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Five day backlog
Apr. 17th, 2001 06:46 pmBloody hell, you people are prolific. I got caught up with the boards and my email yesterday, the livejournals today, and there's still OTL... *considers just ignoring it all, and laughs at herself* Yeah, right. Like I can _not_ pay attention to the ficcers. *grins* You people are so damn addictive.
No entry yesterday, although I was sorta around, mainly because I was brain dead with tiredness after the seven hour long train trip home, and I was botting dinner off mum and dad and had to get going. Gotta love having the parentals so close - whenever I don't feel like cooking, I can get food over there. And cable. ;) Actually, I did help mum out, as much as she'd let me. She's the original Kitchen Nazi. ;) I can usually only cook for them when she's not in the kitchen; otherwise she makes me too nervous and I fuck up. :P As it was, I stumbled home shortly after, had a lovely long hot bath with the last of my apricot bubble bath, and then went to bed with a cup of Ovaltine and "Interesting Times". I was asleep by 9.30. :)
Now for the stuff that made me so tired. ;)
For those who skimmed my last entry, I spent Easter in Sydney with my RaphieSis. And had a wonderful time. :) It was great, being able to talk and giggle and joke and muck around in RL as much as we do online.
I caught the train up on Thursday night. Eventually. Bloody thing was delayed an hour and a half at Wodonga by a goods train, and by the time it reached Albury, we were all freezing! Still, most of the time passed pretty quickly - I was talking to this old bloke, a unionist and rabble rouser of the old school. He was going to go to the May Day march in Melbourne to support the student protests against funding cuts. :) We agreed on Gough Whitlam and the environment, disagreed on Kosovo and Milosovic. But it was still a pretty cool conversation. You meet the strangest people when you use public transport...
Anyhoo, once on the train, things were still strange. There was an extremely annoying drunk man complaining about not being able to turn on as light to read his paper at three in the morning (it was an overnight train), and I played a bit of musical chairs, until finally waking up the girl who was slumped across my seat, dead to the world, so I could sit where I was supposed to. :P We ended up arriving in Sydney about two hours late: I cleaned up, called Raph and jumped on a train out to where she lives, about an hour out of the city.
[Sidenote: sometimes I think I missed my calling. I would have made an excellent backpacker. I love travelling around, my worldly possessions on my back, fending for myself... Pity you're always broke, tho'.]
When I got off the train, I found a certain LazyAussieAngel had gone back to sleep, so I called again and got someone to pick me up. If the train had been on time, I would have walked - I had my trusty street directory handy - but it was already getting on for 10am. Walking would have taken another half hour at least. Raph and her mum came and got me, and we spent a lazy-ish day at her house, since I was wiped from getting only a few hours' sleep on the train. We talked each other to death, tho'. :) Later that night I got introduced to D&D - I haven't seen it before, coming from a benighted country high school that believed role playing was a sign of demonic possession, or "just plain weird, mate" /countrydrawl. D&D was fun - I watched, and tried to follow what was going on - and found it all very entertaining, even tho' I did end up falling asleep around 10.30 cause the couch was too comfy and I was still tired... I'm one of those eight hours a night people - deprive me of sleep and I start catching naps all over the place. ;P Sue me. :)
Lessee, Saturday... Discovered the sheer indulgence that is watching the Slayerfeast on the couch in my jammies, curled up in my sleeping bag. :) Actually, the Buffy marathon is responsible for much sitting around on our parts - neither of us could resist. But at least I got to see the "Oz werewolf origin" episode. Finally. :) When we finally bestirred ourselves, we did a spot of shopping (got some blank CDs so I could burn some copies of mine for Raph) and then went to the rock climbing gym. The grading system was odd - they used a 1-6 system, instead of the outdoor grades, but it wasn't hard to work out. Raph did well for a first-timer; I was glad she enjoyed it, too. I was worried she'd find it too hard, not being as strong in the arms as me. I managed mostly threes, and one four (about 17, in the outdoor system), which I was pleased with. I haven't climbed for so long, I'm out of practice. Again. I wish they had a gym here - real rock is great, but I need to learn how to leadclimb and set up belay points, _and_ find a partner before I can get into that more. And with winter coing on, the outdoor season is nearly over. Maybe there's something in Albury I don't know about... I love climbing, it's another of those adrenaline sports of mine. ;)
After climbing for a couple of hours, we got a lift back, stopping at the supermarket for veggie food (not that different from normal food, really!) and some videoes. "Chicken Run" "The Cell" and "Cheaters". We sat up until three to get through them all. :) I've got to say, "The Cell" has given me some interesting fic ideas, something with a telepath... hmm, I think I'll let that one simmer for a while, it's still half-baked. ;)
Sunday. More sleeping in, more Buffyfest. :) Got off our butts at about one-ish, went down to the station and caught the train to the Easter Show.
