Temporal Island

Quick Fix Late

2007-10-16T22:05:00.000+08:00

Bret pointed out that my contact link didn't work, so I've fixed it so you can e-mail me. I've also updated Rodney, CW and Tama's links in the blogroll. No time to work out much more than that! I need to find a volunteer bus driver who'd rather be in Kulin than Perth during the Red Bull Air Race. And I need to iron my pants.

Dee Underground

2007-10-15T21:12:00.000+08:00

The trains really snake in the new tunnels under the city. By the afternoon rush most commuters walked the platforms and underground walkways like they walked them every day. Two storeys below William St is still William St.

I walked from Platform 7 above-ground through the city to the new Esplanade Station, caught the train to Leederville, ate a burger at Retro Betty's (so good) and then caught a train back to the new underground platforms at Perth Station. From here I took the underground tunnel under Wellington St and up into the old carpark on the Wellington St side of the Horseshoe Bridge.

Uncomplicated, all-new, a big change hidden, and snaky.

Flatland at the Blue Room

2007-10-06T21:33:00.000+08:00

My first theatre-going in years and the first time I've entered the Blue Room since 1993 - and it's changed! Views of the city from the bar, fixed seating, and no stand-up comedians. One of Flatlands writers works in my office and at last there didn't seem to be a reason not to go to a play, especially a black comedy in a small space. Great to have the action so close and visible. Tonight was closing night but I enjoyed the experience and will try to get back to see more local productions. The lady next to me asked if I was also 'connected' to the theatre scene in Perth. Nuh-uh, but somehow the question sounded inclusive and so I might be brave enough to trot along again.

Like Money for Chocolates

2007-10-05T21:29:00.001+08:00

Two weeks later and I've eaten at least $18 worth of fundraising chocolate - little Cherry Ripes, little Summer Rolls, little blocks of Crunchie... my workmates have eaten the rest of the box between them. That's $50 for the Venetians - minus whatever we paid for the box.

There's a seminar in Lockridge next week on grants and fundraising for community groups. Perhaps I should walk there.

Meditate While I Shuffle

2007-10-04T23:07:00.000+08:00

J from Adelaide read my tarot in IRC last night. She saw an older man of adventure blccking my new beginnings. A sign that I shouldn't have trekked out to Belmont to see Die Hard 4.0. I don't know how to interpret it - but who can resist a story of romance, fear, adventure, family conflict, judgement and acceptance? We read them once and then went back and read them again.

Passing Spectacles

2007-10-02T21:28:00.000+08:00

My glasses have gone missing - yellow and purple frames, expensive, almost useless and 404. I love my new laptop but I can barely see the screen, although that's not entirely due to the missing spectacles. I can see well enough without them at work - meanwhile, back at the studio apartment in a desirable beachside suburb, I'm considering adaptive technology.

Broad Band at Last

2007-10-01T20:57:00.000+08:00

Ahh, broadband at last and nothing to say. Long weekend here in Perth and I spent some time in the sun. On Sunday I went to town and bought a powerboard, a brown suit and a trowel. So far I've used the powerboard and the trowel. I'm not sure when I'll use the suit but it feels good to own one, like I could get a job as a detective and hang out with Frank on the harbour and catch crims.

Thanks to J for helping me set up my wireless connection!

Stress Head Daughter

2007-09-20T21:12:00.000+08:00

Dad's scheduled to have a bypass or four on Monday morning, re-scheduled from Wednesday after someone realised that there wouldn't be any beds in the ICU at Royal Hobart. I am trying not to stress out but I am my father's daughter and so I am not staying all that calm or all that patient. Lol, Dad's shifted his bed on at least one occasion to escape the smell of the food wafting in.

Today I couldn't get the odd-page footers in a document to display the right page numbers... 11, 10, 11, 12, 11. Did I stay calm? Did it help that the online MS help article I read began, "Like a lot of things you do in Word, page numbering can be incredibly simple…until it isn't." ? No!

I spent part of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday down in Freo for the Working Out What Works - 16th WA Alcohol and other Drug Symposium. Heaps of interesting information (could we one day vaccinate against smoking or test for a genetic pre-disposition to addiction?) and a dinner debate on co-morbidity. During a break on Tuesday I snuck out to buy Dad some socks.

Still managed to get to Blogger meetup on Wednesday - too busy to get to a computer and change my attendance from 'Yes' to 'No.' Tomorrow I'm off to a cricket meeting - I'm an accidental secretary. It's that AGM time of year - I've attended three in the last month.

Ooh, and Varekai! Loved the guy in the net, the girl in the hoop and the Russian swings.

Cricket practice starts on Tuesday and we're all hanging to stand around on the oval from what I hear - swing a bat, run around.

Still dancing. A very anxious dancer, but what can you do?

Big hello to Iris! Thanks for your comments, hope you're well!

How Could I Fail? Songwriting, Cafes, Bookshops...

2007-08-13T21:04:00.000+08:00

I answered a reqeust from the Publicity volunteer at FAWWA to drop off a few flyers at local cafes and bookshops. A nice way to spend a Saturday morning, I thought. And now I have a backpack full of flyers that need to be folded into three before I distribute them. And I'm told there's more waiting for me at Tom Collins House. Ack. So just in case I don't ever deliver any of them, here's what's on the flyers:

The Fellowship of Australian Writers WA Presents
The Power of Song
With
Carmel Charlton

Date: Weekly Monday 3rd September to Monday 15th October (Six Weeks)
Please Note: Mon Oct 1st Queens Birthday Holiday
Time: 7:30 - 9:30pm
Where: Tom Collins House, Corner Wood and Kirkwood Streets, Swanbourne
Cost: $190 (six two-hour sessions)
For enquiries, please contact FAWWA. Phone: (08) 9384 4771 E-mail admin@fawwa.org.au.

If you haven't worked it out yet, the workshops are on songwriting. Participants should be over 15 years of age and it will be an advantage to be able to play a musical instrument (although that's not a requirement). Know anyone who might be interested? Don't make them wait to read about it in a cafe near me - let them know!

TOIL, Surprise Visits and Full-Length Mirrors

2007-08-12T21:12:00.000+08:00

Gill and I both took time off in lieu on Friday afternoon. I'm to be a bridesmaid (and Gill a bride - wow!) and we thought we might spend some time thinking about whatever it is people think about before weddings. If another person tells me I need to tell her to book ahead, I may start to feel some heavy responsibility. As it is, we went to Epic for coffee and then Tiger, Tiger for lunch and I still feel like I'm just the person for the job.

On Saturday I went to the Old Bakery on Eighth Ave before swish - it's starting to be a regular place to visit because of the yummy sandwiches and because the coffees come with a little wee tiny tasty biscuit. At swish I wore my new cycling gloves (back to front on P's advice) and a support bandage supplied by L and I have no bruises to show for it. Felt like Spiderman in the gloves. Discovered that the venue has a wheelchair accessible toilet with a full-length mirror in it - I think the church's op shop customers use it as a fitting room.

Erin and Rod (and Skye) called on Saturday night to say they were at the Hungry Jacks drive-through down the road and could they pick me anything up? They stayed at the OBH and we ate brekky at La Barchetta before driving to Freo and checking out the markets. A good surprise visit!

So not a bad weekend, especially after I worked out that I needed to blog.

The Girl Who Got What She Wanted

2007-08-05T20:40:00.000+08:00

I did whatever I felt like doing on Saturday.

First I walked to Daisy's for a takeaway coffee and then to the beach.

In Cottesloe, I bought a jacket from the Empire Rose outlet, ate lunch and picked up some cycling gloves to wear at swish. Without looking, I spotted two gifts.

After walking home with all these plus the paper, a lotto ticket and some groceries, I set off for a local nursery.

Ahh, boronia. Every year I breathe in the first scent of it and feel like there's more to life than the everyday. I felt like a child as I carried it past the other plants - doing what pleases me, in a little way.

Yam Ice Cream and Hitting the Bitumen

2007-07-28T22:24:00.000+08:00

Turns out I didn't need to veer after all, a bit of a bump and then onto sealed road for me.

This week in food: My first bowl of yam ice cream - the purple colour alone made me smile; fresh made scones, silverside and pickle sandwiches and pear in brandy jelly with ice cream at the Mt Lawley Bowling Club; lunch by the beach in Rockingham today with Mum, Dad and Boot; half a lemon meringue - very light - at the Gloria Jeans in Borders; oh, and tea (that's dinner for people who don't eat tea) at David Jones - if you sit at a counter the seats are very comfy.

Beyond the Bumps

2007-07-24T21:12:00.000+08:00

I'd say I'm stuck in a rut but I think it's more like I'm travelling down a corrugated road when there's a smooth hot-mixed road right beside me. If only I could bring myself to veer left, or pick up the phone or send that e-mail or buy that laptop - make a decision! I'm sure there's a whole world out there beyond the bumps.

retinal sin the island of reflection

2007-07-22T13:07:00.000+08:00

Maybe the best search referral yet, from Google Turkey.

Too lazy to blog is my latest excuse. Bleah. I planned to be at Gill's hours ago, I need to go to the supermarket and I just want to go for a walk. Went to Carnegies on Murray St for a drink yesterday arvo and watched the staff climb a ladder to reach the back-lit shelves of liquor. Ate out in Northbridge and came home early. I'm hoping I can give tandem cycling a go soon - might make me less lazy.

Web 2.0 and the Community Sector

2007-07-17T16:48:00.000+08:00

Emerging Technology – New Opportunities for the Community Sector
Tuesday 30th – Wednesday 31st October 2007
NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre, Sydney
Registrations now open
www.makinglinks.org.au

Thanks to WACOSS for including the Making Links Conference in WACOSS News.

Yeah, I'm blogging from work!

Looking After Myself

2007-07-15T20:59:00.000+08:00

Two quiet weekends and a trip down south. Beautiful day Tuesday in Busselton and a lovely light came in through the stained glass windows at St Joseph's Church, where we celebrated my Nanna's life. My grandparents married there, and so did my my parents. Rose petals at the graveside made me smile in the sun.

Back to work on Wednesday after a bus trip home. I think I need to write myself untired. I cancelled everything this weekend except swish, where I don't need to talk. T works out a month's worth of tension at swish and I have the bruises to prove it. I'm not tough, I just don't want to lose my nerve before I buy some protective clothing. A priority yesterday, the protective clothing. Today I bought fishnet stay ups at Myer with J. So bring it on and I'll look after myself.

Nanna at Villa

2007-07-05T22:03:00.000+08:00

Nanna died yesterday morning, not far from the beach and in a place surrounded by peppy trees, near where I grew up.

Rainy Days

2007-07-01T22:16:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure where my umbrella is and I think I should find it. I'm not wishing the clouds away just yet because I left my sunnies at Curtin FM on Wednesday after recording Consumer Voice. I am now full bottle on Nearer to Nature after my one and only interview.

Today I bought two pairs of jeans and two wool tops in the sales. Not fancy and still not cheap but I like them. I feel good about one of the wool tops because I found it jumbled on a rack, the only one of it's kind left. Later I found a pair of jeans exactly the same as the ones I wear to work but a size bigger (hey, it's winter, it can't hurt!) at almost half the price. Umbrella or not, it was worth a trip into town.

BarCamp Perth!

2007-06-30T22:27:00.000+08:00

I enjoyed BarCamp today, even though I'm not a tech/education type. I'm more the curious quasi-creative. Didn't have any hassles finding Central TAFE in East Perth and the smell of coffee assured me I'd come to the right place.

I especially liked Gary's presentation on the Wordpress loop but I think that's partly because his slides looked so good - readable, even, with the important bits highlighted. Met a few new people, learnt about Buzka (a social info-sharing site out of Perth), Microsoft's SilverLight and Expression Engine, a CMS that I'm now keen to try.

Bronwen handed out PerthNorg t-shirts and, along with Richard from Scouta lead a discussion on how to increase Perth's profile in the Web world.

Kathryn showed us Murdoch Uni's land in Second Life - no rabbits and no Bush Court but a total spin - and inadvertently caused me to panic about the accessibility of education in the future if for no good reason we need to fly around in a virtual world to get it. Kathryn did give equity as a reason not to require students to visit Second Life.

Constance and Kate talked about ways to introduce people to Web 2.0, with others who work in education (TAFE, ECU and Kathryn from Murdoch) contributing there experience and ideas.

Local Web designers talked about starting a Web business. I caught the second session on this and although I'm not going to start a Web business, it's interesting to hear how other people do their work and what they need to consider and accept to do it well.

Every session I attended, including the one on podcasting lead by Trevor from ECU, could be relevant to work in some way, so thanks to Myles and Co from the AWIA for organising it, and to Simone for ordering lunch, and to Microsoft for the free beer (which I could have done with the day I first used Word 2007 but I'm fine now, thanks) at the Royal afterwards.

