ripley_larkham

Soft Swords

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:10:05 GMT

Hey. I am planning to use some of my Christmas money to buy a new foam sword (So I have matching ones to duel with).
Not sure how much shipping will be, but they do bundle stuff together.

So, if anyone wants to order a cool foam sword, we can pool our orders to cut down costs.
this is the website I'm ordering from...

http://www.latex-weaponry.com/index.html

ouch : )

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:19:49 GMT

kissing talia goodnight yesterday, she reaches up and strokes my forehead gently, and says.

"Daddy's hair is falling out"

odd

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:20:16 GMT

According to my bank, I live in Sydney.

I was also apparently born in 1860.

weird dream

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:55:02 GMT

last night was one of my weirdest, yet least disturbing, dreams.
I was battling George Lucas with plastic light sabres for the fate of the world. (backstory of the dream was that aliens saw starwars and assumed Lucas was the true ruler of the empire, so gave him all their tech, which he was using to turn the world into a huge starwars setting which he could rule). Still, I did get to break a stormtroopers nose with the hilt of my plastic lightsabre. then I got shot by a nerf gun, and was apparently "out" or "dead" so I woke up.

job loss

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:17:04 GMT

I lost my job at the Jewellers.

It was mostly a retail job, but held out the hope of one day having soldering, polishing and maybe one day actual jewellery making (which I find fun). The best part was it was regular money we could count on (or so I thought).

Sadly, we have counted on it in our budget. With that money we were fine till at least the end of next year at least on paper. Without it... well, we've already started eating into our savings.

As things currently stand, they will run out sometime mid next year.

technically I still have 3 other casual jobs, but as I am averaging 1 day of work a week between them, it just isn't enough.

So... Anyone know how I can make $1000 a month?

Morality and legality are now prefered rather than required.

language

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:26:33 GMT

I asked Talia "Can you stand on one foot?"
she looked up at me seriously and said yes with conviction.

She then carefully stood, with both feet, on my right foot.

rpg meme

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:19:30 GMT

from makoknight

What is your preferred RP format?: Tabletop, both play and run, but also happy to run freeforms. Can usually be convinced to play them as well. Never tried PbEM or online games.

What kind of dumb stuff do you remember doing when you first started RPing?: Making myself as a character (and getting killed over and over again). Trying to use games to "fix" my friends psychological problems (kinda like using powertools to "fix" their kidneys).

You have just been handed the opportunity to run any single-theme game you would like. Not an original theme, but a preexisting one. What game do you run?: I have a list... Hellboy and Fae would be closest to the top at the moment.

What is your angst tolerance, in general?: I can take it or leave it. High angst is OK as an occasional thing both to run and to play, but I couldn't do it constantly.

Would you kill off a character? Have you?: Yes and yes, both as GM and player. Its not something I make a habit of, but it happens.

What are your views on marriage/pregnancy in pretendy fun time games?: Fine with it. It can add a lot of opportunity for comedy with engagements, weddings, childcare, etc.

Any stuff you just won't approach at all?: some nasty horror and most squick (once destroyed a game by introducing something squicky).

spare computer?

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:47:15 GMT

My desktop seems to be starting to die.
Not surprising as I think some bits of it are about 8 years old.
Anyone got an old but newer computer (laptop, desktop or just bits) which they no longer need?

memory sticks

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:32:39 GMT

Pixies USB memory stick fried itself a few days ago. despite efforts, it is beyond resurrection.
I know we have several of the things, but currently we are down to only knowing where one is.

So, if I have lent anyone a either of my small black 2G memory sticks, or a blue Zipp 2G memory stick, now would be a good time for us to get them back.

thanks

stubbed toe

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:52:46 GMT

last night I while heading to bed I stubbed my toe.
it was dark.
I stubbed my toe on one of Talia's toys.
I then stepped forward quickly to not fall over.
this resulted in my other foot hitting the same toy much harder.
With both feet stuck and my momentum unchecked I continued forward in an "oh crap" fashion.
I managed to bring my left foot over the toy, and stepped into a tub of loose balls.
This didn't really help correct my problem.
I stepped forward again with my other foot, also into the tub of balls.
Loose balls are not good to balance on.
but I somewhat awkwardly I did somehow stay upright.

