego, I think as part of a larger piece about dealing with anger as a writer. One of his fans — not representative of his constituency as a whole, I think — suffered a major reading comprehension failure, fired a foul note off to me and put it in front of Harlan as a ’’let’s you and him fight’’ kind of deal. From which I received a very nice email from Harlan, assuring me that no gardening supplies were required to hold him together and actually addressing the substance of the piece rather than the misreading placed before him. It was nice, he said, that it turned out we each liked the other’s work.

There’s a peculiar artist’s fear, that rides very low in the gut and mostly goes unspoken. Though few of us would cop to having ’’heroes,’’ debased term that it is, the fear does run along the lines of ’’don’t meet your heroes.’’ The man or woman who wrote the things that helped form you as a creator is not necessarily as loveable as the work. This is something I’ve been lucky in, but I will admit to passing on meeting Hunter Thompson a couple of times, and friends of mine have not had my luck. I know writers who now cannot read their heroes’ work. The books are tainted by the experience.

I met Harlan some months later, at a convention. Our signing tables were side by side. Harlan arrived later than I did (I think the signings were staggered), spotted me and yelled "Warren Ellis! Let me give you a manly hug!’’ So I stood up. Harlan’s about five and a half feet tall. I’m six foot tall barefoot, and I was wearing heavy boots. He looked up at me and exclaimed, "Jesus, you’re HUGE!"

I don’t have "heroes," but there are writers I admire greatly, who were influential in my becoming a writer, and I am grateful to have met Harlan Ellison and remain able to take pleasure in his work. Better: now I can hear his voice, and recall the great personal warmth with which he welcomed me on every occasion we met during that convention.

All of which, wishing him a belated happy birthday and talking about how generations of writers deal with each other and so forth, is really just preface to my discovery last night that the fine ebook purveyor Webscription is now offering eight Harlan Ellison books.

(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)

1. Cull out book copies. - Started
2. Wash and clean car monthly. - Nope
3. No B&B Works - except for two Scentports, both have malfunctioned. - Success thus far.
4. Read 10 books. - Already read (and finished) three. Death Angel by Linda Howard, Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts, and The Royal Mess by MaryJanice Davidson.
5. Lose 10 pounds. - Thinking about it.
6. Post in other blogs weekly. - All for the week except for myspace.
7. Sign up for fall class at John A. - Have to talk to the school before I can register.
8. Pay AmEx down to $4,000. - $702. I'm not going to make it but I adore money goals. They give me a thrill. Too bad losing weight doesn't give me the same thrill.
9. Save $100. - I have some money set aside for savings. Or I could pay my mom back. It depends on how I feel on Monday.
10. Walk 3 times a week. - Four days for this week.
11. Three unauthorized book purchases besides auto-buy list. - I already know which two books I want this month, I'm just waiting until further in the month befoe buying.
12. Three prompts on Playing for Keeps. - Not yet. I've misplace my NS tape.
13. a. Write everyday in July. - Four days down, an hour to go before I do tonights writing.
b. Write everyday in August.
c. Write everyday in September.

A preliminary study of my friend Lenora Claire by Olivia Berardinis:

(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)

I had just messaged Leslie asking if it was cool to repost the statement she’s emailing around … when I saw that Cory beat me to it. Click that link for the full update, straight from the Clarion West folks.

[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

Cut for thinly veiled potty talk: Child + Hygiene = ( Wacky Hijinx )
Which also reminds me that I walked into a public restroom and a little girl there made her first public peepee. How do I know? She ran out of the stall with her arms waving gleefully over her head and announced that she had made a peepee and then squealed loudly when I congratulated her. Then she ran out the door before he grandmother could stop her and screamed across the restaurant to her mom that she had made a peepee. Grandma stood gave me the "I can't believe she just did that" look of horror before chasing after her. I was just hoping Mark wouldn't catch her and start giving her a rundown of the human digestive system...

I also caught Mark with a stack of books hidden up in his loft bed. He'd been reading in bed after he was supposed to be asleep by the light of his night light. He accidentally showed them to me when he was trying to fluff his pillow. Now how am I supposed to yell at him for that? It wouldn't even have been a problem if he hadn't been getting to bed at midnight because we were out late visiting people. Guh... Anyway, I'm just glad he's gotten the reading bug. And, seriously? He was hiding a stack of encyclopedias and visual dictionaries. Also? I'm seriously tired of Bri turning to me and commenting about the fact that the chromosomes I donated seem to be the most... colorful? Persistent? Mind boggling? Sometimes I'm shocked into stillness by the fact that Mark is what I would have been if I'd had a normal* life. Guuu... I just got goosebumps. XD It'll be fun to kick him out into the world and see how he does. XD Go get 'em, Mark!

Guh...So I finally managed to completely strip this chair I'm supposed to reupholster. This lady is getting the deal of the century. I quoted her way too low for the amount of staples I'm having to pull out of this thing. Mark and Bri did the first half, too. Then, when I finally went to tack the new fabric on, I only had one staple in my staple gun. -_-' Bri thinks the rest of the staples are packed away in the back of the shed. Joy. My hands hurt. I'm calling it a day.

---

*Yes, I'm using "normal" rather loosely. XD