Like A Lizard Drinking

2007-06-28T23:18:00.000+08:00

So not that busy really but I have copied and pasted a few lizards in the last couple of days - a bit of a motif in a project I'm working on. A random motif but hey. Actually, maybe it's more of a Dee motif because the surprised noise I make at swish (those swish balls can surprise you) causes one player to ask if I've seen a lizard. I'm more likley to step on a lizard and that'd be some other surprised noise I'm sure.

Looking forward to BarCamp on Saturday (look it up!) and glad that we have PerthNorg after posting my first short article. Great to be able to tell your own story.

Bit stressed out, even after a trip down to Jalbarragup via Balingup and Nannup that took in a visit to Busselton and a visit with my youngest sister and niece (and Rod!). Actually, maybe a whirlwind trip south wasn't wasn't what I needed to de-stress. Lost my keys tonight (it's like exam time without the exams) and Gill came round (see?) with Caelan, my spare keys and a torch. We re-traced my steps over a k back to the shops, where we found them at the chemist. Lucky we brought the torch.

So that's me. Hope you're well!

Action!

2007-06-19T23:37:00.000+08:00

Megan wrote today and I wrote back. My ironing is ironed, my bathroom ceiling is bleached and I've handwashed a top for the day after tomorrow because I have blogger meetup tomorrow night. I've even blogged! Such a lot happening in Drug Action Week but so far I'm busier at home.

Hey, why does Blogger call it Word Verification when odgewx isn't a word?

Cleaning Up

2007-06-18T22:33:00.000+08:00

I have an inspection this week so I'm slowly cleaning up my space. My floors smell of eucalyptus oil and my keyboard feels happy to know my fingertips a little better now that I've wiped it over. I love cleaning up because it gives me a chance to re-acquaint myself with all my stuff and choose again what it is that I need, and where I can keep it.

As you can probably guess from how little I've blogged lately, I'm busy doing stuff other than cleaning too. I met my niece on the Foundation Day long weekend (she is lovely, very content and happy - she laughs a lot even at three months old) and my parents are visiting from Tassie. Now there's a reason to clean up.

Hat Trick Surprise

2007-05-31T21:22:00.001+08:00

Venetians Hat Trick Trophy

I think I was more surprised to be presented with my first ever sporting trophy at age 35 than to score a hat trick in my first-ever season of blind cricket. I'm so stoked, but I think that's partly because the trophy has the ball I used set into it. Looks a bit cleaner than it probably did on the day, I think I saw the bell glint on our presentation night!

There's A Desk Under There

2007-05-18T22:17:00.000+08:00

And a chair as well... there are photos and mags, with stories to tell...

Today, for the first time since I moved to my desk in our open plan office, I cleaned up my desk. I've cleaned up the part of my desk that I think of as mine before, and last week I sorted out my files, but because my desk is central, it's a depository for new library items, research contents and newsletters. I also found some photos, an out of date calendar that fit neatly into a CD case and a pretty card with frangipanis on it, addressed to everyone who worked in the office before I arrived.

Turns out, we stack the new library items on the floor near the shelves we call the library, ready for another worker to catalogue in September. We give the newsletters and stuff to this same staff member to file when she has time. Together we ditched the calendar, I gave her the photos (they're for our noticeboard when it's hung) and I've left the frangipani card on my desk along with a container full of pens and markers. I have my own pens in a draw, but like I said, it's a central spot in the office.

I know why I didn't sort this out earlier. It didn't seem urgent enough and I didn't like to sort through what appeared to be other people's stuff. Instead I hoped I wasn't holding on to anything important and felt guilty about not reading the research contents, magazines and newsletters or hassling someone about where to put the DVDs and books for the library.

Still, even though we had no access to e-mail or the share drive today, I did feel a bit guilty about the filing and time spent just reading. Reading seems like something you should do at home, not something you should do with a cup of tea at work. Even if what I read about was changing government policies and their implications for consumers and communities. Ahhh.

We'll have the server happening on Monday, so it'll be back to my connected electronic world, from where the visual (and physical) clutter of the real world niggles at me but doesn't actually bite.

Ahh, my clean desk. I even dusted!

Megan Wants An Update

2007-05-17T21:42:00.000+08:00

Megs wants an update on what's happening in my world, so here's what's happening (and not happening). :-)

Hair cut! I rocked up just as the male hairdresser finished blowdrying his hair straight. Megan's straightened her hair and I'm wondering if it held? I'm too scared to go straight.

The hairdresser said I should watch Oprah that night because it was about a book that tells you how to project a positive attitude. I've been thinking positively ever since, although I missed Oprah because of blogger meetup. The hairdresser could see the positive side of that.

Called Erin and Rod after work and before meetup. We chatted for ages but poor Skye kept crying because she'd had two needles! I'm going up to Gero on the long weekend to see them (I hope - every time I blog a future event it falls through!)

Enjoyed blogger meetup because everyone's really chatty and relaxed (I've [probably mentioned this) and Kathryn gave me a lift home, which was sooo nice (a car? what do you do with one of these?).

Works good but a bit confusing at the moment because we're having so many computer hassles / IT changes. We're organising events for an awareness week and I've tentatively booked a wind-down event at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge. Yay! Who wouldn't like a job where you get to ring up the cinema and check out movie reviews? I'm just hoping the 'sophisticated' (D from work reckons this is code for 'contains sex scenes') French (M from work reckons this means there'll definitely be sex scenes) romantic comedy we've chosen will be fun. Thinking positive!

Saw a $600 jumper in Claremont tonight. Cool pattern.

Bought Caelan a Michelangelo figurine, which he thinks is so cool he'll play with it forever. Gill is supergluing his foot back on tonight.

Remembered how Andrew could never get the beers cold enough in the fridge at Augusta when I was sticking my James Squire Golden Ale (it's so yummy!) away and trying to think which shelf to keep it on. Then I remembered that I have the fridge from Augusta.

That's about it. I'll let you know how the cricket do goes!

Taxi

2007-05-08T21:32:00.000+08:00

I caught two taxis tonight. One went a couple of blocks out of my way because he didn't believe the building I wanted was the building I wanted (at first pass I figured I didn't know, on second pass I knew and still he was prepared to keep going) and it cost $10.40. The second driver took me the reverse journey without overshooting and doing a U-ey (actually, drive number one said this was dangerous but I think if he'd seen the pedestrians earlier... yeah) and it cost me $11.70. How is this - does the fare increase incrementally each hour after six pm? Maybe the first driver deducted some because of the roundabout trip, which would have been nice.

I'm still getting used to catching taxis, I don't like getting into cars with strangers and sometimes I feel they think I should be at home. On the way to cricket one Sunday, the driver asked me who went along to watch me - boyfriend, husband, family, friends? The questioning wasn't to suss out my marital status but seemed to imply that somebody should be with me. The team, I explained, they're there. They watch me, and the other club members who come along too.

We have our cricket night out (the swisho night out, not the end-of-training night out where we go to the pub) in a Saturday or two and I forgot to RSVP. So before I took my taxi tonight, I found myself scribbling the silent number of the club treasurer into my journal with an eye pencil so that I could organise a payment. I know I'll have to catch a taxi home because even if it finishes early, nobody likes to know I'm catching a train.

Mutant Michelangelo

2007-05-06T23:11:00.000+08:00

Liked Adam Hills' comment on the Logies that if we referred to people with disabilities as mutants, there'd be fewer peope using disabled / mutant parking. Incidentally, My neighbour tonight told me that my parents had told her all about my 'defect' (and how I was in denial!) before I moved in. But nobody would know, she said, the way I stride around. Yep, amazing that my legs still work now that my retinas don't. Lol, I'm surprised how thick my skin is when it comes to this stuff. I'm way too agreeable / accepting - or am I simply denying that my neighbour thinks of me as defective?

So, anyway, the mutant in the title refers to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They're back and I went into town today to see if I could pick up a TMNT (as I overheard a salewoman in Myer call them) toy for Caelan's birthday. Gill says he's into them now that he's seen the movie but she doesn't want to show too much encouragement. Thank God for godmothers, ay? I'm pretty good value considering my defect caused me to crush a car underfoot last Tuesday.

Anyway, so I didn't find what I wanted and bought myself some pastel pencils from Target and a sketch pad instead. I opened them at the train station I was that enthused. I'm not sure what I'm gunna colour yet but I'm going to have some fun.

Slice of Lime

2007-05-05T22:42:00.000+08:00

Gill and I went off to buy new glasses today.

I broke my old pair sometime Thursday night / Friday morning and if I can find the lense (ha, ha) then I can probably fix them. I won't rely on finding the lense to save money when I really need them for work right now.

Gill wanted a second opinion on frames and I did my best. I needed a first opinion because I can't see well enough to take it all in, so it's lucky for me that Gill needed a new pair.

In the shop, the guy asked about my prescription and we showed him the fax from my optometrist in Margs. I'm looking at a pair of glasses from the inside out and kinda half-hear the guy, looking at my script, announce that the script's easy and I 'won't need a labrador for that.'

La, la, la.

Gill and I decide not to explain why it is that she's describing each pair of frames to me. We do mention that my colour vision's a bit shot to explain why she's describing the colours. I mostly refrain from wearing my sunnies under the UV lights of the shop. A song comes on the radio that we both know only as 'one of the pole dancing songs' and we exchange startled looks. We take ages.

Maybe it's a dark thought - and I didn't mention this in the shop either, although it somehow justified my purchase - but I did think that I may not be wearing glasses for the rest of my life, so now's a good time to go purple. My chosen frames are lemon lime on the inside, and I also thought that it wouldn't hurt to get all the good cheer from the visual world that I can get.

By Wednesday we'll both have new specs - Gill's are green and mine will be mostly purple with hints of lemon lime. I paid extra so that I can't match my eyewear with any of my clothes. I'm a creative so that's okay.

Ten Minutes to Pumpkin Soup Brain Time

2007-05-03T21:50:00.000+08:00

So I won't be fixing my post title. I've been mega-flaky this week and I'm trying to take a leaf out of my friend-with-chronic-fatigue's book by planning to do less in order to do more. Tonight I planned to send two e-mails and be off the net by 10pm. Why am I now trying to blog on two blogs at once while twittering? No wonder I can't remember my keys/glasses/yoga pants/lease agreement.

Dee and Iris at Blogger Meetup - in December!

2007-04-29T00:06:00.001+08:00

Dee and Iris

Iris and Ingo visited from Germany in December and it's taken me all this while to upload a photo that Ingo took of Iris and I. I'm on the right! I like this photo because neither of us is looking directly at the camera, we're probably following different conversations, and we're both smiling. I think I look nervy and relaxed at once, so it's a regular blogger meetup. The lights in the background are in William Street, Northbridge as seen from the balcony of the Brass Monkey Hotel.

Didn't Even Say Goodbye

2007-04-24T23:19:00.000+08:00

In 1997 I authored my first Web page.

I read up on hexadecimal colours and just started making colours up. More red! A bit of blue... How much green? The first page had blue print on a green background. Agggh. I read about tables and I went full on with the TD this and the TD that and the 'what the...? What's going on? Why isn't this working?' Then I learnt about accessibility and went back and made it all accessible. Then I learnt HTML 4 and dropped all the tables. Then XHTML.

I learnt HTML from Elizabeth Castro's book on Visual Quickstart Guide to HTML 3 and I learnt about accessibility by checking all my pages with CAST's Bobby (now owned by Watchfire).

I could never work out what links to share on my home page - I'm not fickle but then it didn't seem right for just a few hyperlinks to be the final word on my interests. What I really wanted was to update all the time. Hello?

Around the same time I first wrote a Web page, I joined a mailing list for people interested in (but mostly affected by) retinal degeneration. Every time a link came my way, I felt compelled to bookmark it for later reference. In case someone else wanted it, you see.

So I started placing them on my Web site, which somehow kept growing until it had thirty pages, nearly all containing just links and each with little sections and internal page menus.

A couple of day's ago at work I went to show someone what I meant by internal page menus, apologising in advance for the licorice allsorts design of the page.

Only it wasn't there. The page. Or my site!

I've changed ISPs and just pay for an account with my first ISP so that I can keep my first Web site in its place. I paid that account late (and I've received a receipt) but as it turns out, my first ISP doesn't use it's original name/domain name anymore and my site, as a consequence, is gone. Thanks for the e-mail letting me know old ISP!

So, do I buy another domain name just so I can host my former obsession? Or do I let it go?

I could keep it attached to GirlFriand in a separate folder. Or maybe Temporal Island, which sometimes is more disability-focussed, could have it's own domain and the RD-related stuff could hang around it? Do I have time?