For those who don't know, the Show is an old rural tradition. Every year, farmers would bring their livestock adn cakes and such to be judged in competition statewide. For a lot, it meant the yearly trip to the Big Smoke. Melbourne has a Show too, but I haven't been to that one for years. And I've never been to the Sydney one. Besides the animals and such, there are also amusement park rides, tacky prize booths and show bags. I don't know if there are showbags in America, but here they are plastic bags full o' stuff, be it junk food, plastic toys or promotional stuff, or all of the above. Raph talked me into getting a set of pixie wings - I've been threatened with nastiness if I don't bring them to DexCon - and we bought stacks of chocolate for her brother and parents. :) We also got a surprise for Dex, which I will be mailing on Thursday during lunch. *grins evilly* We also did the ride thing - Ferris Wheel, Matterhorn (one for the adrenaline junkies, it's a lot like mountain biking!) and those nifty swings that make you feel like you're flying. I could have done that one all night. Basically we got hopped up on sugar and excitement, adn wrote a very strange Subreality RR-thingie which got inflicted on Dex the next day. :) And we had a fantastic time doing it. :)
Monday I had to catch the train at 7.30 from Central, so I spent the night on Raph's floor so the alarm would wake me up. At four. *shudder* Raph, I don't know how you manage it. Still, we got me down to the station fine, and I got the train okay, although I couldn't buy a ticket because the office was closed and the machine was buggered. Of course, the ticket inspectors appeared. Luckily they agreed that it was too difficult for me to have bought a ticket (apparently there was another machine that was working, but I didn't see it) and I didn't get fined. Just had to buy one at Central. But I got there in plenty of time, curled up in my seat and slept for a couple of hours, and then alternated between reading ("The Far Country" and "On The Beach" by Neville Shute - read if you can get hold of them, they're excellent!), sleeping and fic-writing (Midnight Nation, just to tease those interested). Slight mix-up when I arrived in Albury with my pick up - I was supposed to call BRM on his new mobile to check he was coming, but forgot and called Dad straight away instead. Silly me. But it all worked out in the end. :)
Now I'm sorta feeling a bit flat - I always do, after seeing fic-folks. It never lasts long enough, and then I'm back here, on my own, talking to a computer. But it's Raph's turn next time, and I'm hoping she'll be able to make it down here. I love visitors, and we've got plenty of room, and I can always take her to mum and dad's for a non-veggo meal. *grins* Or the Birralee pub. :) I think she'll like it up here, although it can be dull - I'm hoping to either borrow mum and dad's car, which I can drive, or get BRM to play chauffer in the Mini, which I can't drive. Show her some of the country, get some fresh air into her, do the country thing. ;)
I'll sign off now, since this is a monster post. Pity the poor people who have me on their friends lists!
No entry yesterday, although I was sorta around, mainly because I was brain dead with tiredness after the seven hour long train trip home, and I was botting dinner off mum and dad and had to get going. Gotta love having the parentals so close - whenever I don't feel like cooking, I can get food over there. And cable. ;) Actually, I did help mum out, as much as she'd let me. She's the original Kitchen Nazi. ;) I can usually only cook for them when she's not in the kitchen; otherwise she makes me too nervous and I fuck up. :P As it was, I stumbled home shortly after, had a lovely long hot bath with the last of my apricot bubble bath, and then went to bed with a cup of Ovaltine and "Interesting Times". I was asleep by 9.30. :)
Now for the stuff that made me so tired. ;)
For those who skimmed my last entry, I spent Easter in Sydney with my RaphieSis. And had a wonderful time. :) It was great, being able to talk and giggle and joke and muck around in RL as much as we do online.
I caught the train up on Thursday night. Eventually. Bloody thing was delayed an hour and a half at Wodonga by a goods train, and by the time it reached Albury, we were all freezing! Still, most of the time passed pretty quickly - I was talking to this old bloke, a unionist and rabble rouser of the old school. He was going to go to the May Day march in Melbourne to support the student protests against funding cuts. :) We agreed on Gough Whitlam and the environment, disagreed on Kosovo and Milosovic. But it was still a pretty cool conversation. You meet the strangest people when you use public transport...
Anyhoo, once on the train, things were still strange. There was an extremely annoying drunk man complaining about not being able to turn on as light to read his paper at three in the morning (it was an overnight train), and I played a bit of musical chairs, until finally waking up the girl who was slumped across my seat, dead to the world, so I could sit where I was supposed to. :P We ended up arriving in Sydney about two hours late: I cleaned up, called Raph and jumped on a train out to where she lives, about an hour out of the city.
[Sidenote: sometimes I think I missed my calling. I would have made an excellent backpacker. I love travelling around, my worldly possessions on my back, fending for myself... Pity you're always broke, tho'.]