I hate tripping on things in the dark.
my years of fearing that I was loosing my sight, and the implication that the dark was where I need to live makes it shattering to find the dark is a dangerous place.

when I lived alone I could keep thins clear and off the floor, I could navigate the dark safely because it was my dark.

Living with others, it is a shared dark. I can't be sure that the floor is clear. I can't be sure that the knives are not still on the bench.

It really shook me up.

It also folded my big toenail in half, so ... ouch.

sim

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:38:59 GMT

anyone have an old sim card they don't need any more. I need one to use the camera, music player, etc on my old phone. but i don't want it to make calls (especially not 000 calls).
So I just need an "dead" sim if anyone has one.

torchwood children of the earth rant

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:10:54 GMT

it could have been better.

It was tense and had some stunning emotional bits and some good relationships and stuff, but the plot did suck. It had some great spine chilling scenes, and some great character bits, all tied together with the flimsiest of excuses.

Essentially the problem comes down to "shoot your lover, or I shoot you (both)." And then EVERYONE treats those as the only two options. No-one even looks at any other options, alternatives or ideas. I came up with dozens of other things they could have tried.

Then it builds up as if Jack is ready to pull the ace from his sleeve and do something clever... but no. Instead he barges in half-arsed, does something stupid, gets people killed and then folds like a wet tissue. He does, after being slapped upside the head a bit, save the day, but its a very contrived ending.

(sorry if this is less lucid than normal. brain is pig flue addled)

falicies

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:29:00 GMT

I am neither as tall, nor as smart, as I think I am.
This causes problems.

Yay!

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:13:43 GMT

Talia is eating well.

She is telling us when she is hungry, she is leaning forward to take food off the spoon, she is asking for her own spoon and using it to put food in her mouth, and when she finishes one bowl she is asking for more or telling us that she is finished.

She has gained between 300 and 400 grams this last week.

This HUGE turnaround has happened within a week. Had it happened literally overnight I would have been pressed to pick a religion*.

To put things in perspective Talia has for the last two years (her whole life) nearly constantly refused food (except breast milk, which she is still gets).

Her weight is about half what is should be which, is equivalent to someone my size weighting less than pixie does.

She has lost weight badly enough that it is equivalent to me loosing 10kg in a week. Her recent weight gain is equal to getting over half that back in a week.

Previously she would ignore food, and could skip several meals in a row without complaint. More times than not she fought food, she refused to take food, she pulled away and spat it out, she screamed and she cried, she threw the spoon and tipped the bowl, she refused to swallow, and all to commonly she would just throw up anything you did get into her. It was a nightmare, 2-3 times a day. It wear you down.

And now...
it seems to be over.

She just decided to eat.

Yay!

* It makes me think that if it is an actual divine miracle, then it must have been slowed down just enough to not be obvious on purpose, which makes me wonder why, though I try to avoid spending too much time double-guessing omnicient entities.

hospital

Sun, 31 May 2009 10:44:04 GMT

Pixie, Talia and I have just got back from 4 days in hospital. Talia is doing well, Pixie and I are very tired.
We could have been there for a lot longer, so its good to be out so soon.

crash

Sun, 24 May 2009 04:17:08 GMT

totalled the car. no-one hurt.
probably my fault.

lost wallet.

morale low.

back ... sorta

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:27:32 GMT

An now back on the web after having intermitant access due to a particularly bad computer virus.
It got into my root sector or something and the only "fix" was formatting the drive.

So now I'm running Ubuntu, which is mostly good. Its fairly simple and intuitive, but I'm still on a fairly steep learning curve. I'm also still wary of giving the wrong command and having it break everything.

