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Friday, October 27, 2006

costume update

Well. Who knew how many black lace dresses I had forgotten about! I am certainly not short of black lace outfits.

Anyway I am pleased because I can still fit into my leotards from when I was 16. Yay! Although they are a bit tighter. Hmmm. And I found even more clothes from long ago that I can wear now! What great taste I have! And I figure I am about as slim as I was 10 years ago. Yay! Although a different shape. Hmmm. And less toned, which is not surprising seeing as I don't exercise. Must start.

And I am crap at putting a sari on. Must go check the interweb for instructions...
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halloween costumes

I know I have been grouchy over the money thing, but I do have two Halloween parties this weekend and they are free! Although the current dilemma is how to get to them. I mean they are both within 30 minutes walking distance, but it IS Auckland and quite likey to rain and I will be in costume. Hmmm.

Anyway. As usual I have left the costume thing till the last minute. I tend not to worry because I have two pairs of ear, a pair of wings, a cape, and many witchy type items in my everyday wardrobe. So it's not like I won't have anything to wear. But I would like to wear different things if possible.

The first party is "your former self." There are many many options: gymnast, goth, model, 80s, 70s, rock star, hippy. And then, if we think in terms of former lives there is anything and I am thinking: cat, fairy, ethnic (you know bells on my ankles and sari), 40s, 50s.

The second party's costume I will worry about tomorrow.

So. I am off to try on leotards, old clothes and my grandmothers dresses and to attempt to put a sari on. Although how I am going to walk for half an hour in a sari in the possible rain carrying alcohol without the sari falling down is another story.

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dollars and cents

Aarrgh!

I have to wait another 2 weeks before I get paid! That will make it 10 weeks without pay. Ten weeks is really nearing my limit. I am now over-maxed out on my credit card and overdrafts. For the next two weeks I will have to live on the spare $5 in my account plus whatever cash I can find. Grrr. It also means I will have to cancel 3 social things. Grrr!

Still. At least I have paid the rent and at least I have food.

But GRRR!!! It is annoying in the extreme and I am now regretting my non-essential spending over the past two months which amounts to a grand total $150. That is not much to spend on non-essentials over two months, especially when I have had to be very frugal, and especially when $70 of that was a Mars Volta ticket.

Grrr! Now I am going to have to be even more frugal. GRRR!!!

So it is going to be an interesting two weeks. I think I will spend this weekend selling stuff on Trade Me. I wonder if the Universe is trying to tell me something?
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Monday, October 23, 2006

the four agreements

Wow. What an amazing book. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz is fantastic. Maybe it is just where I am at the moment and all the things I have read before this book, but I had light-bulb-flash after light-bulb-flash while reading it. And none of it is really new information either - it is jsut put togehter in a simple and concise and easily accessible way. It is a wonder I have never come across the book before. Maybe I just needed reminding now.

The book is based on Toltec wisdom and describes four agreements that you can adopt as guiding principles:
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

Simple, yes. Easy, hmmm...

Here is a good article about the book.

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Saturday, October 21, 2006

dietary changes. fascinating huh?

When I was little my favourite things to eat were raw fruit and vegetables and dried fruit. I didn't (and still don't) really like meat or fish. And I didn't like cooked vegetables then and have adjusted to eating cooked vegetables.

Now I seem to be going back to that. My favourite "meals" at the moment are:
half a papaya with lemon juice
OR a handful of raisins
OR a handful of pumpkin seeds
OR three oranges (yeah yeah I LIKE oranges and I like three)
OR a banana
OR a carrot
OR a baked kumara
OR half an avocado
OR soup
OR my latest very delicious cocktail concoction (half a kiwifruit, a quarter of a lemon, orange juice, cranberry juice, amaretto, midori)

And whenever I go to make myself a cup of tea or coffe, 80% of the time I just end up drinking boiling water, sometimes with lemon, sometimes without.

Now this may sound like I am on a diet. I'm not. I don't need to diet. Or it may sound like I have made a decision to do this. No. It just kind of happened. I am just eating and drinking what I feel like eating and drinking. It is very strange that what i feel like eating and drinking has changed so much of it's own accord. And I am wondering why.

I even think that the raw food diet/lifestyle looks more appealing and not cause I care about the poor little cows and sheep. And there have been quite a few days where my diet has been raw food. Although I don't know about cutting out dairy and grains.

But I will say that it is hard eating with people. I end up eating stuff I don't feel like and more than I want to. Then I feel sick and bloated. Visiting my grandmother was difficult because she kept trying to feed me, and I wasn't hungry and I ate far more than I wanted and she still she thought I hadn't eaten enough. Hmmm. Am going to have to think of strategies to handle other people commenting on my eating habits.