I don't know. Maybe it's time to let go. But it's such a big collection of links!

Broken In

2007-04-23T22:04:00.000+08:00

Friday night I swapped white canes so that I had mine back. We each checked to make sure we had the right one, just in case a third cane was involved. I didn't use mine the weekend of the mix up because a different friend borrowed it, having left accidentally hers at home.

I'm feeling dizzy just thinking about it. I hate my cane to be away and I hardly ever use it.

My own cane has a ball tip, rather than a roller tip or, heavens above, no tip. My tip's remained pretty much round over the six years I've had it.

So -

Oh, hang on - my tip's rounder than...

And then I realised. In the short space of a month, someone who walks everywhere and needs a cane to do it can give a round tip a pretty hard edge. My cane's been broken in!

Small Town, Great Views

2007-04-21T23:54:00.000+08:00

Like Augusta, only with more taxis. Thanks to a mix up (and not thanks to Telstra and a delayed SMS) I spent a couple of hours wandering Freo last night breathing in the smell of anchovies and cheese. Then I caught a bus home and declared myself too tired, hungry and grumpy to go out. Lucky a friend persuaded me to come out anyway and swung by in a taxi to pick me up because:

We went to Legends in Attadale and saw a friend's band play.

We moved on to a place overlooking the Swan, sat out the front and talked.

On the way home, I chatted to friends at a place in Freo that overlooks the Passenger Terminal and the harbour.

From this, you can tell that I like music, chatting and just checking out the view. I'm compelled to look at the view, I feel like I'm wasting chances if I don't. That's why I spent so long in Augusta. Oh look, the ocean, the river, the bush, the paddocks...

So it was kinda funny to have one of those 'so do you know so-and-so?' moments that you have in Perth, where people you know from two unrelated places have their own connection, and after which people remark that Perth is such a small place. Not compared to some, but then as everyone always says next - well, it's not really, but it is.

And it's kinda funny that it didn't occur to me that I've looked out over the Blackwood at night hundreds of times and instead thought 'wow, I'm so lucky to be here right now.' Which is what I thought every time I've looked out from where I lived, or from other people's houses, over the ocean or the river down south.

So I guess I'm just lucky a lot!

Yesterday in Few Words

2007-04-19T22:35:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I caught a train from work into the city and from there took a taxi to Point Fraser, on the city side of the causeway, to tag along on a City of Perth Access Working Group site visit. We checked out the new kids playground (cool rope pyramids and big braille signs), the raised walkways, the information booth that's like a mini Australian Parliament House (you can walk up the grass to a lookout above it) and the taxi rank.

By some sweet coincidence, the visit ended at 12 noon and I could walk around the river's edge to the Claisebrook canal in East Perth in time for lunch at the Royal Bar and Cafe for work. Chicken florentine with creamy cointreau sauce for me and coffee overlooking the water on a sunny day.

I worked till six, kinda to make up for my not-at-all work-related visit to Point Fraser and also because I could walk from work into Northbridge for blogger meet up at seven. Lemon meringue pie at Valentinos called on the way - all of my earnings is spent on coffee and cake, it seems. So frivolous after months of cous cous and broccoli.

Perth Weblogger Meetup is morphing into Twitter meetup, so now you can catch up with GirlFriand on Twitter - just so I/she don't/doesn't feel left out! Surely I have time for 140 characters that describe my activity every so often? Great to meet new people, the regular blogger crew and also , who I've met online but have never met in person!

Dance the Impossible

2007-04-17T22:30:00.000+08:00

G (so now we're going for anonymity) and I finished the six week beginners pole dancing course a while back and tonight we took our first regular pole dancing exercise class - Smouler and Spin.

Never have I felt so unco, so unsexy, and so not curvy as when learning to pole dance. Yep, and tonight was no different. One minute I'm a star and kicking my legs straight and high and the next I can't work out how to do a body wave or where to place my hands for a spin. We missed all but the last two spins in the first routine because we couldn't remember how to do them.

And it's so hard to point one's toes when your foot starts to cramp a little!

I can now grab onto the pole with my hands, hoike myself off the ground and hold for a count of four instead of freaking out and tensing my neck and shoulders like that's going to make up for years of lifting not much more than my shopping. And repeat.

What I like about it is that I find myself doing moves I thought impossible for me to learn. I give up and then I find I can do it. I swear, if I could see more I'd chuck a tanty and run away without trying. Instead, I'm not confident I'd find the door if I did attempt to run away and so I have to listen and try again. And it works!

This time round I didn't come away with any bruises either - in fact, I learnt new moves at swish on the weekend and that caused more aches and pains, so one way or another, I'm improving.

Shakin' in the Real World

2007-04-16T22:43:00.000+08:00

Monday night, late, and I'm blogging so that I can look people in the eye if I go to blogger meetup on Wednesday night. Where do people find time to blog? Reasons not to blog -

Party in Pinjarra, after which I came home with someone else's white cane and at which I woke up to discover that some musicians play best as the sun comes up.
Cricket trip to Busselton, where Nanna fed me three scones with jam and cream, I took two wickets, I ran around an awful lot because some guy hit every ball to me, and where I got out for a duck.

The Prestige (hey, such a cool plot), Little Miss Sunshine, and Casino Royale on DVD.

Swish, which this month left me bruised and sore. I don't think I realised how much guys like a chance to just belt stuff. Bits of bell fly out of the ball. It's so much fun!

So that doesn't look like a very impressive list and most of my time is spent either at work or on the phone to Gill. But tonight's a start and maybe I'll get back into it. Maybe I just needed a break after four years.

Skye Dani

2007-03-22T22:23:00.000+09:00

I have a new niece! Skye Dani. I am really looking forward to meeting her. Her birthday is 16 March.

A Brain Without Sight Is Like... A Different Brain

2007-03-22T22:06:00.000+09:00

ABC Radio National's All in the Mind with Natasha Mitchell is airing 'The Blind Brain: Part 1 of 2' on Saturday 24 March at 1pm, with a repeat on Monday 26 March, also at 1pm:

People born blind experience their 'seeing' mind in different ways, and
are helping scientists challenge the dogma of a brain rigidly hard-wired
for vision.

Yay for re-wiring!

Sun Burst

2007-03-07T21:20:00.000+09:00

I'm heading off to work early to avoid the heat but I still set out to buy my lunch each day. I like to get out of the air-conditioned building and I feel an unexpected relief when I go out into the open, even though it reached 42C here in Perth today. I wandered outside to eat a nectarine for afternoon tea today and walked up to the park to sit on a bench under a tree. In heat like this, I notice the difference in temperature as I move from the minimal shelter at the entrance to our building to the concrete ramp in full sun and with a brick wall to the side and then to the shade of trees in the park. Same air, no direct sun and less reflected heat. Vegetation makes it possible to sit outside.

[An aside: If I worked in the City of Melville, I could have splashed under the sprinklers at lunchtime yesterday. I think this is my favourite PerthNorg post so far - disbelief! Oh my God!]

I'd expect the heat to zap me, but today I had more energy than is required to sit down at a computer and kept wanting to get up and do something. I left early because I arrived early and at the train station I stood up and walked around. At home I cooked myself pasta and ate two bowls of it - isn't this low-fuss salad weather? I hung my washing out at 7pm and brought it in again dry at 9pm. What's going on?

I think it's wearing a skirt just above the knees that might do it, and a t-shirt. I felt like a school girl waiting for the bus this morning. Yay! I'm free! Doesn't life have possibilities? Yay, I'm wearing s skirt!

Today I also imagined what it might be like to live somewhere hot by the beach, where I could relax and live the Holiday Life. Weird, because it's hot here and I live kinda close to the beach. And if I leave early, it's almost like I am on holiday. Yay, the possibilities. :-)

So What Do You Do?

2007-03-06T20:56:00.000+09:00

Today I met Kath Mazzella on the outside steps of the building where I work. Kath's the founder of GAIN, the Gynaecological Awareness and Information Network. We chatted as we walked up the tree-lined street in the heat, Kath filling me in on the reluctance of many people to discuss gynaecological health - cancers especially.

Cervical cancer and the HPV virus (for which there is now a vaccine) and ovarian cancer are conditions I've read about, and which I hope to avoid with regular medical checks and healthy-ish living.

I've never considered the other types of gynaecological cancer, such as vulval cancer, which can lead to the removal of a woman's clitoris.

That's right, no one wants to talk about it! So until now there's been little support for women who do go through life-changing operations like these.

The GAIN Web site is friendly and informative - even cute, in just the right measure. Kath's passionate about raising awareness, preventing gynaecological disease and helping women, and she's willing to talk!

If you or your community group would like to know more, visit the Gynaecological Awareness and Information Network and make contact.

Tell Me

2007-03-01T20:31:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I interviewed representatives from Surf Life Saving WA (which is hosting the Australian National Surf Life Saving Championships this month), the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway for Consumer Voice, Blind Citizens WA's audio magazine.

We record Consumer Voice at Curtin FM and this was my first go. Although I took a few radio units at uni, I haven't talked into a microphone (or attempted to place headphones over my curly hair) in a very long time. I thought this would be a good opportunity to refresh. I love chatting to people but I so wish I could sound natural. Will working on it help? Aaggh!

Although I expected to learn more about interviewing, I actually learnt more about how to be interviewed. Two of my interviewees, both professional, gave informative answers that happened to lead into my other questions. Both gave facts that surprised me.

I could have done a better job with my remaining interviewee - I can think of one more question that might have lead somewhere - but perhaps some people have a story to tell and others either don't have one, or aren't motivated to tell it.

I think I'd have a hard time believing that listeners would be interested in my stories. I guess you have to trust that if they've asked, then they'd like to hear what you have to say.

Scouta's Out!

2007-02-20T22:16:00.000+09:00

Hey, and I only logged in for the first time last night - phew, I'd hate to be an ordinary Dee Public who only jumped on board today.

Scouta's making browsing and sharing video, audio and podcasts look too easy and too much fun for me to miss out. So maybe I really need to find some more time, get broadband, and make it so my computer makes some sounds other than those cranking noises it does when it's thinking and the hum from its fan.

And you, you should check out Scouta now!

In A Week When L Lost His Pants

2007-02-19T21:45:00.000+09:00

I celebrated my 35th birthday, my boss said I have the job, and Gill and I went to the Funk Club - which is very relaxed and funky indeed - at the Leederville. J and Gill and I tried to ignore the rainbow lorikeets screeching as we ate dinner at Tropicana and watched the sun set over Cottesloe beach on Friday. Later we sat outside La Barchetta for dessert and listened to the goings on at the OBH. Our writers group met at the Albion for drinks on Thursday. Shan sent me some fruit lollies. Boot rang me at work to wish me a happy birthday. Shan texted, Erin called from a phone box. And the school librarian at Caelan's school died. A man who lent books and tended chooks. Prizewinning chooks, from the schoolyard to the Royal Show.

Blind Eye

2007-02-07T22:37:00.000+09:00

We meet for Swish in a church hall in Maylands. On Saturday a woman came to the door and was offered a glass of water. When she didn't leave as asked, she was told again to go and one of the group went to call the police. I didn't see her and could only hear the requests for her to leave as I made a cup of tea in the kitchen. I felt bad that on such a hot day she had to leave. I know that the security of the hall is our responsibility while we are there, and that we need to protect ourselves and our own property. We have to make decisions.

On Tuesday I arrived at cricket practice late and nipped up to the changerooms to find them locked. I went to the drink fountain to wash nectarine juice from my hands, and remembered the second entrance to the rooms. It comes off a recess behind the canteen, which might have done as an alternative place to change. As I stepped up to the dim gap, I noticed some bags, or rubbish, on the concrete floor - not bags, but a man. Maybe. A decent-sized man. Was he asleep, or drugged or sick? Was he dead? Or alright?

I had smiled at the half-imagined human, and looked away so as not to intrude. I didn't feel comfortable checking out the situation further - not just because I didn't want to intrude but because I couldn't get close enough to see without getting close enough to be grabbed.

Instead, I walked around to the public toilets at the back of the change rooms. I didn't want to enter, or touch anything, even though they are light. Partly visible from the street, I stood behind the brick wall at the entrance and changed from work clothes into shorts and a t-shirt, taking off my boots, sighing and swearing gently under my breath, looking for sharps amongst the few dry twigs, and slipping into my sneakers.

Then I left for the oval to play cricket.

I'm surprised at how I didn't fret about the man at the changeroom door. None of my business. I looked after me first. I didn't freak out and I didn't look back. And maybe he was rubbish after all.

