Lady Murasaki and a dilemma

Date March 31st, 2008 20:19 Comments 0 Comments

Lady Murasaki Shikibu did not write the first novel. I don’t know why people keep saying she did. Maybe she was the first female to write a novel, but as far as I’m concerned, The Golden Ass (Apuleius, 2nd century AD) is absolutely a novel, and hilarious at that.

Still, I’d love to get my hands on a translation of The Tale of Genji. Books are too hard to come by in this country.

My ex-supervisor at work recently finished writing her first fantasy novel and she just gave me her manuscript to read. A shoebox full :o ) Reading it has really made me think hard about putting my hand to writing my Myrene book that has been simmering in the back of my head for so many years now.

Funnily, though, what’s been keeping me up at nights about it is the following: 1st person or 3rd person? 1st person or 3rd person? Somehow it just feels like it should be a 3rd person story; I just don’t feel like 1st person is right for it, but on the other hand 1st person is so much easier to write! But then on the other hand again, there is a childhood section of it and that would be much easier to write in 3rd person. Aaaargh. Aaaargh.

Krispy Kreme has come to Brisbane!

Date March 27th, 2008 17:03 Comments 4 Comments

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/03/07/1204780010979.html

Today someone brought in bona fide Brisbane Krispy Kremes! I haven’t had one in ages, and the last one I had I got at the airport in Sydney. But now we have our own!

I still remember that night, years ago now, when Krispy Kreme opened its first Boston (well, Malden, or wherever) store. It opened at midnight and the line was some half a mile long. We (I can’t even remember which person was with me) went there, waited in the line, had a fantastic hot dripping donut and ended up standing in the parking lots with about 24 more of them. Damn. Some nights we’d go abck there and I’d literally eat 10 of them in a row. Bet I couldn’t pull that off now.

Ah, those were the days!

Good Friday: Isaiah 53

Date March 21st, 2008 20:27 Comments 0 Comments


He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgement he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Pee

Date March 19th, 2008 16:20 Comments 0 Comments

Oh, funny funny….

Elma peed blood on my superawesome memory foam pillow. I ran it thru the wash with the result that it ended up in 2 pieces. GRAAAAAR.

This must sound terribly unsympathetic but Elma pees blood at the slightest provocation. I have taken her to the vet many many times (at about $150 a pop) and she does not have crystals, bacterial infection, or any kind of proper UTI. it’s just—she gets annoyed at some undefinable thing and starts peeing madly anywhere but the box.

I have tried, over that past two years, multiple foods, multiple litters, litter boxes with lids, without lids, multiple litter boxes at once, litter boxes located in different places, litter boxes that are kept pristinely clean, litter boxes that are not kep pristinely clean, Feliway cat pheremones, flea treatments, anitbiotics, enzymatic formulas, BioZet, extra attention, allowing her to sleep on the bed, not allowing her to sleep on the bed, letting her go outside whenever she wants, not letting her go outside… should I continue?

About the only thing I haven’t tried yet is kitty Prozac and a diaper.

I’m switching her to wet food because I hear that can help with mystery urination problems, and I am going to be dosing her with Bach’s Flower Essences religiously. I can’t deal with another 8 years of cat pee. I’m sorry she’s stressed, but there is NO REASON FOR IT and I can’t keep shelling out cash by the hundreds for useless veterinary appointments. And I don’t believe in Prozac.

Gardening

Date March 5th, 2008 0:40 Comments 3 Comments

Replanted herb garden now that patio is done. Found a bunch of big stones and used them to edge it with instead of the rotting logs that I was using before. Bought a bunch of new plants too – the pictures don’t do it all justice, they’re beautiful.

Sadly, just as this all got done, the entire lawn up and died. No idea why. Maybe the cement dust?

I should add that the passionfruit plants we planted on the pool fence 1 year ago have grown gigantic and are trying to take over the world! Of all the plants we planted, they have done the best, which is kind of funny. But good, since I love passionfruit. They are just making their first fruits now – they are still green, but are coming in abundance. Hooray!

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