And I think my Doctor would have various fits about my diet and lack of red meat and my "meals". But I am not so sure all that mainstream knowledge about nutrition is that accurate. For example about 5 months ago I had quite high cholesterol. So my Doctor gave me lots of pamphlets to read about what to change to reduce my cholesterol. I filed them away and promptly forgot all about it and continued as I was. Then 2 months ago I got a letter to say they wanted to retest my cholesterol levels. I thought "Woops!" and assumed that theyd be about the same cause i hadn't actually done anything and that I'd get a telling off. So I went and had the test and I get a phone message saying "congratulations on reducing my cholesterol and to continue doing what I was doing." Bizarre! I wasn't doing anything!
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

little miss sunshine

GO SEE IT!!!!

I laughed so hard I cried. Several times. In the movie theatre. With other people around.

And it is warm and fuzzy too. In a weird way.

I must go again.

GO SEE IT!!!!

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Monday, October 16, 2006

delicious links

I really really really want one of these: Washplanes - Flat Sink It is going on the list. The bathroom of either the isolated west coast beach house and/or the funky inner city loft style apartment should have one or more of these.

Philip K. Dick Book Cover Gallery - what does liking this make me?

Imagination Cubed - Someone please draw with me! I'm not desperate! Honest! ;)
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counting

I am trying to do a new budget. When I finally start getting paid (it'd better be soon) it will be fortnightly instead of monthly, and it will be part-time instead of full-time. Anyway, it is very very frustrating and depressing! If I am frugal and careful and don't do many fun things and don't eat out or buy coffee or clothes or shoes (which I need) or contacts/glasses (which I need) or go to the doctor or dentist (which I should do) or get broadband (which I would like), I figure I can save $300/month. Maybe $400. That is ridiculous! How can I save enough to do anything?! Especially as my savings are also my emergency fund.

Most of my income goes to rent, power, insurance and food. My internet is really cheap (and slow) and I don't have a phone line and I don't spend more than $20/month on my mobile and I don't spend anything on transport/car. And I can't remember when I last bought new clothes or stuff. And I am careful not to go to too many gigs (< $400/year including the BDO). And I only go to 2-3 movies per year. And I don't get dvds out. And I rarely eat out or buy lunches. And I avoid going out to drink because it costs too much. And I never go on holiday. And even though my alcohol collection looks very very extensive it is only so large because I don't drink a lot and people keep giving me alcohol.

I don't understand. Where do other people get money to do things? Maybe I will have to sell my bass rig.

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Monday, October 09, 2006

list update of sorts

I am making progress on the list thing.

I have dyed my hair (item 72). My hair is now brown. Yes it was brown before. That is not the point. The point is that I dyed it. Besides there are lots of different shades of brown.

My gmail account is almost cleared out (item 37). I will finish it tonight I think. Bob reckons that it is horribly unorganised because I just leave all my messages in my Inbox. By cleared out I meant that I had read the hundreds of unread emails in my Inbox. So I am down to 20 unread messages from 600-700ish.

And I don't get why I "should" move things out of my Inbox. Why can't they just stay there?


"55. I know whether my video player works or not"
It works. I put a yoga video in. I think I can cross off item 80 (learn how to do yoga). I already know how to do yoga, I just didn't know I knew. Of course I can't actually do it very well. I am very out of condition. Although the strange thing is that I can still almost do right leg splits (item 82)! It hasn't changed much over the past 10 years even though I haven't done any stretching or exercise at all.

"85. drink a glass of water every morning for 60 days in a row"
I think this will need revising. It is very problematic.
1) I am not good at keeping count
2) I am not a morning person. In general all morning events are a haze and there is no way I am going to remember to drink water let alone remembering if I drank water. Maybe this goal is not that important. (Note: morning equals until 11am or until after the first coffee or two or three - the number required depends on the time. If it is early (ie before 9am) then lots and lots and lots of coffee is needed to get me out of the morning haze).

"95. do a tarot reading for someone other than me"
Done! It was pretty good too. I am quite pleased with myself.

Although I am also a bit p*ssed off with the tarot. It seems to answer other people's questions very clearly and nicely, but all my recent readings for myself have been annoying. For example, I have a decision I really really really want to make. I choose two options and ask the tarot about the outcome for each choice. And the outcomes are basically the same! How annoying is that? It is especially annoying because I have been asking the tarot about this particular question for months now. And it always says the choices are equally bad/good.

"97. throw 5 parties"
This is hard because other people keep having parties. But I see it is Friday 13th this week. Maybe I will throw a spontaneous last minute party and if it is last minute enough then no one will be able to come because they will have other plans and I won't have to clean up before and after and it will still count because I will be partying and dressing up by myself. That sounds reasonable doesn't it?