80/20 and Out

2007-02-01T22:50:00.000+09:00

My friend J's started sharing her knowedge of organisational skills. I can organise to sleep eight hours, eat (v. important - not just any food will do!), and to keep in touch with friends (actually, just very close friends) and family. That's about it, although I haven't gone to work naked at midnight yet, so I guess I'm good there too. Okay, and exercise and blogging are a priority. I do what I most need to do to stay sane.

When I think back to uni, I don't remember anyone teaching us how to manage our time. Either you managed to hand in assignments or you didn't come back next semester. I came back each semester but I lead a very simple life!

So J, who studied organisational management at uni, is filling me in. She's asked me to decide on which 20% of my work (the most important) should I spend 80% of my time. The 80/20 Rule.

Most of my readers probably already know this stuff but I'm still learning. Late but not never. I'd tell you more but I need to go to bed!

No Choice But New

2007-01-29T21:59:00.000+09:00

I'm down with the New Blogger now. Nice font with which to compose (so much easier to read, what is this?) and, hey hey, a way to label/categorise my posts! I love categorising posts, although if GirlFriand's an indication, I like labelling a little too much. If only could plan what I wanted to write about and therefore slot each little post into a pre-defined category. Life would be very compartmentalised indeed and maybe I could have adventures and be boring in ways that fit. I so don't fit sometimes.

P.S. Ooops, forgot to use those labels!

Such A Little Splash

2007-01-28T01:33:00.000+09:00

Kinda warm here in Perth, and from a mostly cloudless sky came a few drops of rain as I stood at the lights near Cottesloe Central to cross. How can the sun bite and the air bake and drops of water fall from nowhere?

Yesterday I went into the city to check out the Biruk festival, where I ate pancakes, and then I headed to Gill's place. Gill, Martin, Caelan, Gill's Dad and I drove to Park St, off Mounts Bay Rd, and walked along the Crawley foreshore to watch the Skyshow. Caelan carried a flag and I listened to Australian hits drift from the boats close to shore. I've heard them so often I feel nothing. Sounds of Then - and Then Again and Again.

The show started a little before we reached our spot on the city side of the Narrows. We breathed in particles carried by the strong Easterly. A fire caught on two of the fireworks barges and I could see the black cloud against the light-polluted sky. The show finished as scheduled but the fireworks continued - like a little fireworks display just for the one from Augusta who finds the bigger the explosion the less whelmed she is.

You call that a fireworks display?

Yeah, we're on fire!

Cyclists rang bells, people called out 'Aussie Aussie Aussie', and a siren sounded when an ambulance passed us as we walked home.

What's That? A Dinosaur?

2007-01-22T21:47:00.000+09:00

Yesterday, as well as cleaning out my fridge, I swept up the sand and leaves on the slabs out the front of my flat. I took out a grey plastic shopping bag to contain them but needed to use a bigger bag because there was an awful lot of leaves and sand and twigs. I shoved the grey plastic bag in my back pocket, and later when I changed to go to the beach, I took it out and left it somewhere.

Cut to dinnertime, post-beach, and I'm in my bathroom. There's something sitting on the chest-high chest of drawers in there, near my shampoo and toothbrushes. It's grey - and maybe furry - like a big pile of lint taken from the filter of a clothes dryer.

Gawdie. What is it? Grey undies? I don't have any grey undies. Is that a loop? A twist of lace? Maybe they're some other colour undies and I just can't tell in this light.

I move in closer, but not too close. What if it's alive?! Or mould-y.

Maybe it's a dinosaur, left here by Caelan this arvo? If it is a dinosaur, that'd be good. Maybe I should ring Gill? And say there's something in my bathroom and I don't know what it is.

No, there has to be an explanation and I hope it's not that it's a rodent. I flick water at it. No movement, that's a good sign.

I move in and out and around and freak out and calm down and wonder if I should take a photo because it is kinda trippy...

Then I'm walking to grab something from the kitchen with which to prod it, and when I come back in I realise it's the grey plastic bag from my pocket and I - tentatively - pick it up and then scrunch it.

Ahhh.

And I hope you don't think I shouldn't be out on the streets. If I was totally blind I'd've found it with my hands, and if I was fully sighted I would have gone, oh, there's that plastic bag and picked it up and put it away. But instead I've had this whole other perspective on a plastic bag on a Sunday afternoon.

I have no time for telly.

E-mail Newsletters - PDF or HTML?

2007-01-21T22:47:00.000+09:00

Okay, so I don't normally ask questions of my readers but I'm a bit stuck. If I wanted to create an e-mail newsletter, would it be best to convert a Word/Publisher/whatever document to PDF and insert it into an e-mail, or would it be best to write the e-mail in HTML (maybe using FrontPage) and send it out like that? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? What about other methods? Accessibility, usability, compatibility, ease-of-composition are what I'd like to consider. Any suggestions? Help most appreciated!

Apricots and Wine

2007-01-21T21:25:00.000+09:00

I feel like a school kid who's missed a few days and doesn't know if everything will be different when she gets back. Will I still have any blog friends? Maybe I've missed something? A good reason not to wag.*

Good reasons to wag:

Heading South at Luna with Judith and Juliette

Coffee at the Boatshed Cafe on the South Perth foreshore with Gill, Caelan and Judith

Dinner at Maharaja in Nedlands with L & R, visiting from Melbourne

Pole dancing at shemoves

Perth Weblogger Meetup - where I caught up with Richard (now testing and revealing a little more about Scouta), Bronwen (from Perth's news organisation for citizen journalists, PerthNorg), TP, Skribe and JOOB, and blogger meetup first-timer Ben (and his whizzbang camera!). Ooh, I've just noticed that Ben's business card (hey, if writers exchange them at libraries, bloggers/photographers can do it at pubs) reads 'the quest for the unseen' - sounds like a quest I'm on pretty much all the time.

Work

The beach (can't list reasons to wag without including the beach, right?

And today? I cleaned out my fridge. Threw heaps of stuff out, ate squashy apricots, and drank small amount of what was left in a bottle of white wine. I hope I'm back blogging more regularly soon!

If you're not Australian, it might be helpful to know that to wag is to play truant!

Gardens, Music and Melburnians in Perth

2007-01-10T21:59:00.000+09:00

I arrived earlier in West Perth on Tuesday than I expected (yay for an A train at Claremont) so I went for a walk in Harold Boas Gardens on Wellington St.

On Sunday I went to Hyde Park with Judith and Dylan to hear the Chameleon Brass Band (who are at myspace now). I think I like it best when the band plays and marches at the same time. Thanks to Simone - at EnjoyPerth - for tipping me off! The Town of Vincent have more events planned for their Summer Concert Series, and the next one at East Perth, on 21 January, will include screenings of films set locally.

On Monday I met other Melbourne friends at the Hyatt Regency. I've never wandered in here before and circled the building so that I entered through the back entrance, walked around the bar (complete with grand piano) and surprised myself when I exited the main entrance and a concierge asked if I'd like a taxi. Then we went to Saowanee's Place for dinner. I've saved one of my two complimentary tamarind-flavoured sweets because I liked the first one - like a round lemon drop, and with a soft, tamarind-flavoured centre.

What did I do Saturday? Can't remember. But I know I went to work on Tuesday and today, which is great, and I know I have to get to bed so I don't conk out tomorrow!

Hope you're having a good one.

Relative Freedom

2007-01-05T02:04:00.000+09:00

We went shopping today - in the car! I thought this'd be all cool and convenient. I thought I'd revisit my locale in a new and cruisy way.

There's free two-hour parking right across the road from Bunnings, so when we didn't find a park at the shop it didn't worry us for long. We drove the wrong way through the store car park, and I thought 'whoops, that's a bit funny.' When we waited for a break in traffic and Caelan told us how frustrated he was, I realised it's a while since I sat in traffic - and reminded myself of all the time I spend sitting at stations.

When we headed home, I missed the walk.

Feel This Wire

2007-01-04T22:50:00.000+09:00

I'm not sure how embarrassed I should feel about not being able to fit my own smoke detector. Do I give up too easily? I thought I might activate the alarm and not be able to find the place to switch it off.

The written instructions focussed mainly on safety and correct positioning whereas the information on where to find everything was diagrammatic. Reading diagrams feels a bit like having someone wave them in front of me and snatch them away again. Too much of this and I start to get tired and mistrustful.

I called upon my friends and they came to my rescue. There's no pretence at being able to see what I can't anymore. Martin goes 'see that?' and I say 'No, not really' and then he gives me verbal directions so that I can find my way around my own smoke detector/fuse box/circuit breaker. That way, he doesn't have to come back!

I now know what the back of the ceramic fuse is like, that the 8 amp fuse wire is thinner than the 15 amp. I know that there's a depression about the size of the end of my broom handle in the smoke detector, which I can push to set the test button off, and another depression with more openings where the sound is emitted, and that I can push to turn the alarm off. From this distance (me sitting on my office chair, the detector on the ceiling above) I can see these places okay.

So now I'm set. I feel like inviting people round - Yeah, come round, I have a smoke detector now.

Is it really two and a half years since I was made aware of the fire extinguisher under my desk?

J pointed out the external fire extinguishers today too.

A Chair, Oh Yeah

2007-01-03T00:26:00.000+09:00

I have double-sided tape now, for my smoke detector, not to stop my boobs from falling out of anything I might be wearing. I paid six dollars something for 4.5 metres of it. What will I do with the other 4.3 metres? I'm going to store it away and feel very practical if ever someone's here and asks if I have double-sided tape.

While I was in Bunnings (here we go) I noticed camping chairs priced at eight dollars something each. I need a chair to sit in while we bat at cricket, instead of sitting on concrete slabs, dirt, leaves, grass or someone else's camping chair. I checked the sign about three times to make sure it really said eight dollars something - I can easily miss a digit here or there - how can a chair cost a couple of dollars more than tape?

Can't quite believe I have a camping chair. A camping chair says 'sedentary' and 'settled' - even 'self-satisfied' - to me. I hope I don't find myself crouching amongst the leaves too much anymore but I hope I don't stay sitting still for too long either.

Good Grief, Good Neighbours, On New Years Day

2007-01-01T15:15:00.000+09:00

My friends left around 3.30am last night - Gill, Martin and a sleeping Caelan. My dishes were done and I had a little potato salad in the fridge.

At 5.20-ish am, I woke to hear a ghastly bubbling noise. My bedside lamp was having a melt down. I opened my eyes to see the touch lamp light once on its own and die. And the smell...

I hopped up but I couldn't prioritise - turn off the power at the outlet - go find something plastic to do it? - open up my doors - uh, find more clothes to wear.

In my panic, I wondered if I could find anything that didn't need ironing in my washing basket. Semi-nakedness okay - creases not okay. I grabbed a light t-shirt Mum's sent over recently and stood outside my front door. Then I went back in with the t-shirt lifted over my mouth to save me breathing more of the burnt plastic.

I used a plastic egg slice to turn off the power point, although my alarm clock - attached to the same adapter - still gave the time. I took the smelly lamp out the glass door of my bedroom and sat it on the concrete slabs. It reeked of the sickly smell and I hoped it was the only source. I couldn't concentrate because I didn't want to breathe too deep.

I wandered about in the car park, up onto the main road to find the source of sprinkler noise, wandered back to my other front door, and came in to find my flat hot and perhaps a little hazy. Panic!

My neighbour sleeps with her door open and Radio National tuned in but I couldn't rouse her. I ran to the caretaker's flat, and decided if it wasn't an emergency, I'd be embarrassed - and if it was, then I should probably wake my other neighbour first.

I wondered at what stage you start hauling your belongings outside. I couldn't think of anything I should be sure to take - my teddy bear of 34 years popped into my head, easily accessible, and the shimmery mauve-with-blue-straps top I bought Friday at a bargain price and which I haven't felt publicly special in yet. That's all.

Am I this disconnected, I thought, that in a potential emergency I don't know my own stuff? Or is it just that in an emergency my number one priority is me.

J next door sleeps with his door open too and he came straight out, in colourful boxer shorts, and exclaimed that he's usually hard to wake. He investigated as I apologised and as I noticed that I was shaking and hadn't pulled my doona over. My sheets looked very purple.

J talked about fluctuations in the electricity supply, the old outlets near my bed, the old-style fuses that take a while before they burn out, the power boards I should get from Tandy or Dick Smith, and the need to protect my computer. My computer's plugged into an industrial RCD. I'm clueless about how this might protect my computer but perhaps it'll protect me if I drill a hole into a power lead with the monitor.

When he spotted my smoke detector on a book case, I had to admit that the battery sat next to it, not in it, waiting for when I buy double-sided tape and stick it somewhere appropriate. The instructions indicate there isn't anywhere appropriate in my flat and my property agent doesn't want it fixed to the walls or ceilings. J offered a few suggestions. Placement of my smoke detector is now officially out of the 'too hard' basket.