When I got off the train, I found a certain LazyAussieAngel had gone back to sleep, so I called again and got someone to pick me up. If the train had been on time, I would have walked - I had my trusty street directory handy - but it was already getting on for 10am. Walking would have taken another half hour at least. Raph and her mum came and got me, and we spent a lazy-ish day at her house, since I was wiped from getting only a few hours' sleep on the train. We talked each other to death, tho'. :) Later that night I got introduced to D&D - I haven't seen it before, coming from a benighted country high school that believed role playing was a sign of demonic possession, or "just plain weird, mate" /countrydrawl. D&D was fun - I watched, and tried to follow what was going on - and found it all very entertaining, even tho' I did end up falling asleep around 10.30 cause the couch was too comfy and I was still tired... I'm one of those eight hours a night people - deprive me of sleep and I start catching naps all over the place. ;P Sue me. :)
Lessee, Saturday... Discovered the sheer indulgence that is watching the Slayerfeast on the couch in my jammies, curled up in my sleeping bag. :) Actually, the Buffy marathon is responsible for much sitting around on our parts - neither of us could resist. But at least I got to see the "Oz werewolf origin" episode. Finally. :) When we finally bestirred ourselves, we did a spot of shopping (got some blank CDs so I could burn some copies of mine for Raph) and then went to the rock climbing gym. The grading system was odd - they used a 1-6 system, instead of the outdoor grades, but it wasn't hard to work out. Raph did well for a first-timer; I was glad she enjoyed it, too. I was worried she'd find it too hard, not being as strong in the arms as me. I managed mostly threes, and one four (about 17, in the outdoor system), which I was pleased with. I haven't climbed for so long, I'm out of practice. Again. I wish they had a gym here - real rock is great, but I need to learn how to leadclimb and set up belay points, _and_ find a partner before I can get into that more. And with winter coing on, the outdoor season is nearly over. Maybe there's something in Albury I don't know about... I love climbing, it's another of those adrenaline sports of mine. ;)
After climbing for a couple of hours, we got a lift back, stopping at the supermarket for veggie food (not that different from normal food, really!) and some videoes. "Chicken Run" "The Cell" and "Cheaters". We sat up until three to get through them all. :) I've got to say, "The Cell" has given me some interesting fic ideas, something with a telepath... hmm, I think I'll let that one simmer for a while, it's still half-baked. ;)
Sunday. More sleeping in, more Buffyfest. :) Got off our butts at about one-ish, went down to the station and caught the train to the Easter Show.
For those who don't know, the Show is an old rural tradition. Every year, farmers would bring their livestock adn cakes and such to be judged in competition statewide. For a lot, it meant the yearly trip to the Big Smoke. Melbourne has a Show too, but I haven't been to that one for years. And I've never been to the Sydney one. Besides the animals and such, there are also amusement park rides, tacky prize booths and show bags. I don't know if there are showbags in America, but here they are plastic bags full o' stuff, be it junk food, plastic toys or promotional stuff, or all of the above. Raph talked me into getting a set of pixie wings - I've been threatened with nastiness if I don't bring them to DexCon - and we bought stacks of chocolate for her brother and parents. :) We also got a surprise for Dex, which I will be mailing on Thursday during lunch. *grins evilly* We also did the ride thing - Ferris Wheel, Matterhorn (one for the adrenaline junkies, it's a lot like mountain biking!) and those nifty swings that make you feel like you're flying. I could have done that one all night. Basically we got hopped up on sugar and excitement, adn wrote a very strange Subreality RR-thingie which got inflicted on Dex the next day. :) And we had a fantastic time doing it. :)
Monday I had to catch the train at 7.30 from Central, so I spent the night on Raph's floor so the alarm would wake me up. At four. *shudder* Raph, I don't know how you manage it. Still, we got me down to the station fine, and I got the train okay, although I couldn't buy a ticket because the office was closed and the machine was buggered. Of course, the ticket inspectors appeared. Luckily they agreed that it was too difficult for me to have bought a ticket (apparently there was another machine that was working, but I didn't see it) and I didn't get fined. Just had to buy one at Central. But I got there in plenty of time, curled up in my seat and slept for a couple of hours, and then alternated between reading ("The Far Country" and "On The Beach" by Neville Shute - read if you can get hold of them, they're excellent!), sleeping and fic-writing (Midnight Nation, just to tease those interested). Slight mix-up when I arrived in Albury with my pick up - I was supposed to call BRM on his new mobile to check he was coming, but forgot and called Dad straight away instead. Silly me. But it all worked out in the end. :)
Now I'm sorta feeling a bit flat - I always do, after seeing fic-folks. It never lasts long enough, and then I'm back here, on my own, talking to a computer. But it's Raph's turn next time, and I'm hoping she'll be able to make it down here. I love visitors, and we've got plenty of room, and I can always take her to mum and dad's for a non-veggo meal. *grins* Or the Birralee pub. :) I think she'll like it up here, although it can be dull - I'm hoping to either borrow mum and dad's car, which I can drive, or get BRM to play chauffer in the Mini, which I can't drive. Show her some of the country, get some fresh air into her, do the country thing. ;)
I'll sign off now, since this is a monster post. Pity the poor people who have me on their friends lists!