I'm hoping to get my database and stuff up and going again soon. Or I guess more accurately, I'm hoping friends can get it up and going for me.

Phone III

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:11:19 GMT

I must appologise to Talia.
The loss of the phone was completely my own fault.

Pixie found it today while looking for something else.
It was in the car, slipped down the side of the front passenger seat.
I had never even thought of looking in the car.

So I have my phone back.
Same number and everything.
Whoot!

Phone II

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:47:41 GMT

I have officially given up looking for my phone.
Either I have left it somewhere really Obscure or Talia has posted it somewhere equally obscure. I have lokked through drawsn and boxes all through the house.

To no avail.

The phone is lost.

So...
Anyone with an old phone they don't need that still works, I'd be glad of something to stick a sim card in.

Oh. And don't bother calling or texting the old phone number anymore, I doubt I'll be able to get the same number, so all attempts at communication will most likely be lost to the eather.

no return...

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:32:33 GMT

I have lost my phone.

Our current theory is that Talia (who loves playing with phones) has posted it into one of the dozens of open boxes or draws around the house (or maybe a bin). Or I may have just left it somewhere stupid myself. Who knows.

The good side is; We are pretty sure it is still in the house.

The bad side is; it has lost charge and died, so I can't call it to find it. I also can't answer it, recieve or send messages and have effectively forgotten everyones phonenumbers.

Hopefully this will be temporary and I will soon fine and recharge it and everything will be happy. Until then, if you need to contact me, please use our Landline or Email.

Internet returns

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:14:27 GMT

We have internet back. Yay!

Plugged it in and it took care of the rest automatically.
Very nice.

Will post more later, must go see what on the net has changed in the last few weeks.

books

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:41:09 GMT

I was bored a bit over Christmas and decided to try reading.

I read two books, Robbies' Johnny Phillips collection (which was excellent) and another one by someone else which wasn't.

Both of these reminded me why I don't normally read:- It hurts. A lot.

So... In case I get bored and foolish again I'd like some recommendations of worthy books.

But, just to keep it interesting, you can only recommend a book if you would consider it worth reading in the full knowledge that the cost of reading it is having someone drive a thumbtack fully into your palm (not into the bone, just through a fleshy bit).

PS: you need not actually do this. If you're curious, just ask.

nature shows

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:22:18 GMT

Just a curious call out, to see if anyone has any natures DVD. Talia seems to like watching them while she eats.
(and anything which helps her eat...)

Spare job?

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:43:25 GMT

I got invited into the department of education today to get politely chewed out for screwing up at school.

Worst part for my ego is that I did actually screw up. I can't blame anyone else, the system, school or students. I just made a mistake, and have spent the last two weeks wondering whether it was going to cost me my career (such as it is).

The education people where very quiet and polite. They suggested that I reflect long and hard about if I'm right for teaching. They then made it quite clear that this was my first and my final warning. Next time they will permanently revoke my teaching privileges.

So the good new is that I can still teach.
The bad news is that I really no longer want to.

So. I'm officially looking for new work/career.

Preferably part-time permanent where I don't have to deal with many people, computers or daylight. But at this stage, given finances pressures, mop-jockey might have to do.

I hate it when my fall-back plans fail and leave me with nothing to fall back on.
I hate that other people are relying on my income and I'm disappointing them.
I hate needing money. I loath it, and always have.
I hate failing, again.

Fuck.

teaching

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:34:28 GMT

snagged from fish's LJ.

http://www.freerice.com/subjects.php?t=3052583128690

this site has a few quizs and such, and donates rice to the poor when you get right answers.

The Basic Chemisty quiz is pretty much spot on for year 7 / 8 chemistry.

Keeping track of each students total rice donation, each class and even the whole year / schools donation total might be something that people can really get behind.

As you only get a donation when you get a right answer, so you could easily use this as a basic revision, or even as a competency test (get a screen shot of your total after 5 minutes). It also means that the students can see meaning (however abstract) in their learning.

Well worth checking out as a teaching resource.