All I could think about was getting away from the smell. I couldn't wrap my head around J's talk of safety fuses. I thanked him and said not to worry about the safety fuse thingos unless he thought about it after more sleep. Before I had time to move from my door he returned with his spares and fitted them.

I packed my backpack (mobile, sun screen, hat, book) and at 6.30am I left to give my flat and I a chance to air. My plan involved walking, eating, chilling out and not falling asleep in a park. The thought of HJs for breakfast on the first day of the New Year made me think for a moment that 2007 wouldn't be off to a good start.

Then I thought that if starting the New Year with breakfast and a place to live isn't a good start then I'm stupider than someone who buys a smoke detector and doesn't insert the battery. I thought about people who lose everything in fires, and people forced from their homes because their homes are no longer safe places to be. I thought about people who's year starts without someone they loved, someone they'd loved and lost.

As I walked, I exchanged smiles and nods with people out cycling or walking. On New Year's Morning I was mistaken for someone who belongs to the elite group of early risers who look after themselves all year round.

Everywhere stank. Lemon-scented plants I couldn't identify, ozone from the buzzing overhead powerlines, early morning smells I don't know about. I heard a radio inside a supermarket and the buzz of a worker trimming a public garden. People waited at the station as if a train was on its way. The machine told me they'd be waiting '51' minutes. HJs wasn't open and a guy stood while a woman sat at the bus stop for a 103 due in an hour.

An hour after I left I arrived home to less smell.

I rolled my bed over to the open, security-screened door. I heard birds, listened to the trees moving and felt the breeze. I thought I could almost imagine myself someplace else, like a rainforest or a farm down south, in an idyllic future - with birds and trees and breezes.

Yes, and then it occurred to me - why can't that somewhere be here, and now.

So it is.

Happy New Year!

The Cat Empire at Freo Arts Centre

2006-12-30T00:35:00.000+09:00

The Cat Empire played at the Fremantle Arts Centre last night and Gill, Martin, Caelan, Judith, Dylan and I went down to join in the fun.

We sat on the lawn beside the former women's asylum and I could see a bright half-moon above the building to our right. The sun went down behind the stage and I could imagine us on the hill, facing the port and watching over the world as it visits WA.

Local dub/reggae band The Sunshine Brothers started the show, soothing those of us who waited in line longer than we expected to enter the grounds. They played a version of AC/DC's 'TNT' that made me smile - fancy recognising familiar lyrics but not the music. They have a CD out called Rebel Yellow and will play at Beck's Verandah for the Perth Festival.

Of the six of us, I'm the only one not to own a CD by The Cat Empire and so the only one not to know their music (apart from 'Hello'). All I needed to know is that I could dance to it but I also liked that I could hear and enjoy each instrument. There was lots of trumpet, a little hip hop and even some scat (like Cab Calloway on the Blues Brothers during 'Minnie the Moocher'). I liked 'The Chariot' but maybe because I picked up on the anti-war vibe and I like the words 'timber and steel.' I'm so easy to please.

The Fremantle crowd ranged in age from young kids (including Caelan) to men about Dad's age. People kicked off their shoes and placed children on their shoulders. I left feeling relaxed and like I wouldn't mind doing it all again the next night.

The Cat Empire play at Xanadu near Margs Saturday night and then begin a world tour in late January - including Germany, so watch out Iris and Ingo!

A Jelly Cake, Two Jam Cakes

2006-12-28T00:43:00.000+09:00

And a lamington, but we like the jelly cakes and the jam cakes better.

Nanna calls the jam cakes 'little cheese cakes' - even though they don't have cheese in them - because that's what her Mum called them. They have a pastry base, then some jam, then regular cake (maybe a bit thicker) and then icing. They're yum! I'm posting a pic because, even though it's a bit mean this year, it's tradition to tease those who don't have a jam or jelly cake in their hand.(Look at me, I'm eating a jelly cake, ha ha ha.). Just because some family members are in Tasmania's no reason to break with tradition, especially if they started it.

I celebrated my first 21 Christmases in Busselton but this is the first in my hometown in a long while. I met six of my grandparents' neighbours (from four different households), went for a swim with my aunt down at the bottom of Gale St, smelt burning rubber at the beachfront one night, ate choccies with Nanna at Villa, drank port (and ate dinner) with my aunt's family - who made me feel very welcome, counted kangaroos in the paddock behind where my Nanna and Grandad used to live (forty of them - no cows!) and ate lunch with my brothers and grandparents.

We drove around and looked at the Chrissie lights too, although there were plenty to see in my grandparents' street. The three must-see displays (according to the local paper and talk) were at Lancaster Rd, left off the mill road (that's Queen Elizabeth Ave for those who aren't my family), Black Swan Drive (out near Breeden St, and where two houses joined in Christmas harmony, with music and a nativity) and at the end of a cul de sac off Peel Tce, east of the Butter Factory.

Everyone knew the name of the guy from this last display, so now I know where he lived in Busso before now, who he lives with, in which other south west town he grew up, and that he's an 'incredible carpet layer.'

So that was my Chrissie. One year I might even celebrate somewhere outside of the south west. But it's such a good spot for it.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2006-12-23T01:09:00.000+09:00

Thanks for popping by and reading, and for all your comments, and especially for all the great reading I find at your blogs. I hope that if you celebrate Christmas you have a good one!

If you stand on the south east corner of the intersection above (Hay and William Streets in Perth) and look at the centrepiece, and then look up at the suspension wire - and keep looking up at the suspension wire - you'll see that it isn't the sky holding up our city's Christmas decos but that the wire curves over towards the Bankwest tower. Or it appeared to curve tonight.

I'm off down south for a few days, so I won't be blogging over Christmas but I'm looking forward to getting back into it soon!

Lots of love and reasons to grab for a camera (even if you can't quite capture what you wanted),

Dee

Introducing GirlFriand

2006-12-22T01:09:00.000+09:00

Hey, so I have a new blog with her own domain name! GirlFriand is where I'll focus more on writing and wandering. If you don't know what a friand is, there's an explanation in my first post Pudding's Sweet / But Too Aloof (a line from a Chili Peppers song, If You Have To Ask).

I'm posting regularly but I still need to play more with the template and run accessibility checks. That's why I've not announced the new blog earlier and now suddenly it's Christmas - there are posts to read - and I'll feel bad if I leave it too long before some people to find out.

WordPress is easy to use, and it's such a relief not to have to enter the word verification letters every time I post. Usually when I start new Web projects I go mad checking that the code is standards-compliant and the pages are accessible. I think that's partly because I know I can get that right (eventually). I feel relaxed enough now that I can just have fun with the content. Yay!

Temporal Island will stay as it is, with less writing/wandering stories and perhaps more blogging/RP and disability/family and friends stuff. I think writing GirlFriand might have a shaping effect on Temporal Island but we'll see how that goes!

Daypop's Almost Back

2006-12-22T01:03:00.000+09:00

Daypop, the current news and weblog search site is back. I like Daypop because it has a clean design, and also because of the 'blogs-on-a-stick' connotation.

A search for my new blog (GirlFriand) returns a link to here, where I only added a link to GirlFriand in the sidebar yesterday (-ish). However, when I tried to submit GirlFriand itself (which hasn't already been indexed that I can tell) I received an error message, so it doesn't look like it's accepting new site submissions or seeking out new blogs to cover just yet. The Daypop Weblog hasn't been updated recently, so maybe they're just easing on back slowly.

The Daypop Top 40 Links is current and lead me to read
Gawker > Bad Lingo: Blog Media Clichés. I know I use 'um' a bit - but not usually to be condescending (because I really hate that) and more often to show that I'm embarrassed to admit something. Either way, it's not actually a word so I should drop it. Or seeing as how I'm not actually blog media, I can do what I like.

[The Daypop news came via ResearchBuzz > Apparently DayPop is Back?]

Staying Calm

2006-12-20T20:10:00.000+09:00

My body thinks that either a) I will need to fight someone tomorrow morning, or that b) I will need to run away very fast. Neither is good form for what I'll actually be doing. I'm planning to think Alexander Thoughts and hope I don't embarrass myself. Wish me luck!

Web Content Workshop

2006-12-20T20:07:00.000+09:00

The latest Fellowship of Australian Writers WA (FAWWA) e-mail included info about a February workshop that might interest Web-types:

Workshop: Writing for Websites ? Create Killer Content with Tanya Dewhurst.

Saturday 10 Feb 10am?1pm Tom Collins House. For anyone with a website which could be improved. For anyone with a website which could be improved. Writing for the web is different to writing for other mediums. Don't let your website plod along with most other sites. Learn from a web creator with 10 years experience here and overseas. Cost: $44 / $33 FAWWA members.

More information about summer workshops is available from the FAWWA.

Christy Dena's Leederville Talk

2006-12-19T22:34:00.000+09:00

A few weeks back I promised Simone and Iris that I'd tell them what I learnt at Christy Dena's talk on blogging.

Most of what Christy covered would be familiar to regulars at blogger meetup. We saw how to set up a Blogger account, how to check statistics using SiteMeter (both services I use), and talked about some of the diverse subjects covered by bloggers.

I took away two ideas to consider. One is to investigate more social networking sites. Christy signed up for as many of these as she could as part of her study and when she recently deleted accounts (too many to manage!) she noticed that her Technorati rank dropped. I don't want to have so many accounts I can't manage them but I'd like to check out more of what's out there, and maybe become a little more engaged and visible.

The other idea is to place links at the end of posts so that interested readers won't be distracted and click away before they've finished a post. I'm not sure that will work so well in a personal blog - sticking addies down the bottom might mess up the flow a little - but I'm trying to do this when it feels right.

Kinda weird being at a blogger do with people who don't blog. Found myself chatting to people about why I blog, mumbling that I only have a personal blog, and discovering that I know more than I think I do about blog culture. Out of the few people I chatted to over yummy finger food (for free, how's that? - Strawberries!), a couple skived out of speech night to learn what their students get up to online, two wanted to be up-to-speed for work, and another wanted to promote a service she enjoyed on the net and which I didn't quite understand. Christy was open and friendly - a good person to have talking about blogs!

Simone and Iris, I hope this is useful! You can read more about Christy Dena at her blog, Cross Media Entertainment. Thanks to Tom from AFTRS / Australian Writers Guild in Leederville for organising the talk!

For Those Who Think Love is Science Fiction

2006-12-19T22:08:00.000+09:00

The State Library of Victoria is oozing Text Appeal!

Love is in the air at the State Library of Victoria this summer.

Text Appeal is a new take on the traditional dating formula. Each person brings a book they love, loathe or have recently read to act as a conversation starter. Jane Austen may find Patrick O?Brien, Salman Rushdie could be captivated by Zadie Smith, and JK Rowling - can take her pick. The books people bring may reveal who they are, who they aren't and perhaps who they are looking for, all in a three-minute conversation.

Text Appeal will run once a month from December 2006 to February 2007, with the final event being held on Valentine?s Day.

Time 6 Dec 2006, 17 Jan & 14 Feb 2007; 7-9.30pm
Venue Experimedia
Bookings Registration is essential. Fill in the form below, tel 03 8664 7555 or email learning@slv.vic.gov.au
Cost $20 per session - drinks, entertainment and the promise of a bookish romance included (a three-for-the-price-of-two discount applies to group bookings

Ooh, if I lived a little closer I'd be there. Something fun for mid-February that doesn't involve getting a year older.

After reading about the events, I had a favourite song snippet from Crowded House's It's Only Natural in my head:

Read me like a book
That's fallen down between your knees
Please, let me have my way with you

But now I only have Chrissie Amphlett from the Divinyls singing 'Wah ooh, Wah ooh' like she does in 'Science Fiction.' At first I thought this concept might work well with favourite/most hated music as the conversation starter - but, yeah, ouch. Maybe not.

[Via Kathryn]

Andiamo Alla Spiaggia

2006-12-17T21:39:00.000+09:00

Gill, Caelan and Caelan's Italian friend from school went to the Synergy (not Western Power anymore) Playground today. I tagged along so that I could take Gill up on an offer of a lift home. In cooler weather I might bail and catch a train or a bus but on a hot Perth Sunday... hey, why not?

Originally I popped over on Saturday night for a test-taste of chocolate pavlova with raspberries and cream. Mmm, mm. We accidentally talked until four in the morning and went into town today for some Christmas shopping. Surprisingly low stress - although I think that's because we didn't care (or didn't notice) that we bought a couple of books, ate muffins, and came home.

We asked Caelan's friend how to say 'let's go to the beach' in Italian - partly to give Caelan an idea that speaking Italian isn't the same as speaking English with an Italian accent, and partly because you never know when it might come in handy. If I'm ever in Italy and someone asks What now? I can say, Andiamo alla spiaggia!' Cool to listen to someone speaking Italian clearly and slowly enough that I could understand.

