Friday, February 27, 2009

Procrastination

If there was a masters degree in it. I'd have that Phd bit at the end of my name. Just Sal Phd in Procrastination.

I start off with the best intentions. Then I get online and a void sucks me in and I just wander off and check out none related Uni sites kinda like this one ;P I just can't seem to find the motivation required to put my head down arse up and study. I've got those five books to get through and I'm slightly concerned that I just can't seem to get into it. When I say 'it' I mean Uni in general.

I've also got a 3000 word creative piece that I have to workshop in two weeks. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going to pull 3000 words from right now. Though the idea I have is quite solid in my mind, and the research I've done so far on the storyline is coming along nicely. I even managed to jot down some points at 2am this morning when I couldn't sleep due to the revealers in the park with their doof doof music playing at a high volume before a large fight broke out and broken glass seemed to be shattering a lot. Perhaps a volley of bottles where thrown at each group. I'm not sure. The street this morning is quite dishevelled and well the council was out cleaning the street when I checked the post.

So plan for this weekend:
Get the tempest read.
Get back into Jane Eyre.
Make Muffins. Mmmmm Muffins
Try and get some solid groundwork completed of the 3000 words creative piece.
Do homework for Prose class for Monday
Watch the kick arse movie on TV this evening called The guardian.

That's all I've got.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Post # 44

So today is my birthday. Another year older, another year wiser... etc. etc. etc.

I'm a firm believer that as we get older the actual 'day' dosen't mean the same as it did when younger. I mean when you're a child your birthday is a big event you hold out for it, wait with anticipation and excitement for the day to come around. Your day the one that's special to you and you alone. The gifts, the cake, the focus on you for that one day out of the 365 that make up a year.

Today for me was just another day. Until my three year old nephew called. He melted my heart with his little voice over the phone "Happy birthday Sal. I love you" He then proceeded to ask me about my dog, and if I could put him on the phone :) and to give him a pat from him.

Children are so pure and innocent not tarnished by cynicism or hate at that age. As cliche' as it sounds my little three year old nephew made my day brighter. He made me smile more radiant than before and I can't wait until I get to see him again to hang out and play trucks together :)

That's all I've got

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Reading

I'm a slow reader. Super slow. I received the list of books for one of my classes yesterday they are as follows:

Jane Eyre
The Tempest
Mrs Dalloway
Wide Sargasso Sea
Flaubert's Parrot

Five books FIVE and that's just one class, not including weekly readings etc. If I start today I 'might' have the books finished by the end of semester. (20 weeks) Not sure I'll have them read in time to write the 5 essays about them all!

Five books which I've never read before. On the up side. At least I can add them to the list of books I've read in my lifetime which isn't that many considering my age!


Semester one 2009 officially kicks off on Monday the 23rd of Feb the day after my birthday. I'll clearly be spending all my 'free' time reading if I'm to ever get through these books.

That's all I've got.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The top is awash whilst the bottom is an inferno.

Australia is currently experiencing ‘natural disasters’ the top half of Queensland is having the worst flooding in 20 years and the bottom of Australia in Victoria, is experiencing the worst fire-storms since 1983.

At the beginning of the week the news reports focused on the devastating floods that Queensland were experiencing. Homes inundated with water, roads cut, lives lost in flood waters.

Thursday they reported fires in Victoria, nothing major at that stage they had the ‘fire front’ under control. I woke up this morning to be confronted by images on the news of up to 40 people being killed in a fire inferno that has been sparked on by 90+km winds fuelling the fire over night.

For those who aren’t familiar with Australia and the climate conditions I’ll give you a digest version.

Australia – Overall generally warm.
Queensland – Hot and sunny, otherwise known as the ‘sunshine’ state
Victoria. – Generally ‘cool’ tempered climate - quite cold in winter – is known as the 4 seasons in one day state as it can be – hot, cold, wet, and sunny at various parts of the state at any given time on the one day.

However the fire that is currently ripping through the state of Victoria is not something that I’ve not seen since fire ripped through Canberra (ACT) in 2003.

They are calling both the floods and the fire a ‘natural disaster’ I’ll wear the rain as a natural disaster – you can’t make it rain. But you can make a fire start, and the news report that is currently being played in the background as I type this entry, has two people arrested and charged in relation to the fires in Victoria deliberately lit and the death toll now at 63.

Australia had some pretty harsh penalties re arson etc. With the minimum sentence for deliberately lighting a fire is 15 years jail, up to 25 years should a life be lost due to the arson. However I think the only just punishment for these people who love to start fires so much, is to be tied up to a large ‘pile’ of wood and set alight.

With ideas like that it’s no wonder I failed the psych test for the police force!

To those reading this with loved ones in either the Fire or the flood affected areas. I hope they are all safe and well. Houses can be re built, cars and possessions can be replaced. Life on the other hand, we only get one go at that.

That’s all I’ve got.

*Update* When I wrote this blog the death toll from these fires stood at 63 its now sitting at a reported 191 as of the 17th of Feb 2009

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Experimental writing

This semester I'm taking on a subject called "Writing from the edge" I got the study guide for it today. It looks like a do your head in type class. This semester is going to be a tough one. I've reached for the dictionary too many times already :(

This is something that just come out whilst trying to digest the main points of topic one.

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Motion exposure

I lay motionless.
I’ve been overexposed.
Overexposed to, the rigours of the motion.
Just going through the motions,
Clearly can, have dire consequences.
Sometimes


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I've got no idea if the punctuation is right - I put in commas and the green line saying 'Dumb arse you're not making a proper sentence' went away Woohoo :)

That's all I've got