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Friday, October 06, 2006

her name is pansy and she is not that messy

google gadgets are a bit distracting

I am also completely addicted to bejewelled.
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006

my brain is exploding

The new job is good. Very interesting. Too interesting. And more work than I can handle.

I am supposed to be working 4 days per week but have been doing 4.5 - 5 days per week and longer than paid hours and there is still too much to do! And I am even contemplating working 6-7 days this week.

This could be a problem. It could end up like this: too interesting -> work too much -> feel underpaid -> feel resentful.

I am also finding it "difficult" (ie brain exploding and overstimulating) because I am working in, let me count.... 8-10 different and completely new to me areas of knowledge/research all at once, many of them requiring proposals in the next week, which isn't much time to absorb entire fields of study. And it seems that it is me that needs to absorb the fields of study rather than other people absorb what I do. Hmmm.

At the same time I am also learning and applying 2-3 newish technical skills. And I have to read and write academic "stuff", which I haven't done in years. I am finding it quite hard to translate my thoughts (which seem to be in either "thing/stuff" mode or programmer mode or blog mode) into academic language. And it is especially hard translating into academic languages that I have never learned. Especially when I am a physical scientist/programmer who has spent the last 4 years working with engineers and almost all these new fields of study are social science. My goodness what a shock! Not only is it a completely different language, it is also a completely different way of thinking! Labyrinthal. Is that a word?

And I keep getting distracted by the fascinating journal databases and it is very very hard not to venture off track when I do a literature search. So many fascinating things! So many potential thesis/research ideas!

So. I am overloaded and distracted and overstimulated and very very busy and enjoying it all immensely but keeping one eye on the potential for it all to turn to custard and thinking I ought to be thinking of strategies.

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Sunday, October 01, 2006

Update on 101 Things



26. I have paid off my credit card
27. I have paid off student loan
28. I have paid back all other loans
29. I am getting paid
30. I am getting paid my goal income or better
31. I only work the hours that I am paid for (for 4 weeks in a row)
32. I have my own company
33. My company does something or some things
34. Everyone who owes me money has paid me back
35. Unsubscribe from the unnecessary and unused
36. clear out uni email account
37. clear out gmail account
38. tidy up files on laptop

39. clean sofas DONE

40. reorganize flickr account
41. make a list of all my blogs
42. fix blogs

43. All the USB ports on my laptop are working
44. All my cds/data are backed up and organised
45. My Phd stuff is cleared out, sorted out and stored.
46. All my digital photos are archived
47. I have sold or given away all the books I don’t want
48. I have sold or given away all clothes that I won’t ever wear again unless I absolutely love them
49. I have gotten rid of all shoes that I will never wear again
50. I have sorted out all my stuff into sell/give/throw away and keep pile
51. I have sold/given/thrown away everything in the sell/give/throw away piles
52. All my cds are in storage
53. I have returned all cds that are not mine
54. I have returned all books that are not mine
55. I know whether my video player works or not
56. I have a copy of Doomsday on dvd
57. I own a digital slr

58. I have been to the dentist
59. I have new glasses and/or contacts


60. visit grandmother DONE


61. visit mother

62. get a surfing lesson/s
63. go on a surf holiday

64. see the mars volta live HAVE TICKET...

65. see the queens of the stone age live
66. go to a music festival or gig/concert overseas (not NZ or Australia)
67. go to every art gallery within 1km radius at least once
68. get a professional massage
69. do the waikaremoana lake walk
70. go to a classical concert
71. try rock-climbing
72. dye hair
73. straighten hair
74. get a tattoo
75. try 3 new dance classes
76. visit Greece
77. kayak around Mediterranean
78. visit South America
79. go snowboarding

80. learn how to do yoga
81. regular (5 days/week) pilates/yoga/dance for 2 months
82. I can do right leg splits
83. I can do left leg splits
84. I can do 10 real press ups in a row
85. drink a glass of water every morning for 60 days in a row
86. go to work drinks at least once
87. I smile at everyone I see/meet/talk to (for a week)

88. finish 5 paintings - How do you define finish? I have two "unfinished" paintings on my wall. I am wondering if that is enough.

89. plug my bass in and play it for at least 15 minutes
90. I can play the moonlight sonata on keyboard/piano
91. write a WHOLE song complete and final and finished
92. make a webpage
93. make a webmap
94. do a complete astrological chart/reading for someone other than me
95. do a tarot reading for someone other than me
96. sit in albert park for a day reading and people watching and picnicking and taking photos

97. throw 5 parties ONE DOWN FOUR TO GO

98. make a tarot covers/cases for the decks without covers/cases
99. sell my bead stuff or make something with it
100. read the last 2 books in the grigori series

101. Play a live gig (changed from "find the 1st book in the grigori series")

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