Then we bought takeaway and drove down to Cottesloe, where the wind came up, rubbish dotted the grassed terraces, and a few raindrops fell.

Twinkling and Skittering

2006-12-16T15:29:00.000+09:00

Glorious weather yesterday, travelling down Stirling Highway I felt all relaxed and open. Later in the day I caught a train to Freo to do some shopping and bought a felafel at the markets. The felafel came with basil. Mmm mm, I love summer. At home I set up my small and wiry Christmas tree, which looks wonky when it isn't lit up but oh, wow, who can resist electric colours in the dark? I felt like camping out beside it.

Yes, ridiculous - especially if you consider that a) it's only a couple of metres from my bed, b) at $20, it's probably not one to leave twinkling while I sleep, and c) the changing lights are very similar to the flashes I sometimes see when I close my eyes (and sometimes when I don't).

After that I took out my new yellow thongs (which should match my yellow tankini - I'm so sunny! Not at all like an untanned banana!) and snipped the plastic tie that joined them together. I stood there imagining all the good times we'll have if I go to the beach. Then, over the noise of Sports Tonight, I heard a skittering sound.

Aha, a cockroach. I thought You don't christen your new thongs (Aussie Soles - made in China and in American sizes, 'Relax Ya Feet') by squashing a cockroach! Where are my boots? Then I saw it and slapped it with the right thong. And again.

Then it disappeared.

So I turned my Chrissie tree off and went to bed.

Germany, Gherkins and Meetup

2006-12-15T00:31:00.000+09:00

Iris and Ingo are visiting from Germany and so far I've asked lots of questions about life in Germany and tried to answer a few curly questions about Australia.

For example: Why do we have such high fences around our houses? Wow, I don't know, and having never travelled overseas, I'm flummoxed. Also: Why do English-speakers say 'either' two different ways, and the same with 'neither'? Unfortunately, this question led me to sing a bit of 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off', which isn't a song I can sing. But what's Perth Weblogger Meetup without a little cultural exchange? I even handled some Euros - I was Euro-cool for all of a few minutes!

Here are Iris and Ingo (and a little bit of Simone!) at the Brass Monkey.

I am also the lucky recipient of unexpected gifts. Ingo imports gherkins (there is only one big gherkin in this one big tin) from the former East Germany and they tell me I should eat it all in one go with no help from my friends. Iris presented me with the liquid malt extract as payback for Vegemite. I can add a teaspoon to milk or beer - although I'm not sure how willing I am to risk the taste of a can/stubbie of EB. I love that the gherkin tin says 'Get One!' on it in English and has a groovy picture of a gherkin.

Sometimes I wonder why I blog but so far this is a great outcome.

In other meetup news, Simone has shifted her personal blog and now reveals The Not So Secret Life of Simone for all; PerthNorg had to change servers after a hack (after visiting Matt Didcoe's blog via AustralianBlogs today, I realised that hacking isn't as rare as I'd think); we now know that Web2Thing is called Scouta (sign up if you're as curious as me to know what Richard & Co are working on), and: JOOB is getting cuter. Skribe and Toxic Purity took pics at the meetup in which you can see JOOB's stand-out taste in apparel.

I'm sorry I didn't get to chat to everyone. Via Simone's meetup post I've discovered Hannee, who came along with her partner, and her blog, so I'll be making up for it soon!

Toes Painted

2006-12-12T23:38:00.000+09:00

I painted my toe nails tonight and quite a bit of the skin surrounding them too. Bugger it, nail painting is fun! I refuse to miss out. Got a few pre-Christmas jobs done too. Today I:

Made a spontaneous gift purchase at the GPO while paying to re-charge my pre-paid mobile. Gift may be appropriate for my youngest sister.

Bought Chrissie cards from Oxfam Community Aid Abroad.

Made another spontaneous gift purchase - this time a small prezzie for the sibling least likely to reciprocate and most likely to lose it (which isn't to say he won't appreciate the thought and hey, it's another Oxfam jobbie).

Realised that although my brothers and sisters and I don't exchange gifts, I should now probably keep an eye out for suitable small prezzies for those I'll see on Christmas Day. They're not big, really! Tiny, almost inconsequential.

All Ages Out and About

2006-12-08T23:23:00.000+09:00

I have so much stuff to catch up on... and I owe Dad a reply to his first ever e-mail to me too. I'm getting there! Stuff that's amused me over the last little while.

Walking out of the Cancer Council on Rokeby Rd as a bus pulled up to have Martin jump out of the back door calling 'Hey Dee!' Reminded me of uni days - kinda nice that middle-age doesn't prevent friends from jumping out of buses and yelling in the street.

Meeting a member of the BlindPeopleWork discussion list who has only lived in Australia for six months, and discovering that her sister - who also came for coffee - is my cousin's boyfriend's mum!

Getting out for a duck at cricket after taking three wickets (thanks to B taking two catches, and an LBW). Someone from the opposition said Never mind, honey. Lol.

Chatting to an elderly woman in an apricot outfit and a white crocheted hat between McIver and Perth on the McIver to Perth shuttle bus. S was returning from a retreat and told me she once climbed to the crow's nest on the STS Leeuwin and asked her guide for a kiss. At the train station she asked me for a goodbye hug too, so she's not shy.

Learning about a mysterious group called the Forum at the BCWA Christmas Party. No one in the Forum knows anyone else's surname and the group gets together for occasional adventures. The same person who told me about the Forum told me all about square dancing.

Meeting Iris In Freo

2006-12-08T23:08:00.000+09:00

Iris from Double-Half and her partner Ingo are visiting Perth from Germany. We've arranged to meet at the Freo train station on Monday at 2pm. I'm not sure where we plan to go from there! Iris says she'll recognise me from Col's ten-year-old pic of me that's been doctored to give me a moustache... I've said I'll bring my white cane along just in case the image and the reality don't quite match. If you read either blog and you'll be in Freo Monday arvo, let me know and maybe we can say g'day!

I've also invited Iris to Perth Weblogger Meetup, which is on this Wednesday night (not the third Wednesday this month for good reason!), but I'm not sure she'll be able to make it.

Locked Out, Lip Gloss and Chocolate Ice Cream

2006-12-08T00:33:00.000+09:00

I locked myself out today - first time since I moved here in May. I figured it didn't matter so long as I could get to Gill's later and pick up my spares. I was so unstressed about it that I returned home between outings for a toasted ham sandwich and only then remembered I couldn't get in. D'oh.

For the first time in forever I caught a taxi by myself too. I asked the first driver in the queue at Wellington St if he was available. He said no, he was married.

Eye roll, please. At least three of my comments reminded him of songs - which he sang - including 'When I'm 64.' Then he suggested I apply for a taxi subsidy. I know, I know! But thanks.

Later at Vic Park train station I saw an elderly woman helping a young man work the ticket machine. Two dollar and fifty cent pieces kept slipping through. The woman called over a customer service guy, who got it to work first go. You guys always get it to work, said mystified guy. The customer service guy explained that it helps sometimes if you rub the coins together. I said Ahh, you do have the magic touch.* To which he replied, So why am I single?

I don't know why he's single. He looked like the kind of person who wouldn't be - a useful kind of person.

I, on the other hand, look like an arty eccentric according to one member of my writers group. A look she'd like to get happening for herself, and perhaps become a hermit to boot. I'm not sure if all of me looks arty eccentric or just my hair.

I confessed to the group that I'd locked myself out but it wasn't till later that the potential eccentric admitted that she'd left her wallet at home and had to scam a Multirider off the guy at the video shop.

Lucky for me, Gill and family invited me to stay for dinner, including Peters Natural Chocolate Ice Cream for dessert. We wandered down to the shops to buy cous cous (so not a very different dinner from most nights, only with better spices and chick peas) and stopped in at the chemist to look at hats and sunglasses. Instead I bought some SPF 30+ lip gloss.

The chemist was friendly and I think he liked the look of Gill, although he sold us a lot of stuff, so maybe he's just good at his job. From the supermarket we heard a teenager suddenly take off on his skateboard pulled along by his dog. You don't expect all this on Hampden Rd.

In fact, I don't expect most of what happens in my days but today I can't complain.

* I'm from the country, I talk to people. Or maybe I'm just chatty, you decide.

Skewiff Searches

2006-12-02T00:11:00.000+08:00

Tonight I checked my site referrals to see where my visitors have come from. Someone from Cranford, New Jersey, USA searched for 'rain eating urine german.' Umm, and 'here's the post they found.

Another visitor found me by searching for 'wardrobe mishaps' - which lead to a post about a then-upcoming blogger awards night that I didn't attend. Can't people tell from the summary of the search results that a page or post isn't relevant? Maybe some people are just bored and surf without intent.

Two different people (one from Massachusetts and another from Kentucky in the US) searched for 'immaculate degeneration' too. I've often wondered what occasionally draws people to my September 2005 archive and now I think I know. Misinformation - but at least the post might give them a better idea of how to find out what they want to know.

Rodney from The Journey recently asked about the weirdest or funniest searches that led people to your blog? So here's my response!

Upset, Laughing and Banned

2006-11-29T23:34:00.000+08:00

I got upset today about almost nothing. I went to get business cards and stupidly thought they make suggestions. No. I have to pick a colour and ask for help because my colour discrimination isn't very discriminating. Then I'm handed a folder of fonts to peruse. Instead of saying oh, I'm actually legally blind (because, let's face it, I don't look it, I'm not total and he might think he can sell me blank cards and I won't know), I tell him my 'vision's pretty shot - this could take a while.' Yep, sometimes I hate to admit it.

The stupid thing is, I had a colour in mind and a font. How hard can it be? I came prepared -ish. So I chose a colour, chose a font and left, soon hoping I can call tomorrow and cancel the proof because I think it's going to look pretty bloody awful.

To cheer myself up I stayed on the bus past my stop (actually, I just didn't want to get off) and hopped off where there are friands and coffee. Then I went to a photo shop, where a sales clerk, talking to another customer, referred to me as 'that guy' - which lead the other customer to say 'so I should come back when he's finished?' I so hate being mistaken for a bloke! Even from the side/behind. Women wear cargo pants too! Most men don't have long-ish hair! Is it not enough I felt miserable but my stoop-y mood has totally removed any hint of my womanliness? I'm spewing.

So from there I went to the bottlo to prepare for our chat Christmas party and bought (I never buy UDLs... this may be a first) some bourbon and cola. Not too much mind, but enough that we got silly and, thanks to an imaginative and temporary change to her nick, J is now banned from the family-friendly server. The automatic reason given? 'Trouble.'

Ahh, so my day ended well.

Tomorrow I'm off to Office Works.

Here I Am [Not]

2006-11-29T23:04:00.000+08:00

Col thanked me for my small donation to his Movember by giving me a moustache. The first time my face appears on the net and it's my face from... ooh, maybe twelve years ago? ... and it now has facial hair. Excellent.

So I finally took out my camera and tried to take a photo of the 34-year-old me, so that I can be a more open, approachable, less moustachio-ed blogger that I am already, and finally show my face.

I was kinda okay with the photo taking, until I saw it enlarged and realised I was right to think that if I screwed up my face in the sun enough, it'd get a bit crinkly. Photoshop suddenly makes all the sense in the world!

So here I am. About, ooh, eight years after friends first asked for a photo of me in IRC. All I've shared to date is a blurry photo taken al fresco in Melbourne's Brighton, in which I'm wearing a straw hat and which caused comparisons with Janis Joplin.

So here I am, friendly but perhaps a little anxious, smiling despite the crinkles, darker than in real life.

[Okay, stop. No. I looked at the post, the formatting was all screwed up and I look tense. Later.]

Thanks, Col. I'll work on it.

Disability Carnivals and Personal Stories

2006-11-28T22:50:00.000+08:00

The Disability Blog Carnival #4 is happening at Diary of a Goldfish. The carnivals always point to posts by people with different disabilities and view points, so there's something for everyone.

Oh my God, I just spelt 'disability' as 'dissibility' - is that significant? Am I now officially a good speller gone bad? Or is my brain sick of typing out dis-ability and for a moment went with a new word that means the same group of people? Probably a word that doesn't have 'diss' in it would be good if I decided to go with a new word.

Anyway, the good thing about the blog carnival is that I discover new blogs and read old posts. Tonight I read about The Perils of Passing. qw88nb88 writes about people with autism passing as neurotypical, but passing is often discussed by people with RP too.

With RP, 'passing' is when you work to appear sighted, or to appear to be able to see, or to appear as if you don't need to do stuff differently to get the job done. Passing is different to forgetting you can't see, or finding you can't see when usually you can, or forgetting that people know you can't see and that they'll understand if your watch talks or you need to ask who they are.

I'm really conscious that I want to blog about some of this stuff, but that it's not typical blog fare and not my whole life - and also that depending on how far I take it, it's personal.

Not as personal as Lisa's post on her sex life (also worth reading because she talks about how edges are rounded off in autobiographical blogging, just like in real life) but personal all the same.

Blog Talk on Friday

2006-11-28T22:40:00.000+08:00

I've been meaning to ask if any other Perth bloggers are thinking of going to hear Christy Dena talk about blogging this Friday night? I read about it at Ponderance. The details, as swiped from there, are:

Everything you every wanted to know about blogging in 60 minutes (but were too scared to ask)
Blogs about communicating with friends, reaching potential customers, having your say, engaging with associates, developing communities of practice, branding, standing on a soap box, making money. Its all of that. A blog is a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic, and are part of a wider network of social media.

Following the session will be refreshments.

Date: Friday December 1, 2006, 6:30pm-8pm
Venue: Australian Writers' Guild
196 Oxford St Leederville
Parking: TAFE Oxford St entrance.
Cost: FREE
RSVP: Tom Lubin on 0410 416 799 or tom.lubin@aftrs.edu.au

The Good About Now

2006-11-27T23:06:00.000+08:00

I didn't expect it to be so hot. I know Perth, but I've never stayed here for a whole summer. And it's not even summer yet! Rather than whinge about the heat and the light, here are the good vibe happening lately:

Swish - we're now in St Lukes Anglican Church Hall in Maylands and play under high ceilings, on timber floors and in natural light filtered through stained glass windows. When the ball flies off the south end of the table, we have to retrieve it from the op shop.

Stone fruit - cherries have halved in cost since I first spotted them, so I bought some today. I'm also eating apricots, plums, strawberries and pineapple. I even bought a section of watermelon today.

Salads - I keep coming home hungry and start eating raw capsicum before I start dinner. I think this means salads will be the go.

Sun Tan! - Mum recommended (via one of my sisters) Johnson's Holiday Skin, which is very handy because without it I can't look at my own bare legs in the sun without half-closing my eyes (I'm not joking!). Then yesterday I noticed that my arms have tanned a little all by themselves, which is better than them burning all by themselves.

Shorts and my little black hemp skirt

Walking at night - always a pleasure but so good when it feels warm and people's houses aren't so closed up.

Writers group - the three other members seem nice and supportive and unafraid to comment or receive feedback. I now have two members' business cards. I always think a business card would be a bit over the top for me, but then if they're being exchanged at a writers group, maybe I should get over it and have some printed.

A G & T with lime at Gill's

An Imprecise Deconstruction

2006-11-25T10:24:00.000+08:00

Former Commonwealth buildings in Cottesloe, which until recently housed a measurements centre, were demolished over a few weeks. The orange tile roof and its timber frame were taken down in chunks by a machine operator. Rubble lies in the foreground. All the chimneys are gone but there was an awful lot of dust!

Illegalities on a Sunny Day

2006-11-24T18:59:00.000+08:00

Just at the end of my tin-shaking outing today, a young woman in a black t-shirt said as she walked past that it was illegal. She said it in such a way (kind of to me but kind of to her companion) that I turned around and said, 'no, it isn't.' And she turned around and said that it's illegal to shake the tin and something else I didn't hear. She didn't want to talk to me about it, just to let me know that I was in the wrong and deserved her open-and-shut disapproval.

I felt terrible because I'd taken the spot from another collector without thinking, and was standing smack in the centre of the Wellington St overpass, just as it opens out onto Forrest Chase in front of Flight Centre. Yep, probably a little obstructive. I've also shaken the tin that much today that when I stopped to listen to my watch in the Hay St Mall I thought, gee, it's gone quiet all of a sudden. Ye-eah.

So after our exchange I moved to the side of the overpass and toned it down. I even stopped shaking my tin. Just as many people stopped to donate - I think it comes naturally, even automatically, to some Perth people. I found it hard to believe that people noticed me without noise to attract attention, but then most passersby see.

I think my tin shaking can be justified (tenuously) as making me a fully accessible collector...? No? I'm still not sure it's illegal.

Update: DOCEP's information on Street Collections mentions that a collector cannot obstruct or annoy people but it doesn't say anything about shaking the tin.

Make Yourself At Home

2006-11-24T18:34:00.000+08:00

I'm at Flickr, where the 'Sign Up' link is really obvious and where I can never think where I need to look to find the log/sign in link. Just now I looked at 'Sign In' and thought, no, no - I need to 'call' in. 'Call in' like 'pop in' or 'drop in' for a visit.

If I ever have my own super-special site with users and logins, I'm going to name that link something more homey/welcoming. My users could pop in, stretch out and do nothing! Sounds like it won't need as much technical know-how as I might have thought.

Comedy Cop Out - A Meme

2006-11-23T20:02:00.000+08:00

I'm too zonked to focus my sun-weary eyes on a blog post, so I'm doing a comedy meme I found at CW's instead.

Which five comedies would you take with you to a desert island? In no particular order:

The Book Group

The Big Gig

The Young Ones (especially the Boring episode - I could imagine I'm just missing out on what's around the corner on my desert island).

The Blues Brothers

A Stephanie Plum Mystery by Janet Evanovich

I've kinda stuck the Book Group in because it's such a favourite, but I think I'd need something a bit less subtle if really stuck on a desert island. If I was stuck on a desert island, I'd probably just make a lot of jokes about being stuck on a desert island and how crap I am at surviving. I'd maybe spend some time trying to get home or gather/hunt food too. I'd go for a swim, explore, think about how lucky I am to be on an island while everyone else is at work or stuck in Woolies listening to 'Woolworth's the Fresh Food People.'

How about you? What comedy favourites would you want on a desert island that came complete with telly/DVD but no satellite phone?

More Appeal

2006-11-21T21:32:00.000+08:00

You know how I angsted over collecting money in the city last Friday? M from the Western Australian Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation rang this morning. They're having their annual street appeal in the city this Friday - and they need more collectors.

There are so many reasons why I need a job, but I didn't think avoiding street appeals would be climbing the list this fast.

Last Friday I raised money for a group that supports and advocates for WA's blind citizens, this Friday I'll be Fighting Blindness. Better watch out.

Randomness in the Western Suburbs

2006-11-21T20:49:00.000+08:00

As I walked home from the shops today, I started when an elderly man behind his brick wall said Sorry. I don't mean he apologised for startling me, I mean he said Sorry and then I noticed him and jumped.

So I said, Sorry, I didn't see you there!

Then he said, Can I tell you a short story I heard at the bowling club today?

And of course I said Yes.

The story went:

A first year medical student thought that terminal illness is something you get at the airport.

I said, Ohh, that's a good one! Seeya!

I'm not sure if this is more or less random than the guy I followed up this same wide and tree-lined street. Black business pants, white long-sleeved shirt, balding - I didn't notice him until he turned to caw back at a nearby crow.

Maybe I should be more superstitious.

Christmas Tree

2006-11-20T23:05:00.000+08:00

I bought myself a Christmas tree today and I'm all excited! Twenty bucks from Woolies - 95 centimetres of fibre optic tree! I don't think I've ever had a Chrissie tree before.

I was looking for a light globe and some face wash and, staring down at a Christmas tree box, I thought hey, 20 bucks, I could have a Christmas tree! Then I thought... you don't need it yet (just like I don't need to send out Christmas cards until, whoops, the day after Boxing Day). Then I thought, you should wait until you have a car, do what normal people do - you don't take Christmas trees on the bus. Yes you do! If you can carry it, you can take it on the bus.

I even looked at tinsel and bamboo Christmas boxes in red and green but I decided to delay that party till later. I don't know how I could use a Christmas box - it didn't have a lid, so maybe you just place Christmassy things in it and hope they get eaten.

I've even contemplated a wreath for my door! I'm going to be the Christmiest (if this weren't written down, you'd go with that - you pronounce that first 't' too) person around.

This year will be the best Christmas ever at the rate I'm going. I hope so, I'd love a good Christmas.

Might As Well Ride

2006-11-19T23:33:00.000+08:00

Draw a line, watch a penguin in a scarf on a sled ride your line. Repeat. Do it at Line Rider.

Tara Calishain from ResearchBuzz gives a few instructions and links to a YouTube video of cool Line Rider rides in her TechTalk column about the daredevil penguin.

This is the game for me!

Under a Palm Tree Collecting

2006-11-19T22:52:00.000+08:00

Thanks to CW and Kathryn for their positive feedback about the street appeal! We raised over $2500 (thanks everyone!) and I raised $90 in a couple of hours.

At first I headed off with nothing but me and my tin to the town hall. I soon shifted to the opposite side of Hay outside McDonalds. Not much happened and it's hard not to feel like a failure when you have a single coin in your tin, let me tell you! So I darted back to Citiplace (at the train station, where we were based) to grab my backpack, tip a few more coins in the tin, and, yes, take out my cane.

With elderly members of the organisation getting out there to collect, I did feel that it was important to do what I could, regardless of how sighted/blind I am, or how much I need/do not need/feel comfortable with/do not feel comfortable with my cane. We didn't have t-shirts or bibs (hey, netballers wear bibs, it's not just a kiddy garment) to identify our cause, just our name tags and the tins. I kept checking that the word 'blind' rather than the word 'citizens' could be seen by passersby.

Back at McDonalds, three people stopped to donate before two organisers came along for a chat. Every so often they catch up with the collectors and make sure everyone's okay. Perth hosted the final of the Red Bull Air Race this weekend and the racers practised over the Swan River on Friday. Someone suggested that the foreshore might be a good place to collect.

So off I went! After a bit of dithering, I moved from a billboard (not fair to advertisers) to the bus shelter (not fair to public transport users) to a garden wall surrounding a palm tree. I stood in the shade on a sunny day, felt the gentle breeze, listened to (and occasionally saw) the planes and chatted to people taking a break! Near to me people visited the Swan Bells, bought food and drink, sat in the sun, and came and went on ferries, CAT buses, a red double decker bus and the tourist tram.

Only one man spoke to me without donating - he wanted to know where I bought my backpack (ummm, Margaret River?). One friendly guy donated while on his mobile, somehow engaging two people at once without a hitch. I met a woman visiting with her husband from Adelaide for the air race, a couple from Mt Barker up for medical tests, a woman from the UK taking children to the zoo, and two women - one a wheelchair user - who hoped to see the air racers practise.

I didn't count, but I'm quite sure more men than women donated. One man said he couldn't pass me one more time without donating. I hadn't seen him before. Another guy gave me spare change he wanted to clear out and when I asked if he'd like a sticker, he said he already had one. And so he did - he'd already donated to another collector near the Plaza Arcade.

I gave out lots of stickers, and asked everyone if they'd like one. I proffered the roll and let people take their own - even if I could see this would be more practical - no need to double-handle the stickers. People thanked me for them. A few children dropped coins in the tin - the right demographic for a small sticker!

One member brought her daughter along to help collect but it's against the law for a child under 16. People with guide dogs raised the most money but explained to those who asked that the money went to humans. A stranger came into our base, donated, and said she'd had a vision that she should come in and collect for us. With some misgivings (giving tins to strangers is risky - they can disappear with the tins and the money), an organiser let her go and the woman returned with $200!

I didn't just lean my cane against a wall while I collected, I also used it for mobility to get around the city. A senior cit at Citiplace said to her friend as I walked past and smiled 'that one can see.' When I came back without my cane to go to the toilet, I smiled at them again and I heard her say, 'I told you she could see.' I acknowledged them once more on my way back but she didn't say hello, so I didn't explain.

I know it's confusing and, ironically, while using my cane I nearly walked into a couple of signs coming up Barrack St towards the Terrace. When I use it, I need to look forward to stand and walk straight. However, if I look forward, I can't use my islands of vision as effectively. I think it mucks up the rhythm of my walk. Yes, Dee's Rhythm Method of Scanning for Hazards. But is it reliable?

So there you go, that's my couple of hours in the city. I have a sunburnt decolletage (really!) to show for it but I think it was worth it. And hey, I learnt I can shake it left-handed. A great workout for your forearms, especially if people are generous.

People were generous - ordinary people out enjoying their day.

Shake It, Baby

2006-11-16T23:26:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow I'm heading into town to help with the Blind Citizens WA street appeal. If you've ever wandered about the central city on a Friday, you've probably noticed people from different groups shaking tins and asking for donations. I'm not sure what I'll be doing but there's a good chance I'll be shaking a tin. I hope we don't have to give out stickers - I won't see where to stick them and I won't see that people are wearing them - I'll be hassling people twice!

I'm not sure how I feel about this, I'm the worst fundraiser ever. I heard a fundraiser speak last weekend and she'd somehow raised millions of dollars for her organisation (not BCWA!). Not surprisingly, she spoke well about the need for the project and its likely benefits. I can't even sell a few raffle tickets or chocolate. I guess this is because any group I'm raising funds for is usually blindness-related, and it feels a little close.

I'm also the kind of person who feels a little guilty if I'm in a hurry and don't have time to find some coins, work out how many I need to keep for me, and then do that awkward 'here's some money' thing. I'm like this with buskers too. On the other hand, if the stars are aligned okay and I do donate, or give money to a busker in return for the entertainment, I feel really good.

I think I'll adopt a friendly 'donate if you want, have a great day anyway' attitude. I'm wondering what to wear too. I'm thinking of wearing Good Clothes but I don't want to look like I'm hoping you'll join my church (if I had a church, which I don't exactly). I want to wear my Good Boots but they have a heel and that probably won't be practical. What does one wear to ask for donations?

I'm also imagining the flusters I'll have interacting with a lot of people I can't fully see. I could give them a clue by bringing (that is, taking out) my cane, which I hardly ever use, but that might seem misleading.

Do people talk to collectors? Do they ask questions? Too late to get comments from you guys... I guess I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

If by some fluke you happen to see me, come up and say Hi! I'll do the mashed potato if you ask nicely. :-)

Perth for Iris

2006-11-16T00:35:00.000+08:00

Iris is a regular reader of Perth blogs, even though she lives in Germany. That's because she'll be visiting Perth next month. Iris asks what to do in Perth?

I've responded with my longest comment ever but I haven't visited many of the attractions she's considering. [Inaudible mumbling about Rottnest... something about never having visited in my 34 years as a sandgroper?]

If you were visiting WA (not for the first time) from Germany, what would you enjoy doing?

Beauty and the Blind

2006-11-14T00:08:00.000+08:00

So, on the one hand, I'll never know what Julia Roberts looks like. On the other, I loved when, during a viewing of "Erin Brockovich," my wife leaned close and said, "Oh, I wish you could see what they've done with Julia Roberts's cleavage."

Stephen Kuusisto on 'The Beauty Myth' (The Washington Post, 12 November 2006). Kuusisto also talks about the Victorian era, when people really began to enjoy looking at other people in a big way, and how he can write about a world he can't see. Thanks to Blue at The Gimp Parade.

A Good Year for Romance and... Screen Readers

2006-11-10T21:49:00.000+08:00

Feel like a romance Tuesday night? There'll be nibblies! The Astor Cinema is hosting a fundraiser screening of A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott in support of the Primary School for People who are Blind and Vision Impaired in Gaziantep, Turkey.

The organiser is Australian Sasha Kaya, who's life changed after travelling and living in Turkey. She wants to give something back to Turkish people, with support from the Association for the Blind WA.

Drinks and nibbles are available from 5.45pm, and the movie starts at 6.30pm. Tickets are $15 and you can book by calling the Astor in Mt Lawley on 9370 1777.

Why does the school need funds? The government provide some of their text books in accessible formats, including CD, but the kids don't have computers. They also need software programs like JAWS and ZoomText, scanners, hand-held tape-recorders (to tape their lessons), and even tapes. The children will need to be able to use these tools before graduating, after which they'll be encouraged to integrate into mainstream high schools with little support.

So if you fancy a flick starring an Aussie playing an Englishman (and another Aussie - Abbie Cornish - playing an American) that's set in France - in Perth, in support of children in Turkey, get down to the Astor this Tuesday 14 November.

And if you had a small heart attack at the thought that either a) I might have found a bloke, or b) I need a screen reader - all in good time, lol.

Like Melon for Mango

2006-11-10T20:48:00.000+08:00

Every so often I read a review of a restaurant that serves food in the dark. The latest is by American Jacqueline McGrath, a freelance journalist who has retinitis pigmentosa, and who visited the Parisian restaurant Dans Le Noir?. I know it's hard to eat when you can't see your meal, but is it really that hard to differentiate between mango and watermelon?

'That is watermelon, isn't it?' I asked the young man. 'Absolutely,' he replied. (A glance at the bar's chalkboard menu on my way out told me it was mango.)

'Dining in the dark: Traveler's Check: Dans Le Noir?' (Kansas City Star, 5 November 2006).

Wouldn't the smell and the texture give it away before you even took a bite? Slippy and fibrous vs firm and cellular? Tell me you'd know the difference?

I smelt mangoes in the supermarket recently. At first I could only see the peaches but no way did I move on until I'd spotted the mangoes and picked one up.

The reviewer's husband later admitted to picking up his steak because he couldn't eat it easily with knife and fork - he figured you can do that in the dark. What would you do in the dark (in public) because it's okay if people don't see you? I might relax.

Message Rejected

2006-11-10T00:54:00.000+08:00

Today I had to send an SMS. I hate texting, I'd rather talk.

The only person I text is my youngest sister, Erin. I figure it's okay to use capital letters and spell everything out with Erin because she'll just figure I'm a dork and not worry about it.

But today I had to text someone else and I started to angst about my texting. Would it reveal me to be an uptight user of Capital Letters? And paradoxically someone who doesn't use any punctuation?

The only reason I'll text 'ur' instead of 'youre' is because I hate not having an apostrophe. You can see my dilemma. I like to write as I learnt from reading as a kid - but I do remember taking pleasure then in noticing the conventions. Can I change my ways and find my unique texting voice?

I got over myself and, after deleting the message only once (a record!), I sent it off.

Message Rejected.

I've got this message the last few times I've SMSed Erin. I just figured one or both of us didn't have enough credit or charge (yeah, yeah... that too).

I walked down to the post office and asked the young guy there if I could put some money on my phone. I must have sounded like Mum, because he asked me if I knew which service I'm with. He did have twinkly eyes, so it's okay, I didn't feel like a lost cause, just not very technical. I bet he didn't guess I have three blogs!

Anyway, I sent my text again and it was rejected again. I surfed around the menus and found that the message centre phone number had about seven zeros on the end, making it a very long number indeed. So I hopped on the net, ran a search, discovered that the number should have two zeros (who'd have guessed the SMSs go through servers?), re-sent my message and voila! Message sent.

So, what I learnt is:

I'll never get it if I don't do it. I have a blog and a talking watch, as if I can't learn to text a message.

I shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes because I nearly always learn something useful. Eg. -

The number 1 key is also the punctuation key. It has a picture of a reel-to-reel on it!

Nieces under age two can't really use a mobile phone.

Nice try, Rori!

Vicki's Post

2006-11-09T17:31:00.000+08:00

This is my first time post. The world of blogging is all new to me. It must be amazing to just send your thoughts out there into the ether and have people you have never met reading them and commenting on them. Happy blogging all.

Note from Dee: We're at the Cottesloe Library after my first new writers' group meeting. Sharing the joy of blogging!

Dee is for Delta

2006-11-07T19:55:00.000+08:00

Did I read the papers to find out who was racing? No. Did I walk into the TAB in Fremantle to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup anyway? Yes, I did.

I knew I'd waste the friendly TAB guy's time if I tried to read many of the horse names. Lucky I saw Delta Blues name first. I thought, I like 'Delta Dawn' and I like the idea of a river with a delta, and Delta Goodrem shouldn't influence my chances, and delta is the greek letter for Dee.

So I said I'd bet for Delta Blues and I think the guy may have looked at me funny. I wondered to myself if the horse was foreign (yep, Japanese), or if the odds were long (yep, 17-1) but figured it didn't matter. I only place a bet to be in it, not so much to win.

But hey, isn't it great when you do? And the odds are big enough that your bet of $5 for a win / $5 for a place actually gives you enough money that you can... let's see, go out/buy clothes on sale/replace some of the make-up you lost in Esperance/make up for the years you didn't win?

Go Delta Blues!

A Win and Some Wickets

2006-11-05T23:12:00.000+08:00

My first blind cricket match today and we won! We batted first and I scored 11 runs before I hit the ball into the wicket. Another team mate's teenage son ran for me, which made it much, much easier. I didn't need to work out where the ball went and then where it went in relation to the fielders. If my runner thought he could make it (and he was fast), he did. We play single-ended, so there's no second batsperson to worry about. A few Kulin players had runners too, it wasn't just me!

I bowled a few overs towards the end of the game, and I took three wickets! Yes, I bowled out two under-13s. Two competent and competitive under 13s! Maybe the first and last time they'll ever be bowled out by a blind lady. Until next year. Another batsman left his crease to hit the ball and the wickie scooped it up and stumped him.

I have a terrible memory for what happens - I just play. I remember that one of our players made a few dives, and another of my team mates made a great catch (all the more exciting because I saw it.

I didn't see much of Kulin's fielding but they did have some big hitters. The ball doesn't usually travel too far, so my guess is that some of these guys are much better when they have a cricket ball and it's bowled to them overarm. Is it as surreal for them as it is for me? The smile on one guy's face suggested that maybe it is (I could be wrong).

How did I get to be here, doing this - like this - with these people? I wonder this all the time. You'd be surprised how often it makes me smile. I hope you have days like these.

Anyway, I'm really glad the other team came to play us in the city, and I'm really glad that my team mates are so encouraging. Next week: Cecil Bros watch out!

Mo Down

2006-11-03T19:43:00.000+08:00

Col's growing a moustache for the month of Movember. I haven't stopped laughing about it, so I'll have to donate to the good cause, which is men's health. Depreassion, prostate cancer and testicular cancer are the three health issues targeted this Movember - all worthy of greater awareness and research. And if you'd like to watch a mo grow (heaven help us all), check out Col's MoLog.

I haven't committed to NaNoWriMo this November, so maybe I can chill out and let someone else be productive, in a laidback kind of way.

A Time For Blogging

2006-11-02T22:11:00.000+08:00

It took me twenty minutes to make an online payment today, and half an hour to look for updates, download updates, install updates, note that one installation failed, click to find out more, have Firefox open and be told I need to use IE, to then upload my Symantec log files and then to be told 'thanks for helping us to improve our product.' Norton, you suck. I didn't pay $94 to help you improve your product!

Whinge, whinge.

So I'm still a blogger but technology's not on my side enough of the time.

Big Houses

2006-10-29T00:28:00.000+08:00

On the Freo train Friday night I overheard a trio from the same workplace talking. The conversation was friendly and welcoming of a man from France. When told where the French guy lived, the other male commented that there are big houses over that way. The first guy agreed but said his house was seventies, illustrating in his French accent with:

I have a yellow toilet seat... and glitter on the roof.

We'll Take You On

2006-10-27T12:38:00.000+08:00

At the first blind cricket training session, I wondered why we called it training - isn't this it? Who do we play? We play sighted teams.

OMG! I'm scared.

Sometimes we win, a fellow cricketer told me.

Is that because the ball's different? I asked, realising as I did how dubious I must sound about our cricketing abilities. Now that we've had a few practice sessions, we're a little more like the supercricketers I imagined. I don't suppose every team in WA is like the Warriors, let alone Australia, so my ideas about the cricketing skills of the average player are probably wide of the mark.

I missed our first match last Sunday, and we won. Sunday after next we'll play a team from Kulin, who come in to Perth to play us every second year. On alternate years, the blind cricket team goes to Kulin. For over thirty years they've also played a match in Busselton. There are a few gaps in our fixtures, so maybe we could do with a few more teams to play.

My bowling's improved, my batting's improved, my fielding's still hit and miss. On Tuesday I went to Jim Kidd at Harbourtown and bought myself a pair of sneakers, so I must be planning to stick with it. Until now I've run around in Blundstone boots. I'm a little scared of playing another team but I'm told for my first match I'll have a runner until I get the hang of it. Each team plays an innings each. Next week at training, we'll have a match against each other and perhaps that'll ease my nerves.

I still forget who can see what, and get confused when I need to throw the ball to someone - do I have their attention? Underarm? Or do they prefer overarm? If they miss it, is it my throwing?

Sledging practice started very successfully last week for some, but I think it'll take a while before I'm any good at it.

And the name of our team? The Venetians.

Mum thought that was pretty funny.

Sideshow Dee

2006-10-27T12:14:00.000+08:00

Hey, by chance I read my stats and referrals today, and noticed a couple of visitors to my Blind Cricket post and a referral from The Disability Blog Carnival 2 at The Gimp Parade. There's a great selection of disability-related blog posts to check out here and naturally I clicked on one by Lisa Ferris (an American relation? lol) called Step Away, Other Mother, Or I Shall Sic My Worms on You. Lisa didn't let the opinion of a stranger get in the way of a fun trip to the park or the library with her kids - and she has a new worm farm!