Siren Tides

Ah yes, I’ve been gone for quite a while. At least, from posting here. Things are just hectic and exhausting and…. it goes on. And my blog is now two years old! Fancy that. I don’t know where to start on where I’ve been or what’s been happening…

How about we try for a list of somewhat major goings on?

• I turned nineteen waaay back in January. I’m half way through the year now, though, so I’m almost twenty. Good lord.
• One of my cats had to be put down because she was having seizures.
• I have an iPod Touch, which while not especially news, is awesome! (even if apple are market controlling idiots.)
• The Government is actually giving me a semi-decent paycheck every fortnight for looking after Mum, the house, and Lily. (Mum had two minor strokes, for those out of the loop. So she needs help, I’m her carer. The government gives (somewhat crappy) pay to those who fulfill these roles.
• We have a new dog. Her name is Galinda. Yes. Like from Wicked/The Wizard of Oz. And she came named that way. A lot of animals around here are getting named after witches, recently.
• I hate American companies who won’t sell me the things I want. DO YOU HEAR ME, SONY? BARNES AND NOBLE I’M TALKING TO YOU TOO. Or that will sell to me, but charge way more than the exchange rate difference.
• My computer died, taking with it virtually two-three years of art, writing and photography. A week or so before I was getting a new back up drive (the old one went a bit dodgy). Fuck you too, fate. (side note – anyone who has any of my writing/photos/whatever. Sendies, please? I’d love you forever. :D)
• I started a new RPG, on my new domain name. The game is floundering a little, especially since the great computer crash of 2010, but I’m going to try to put more effort into it (and things like blogging, since I forget to tweet. Whoops.) It’s called Unearthly Tales and is a freeform (i.e. everyone can make up storylines, not just the staff), Multi-Genre, Multi-Game forum based rpg. If that sounds complicated, it’s really not. The basic gist is that you can have “small” (i.e. not needing a lot of players) or even private (games for only a few members/a game that is invite only to new members) games, within the most appropriate genre board, or you can play in a “large” game that has a main board as well as various sub-boards, sub-sub boards and etc. These games can even have their own theme set, as the software I use allows me to set a theme for any select board that’s different to the main theme. And it has the benefit of being part of a (hopefully someday) larger community.
• I really, really, really want an eInk Reader device. It’s like star trek in real life. So AWESOME. And yes, I did like ST way, way, WAY before the reboot. So ner. :pissed:  Silly youngin’s. I wanted a Nook, and while I could give one of my American friends the money to get me one and send it on… I think I’ll get something that’s more customizable and directly available to me to purchase myself. Even if not now (I need a few thousand for a new laptop. Sigh.) A.S.A.P. I’d really love a pocketbook 360, though. MobileRead is feeding my obsession.

..Uh there was probably more, but that’s the best I can think of for the moment. Anyone have any good cheap/free ebooks suggestions, by the way? And I’ll try to be around more!

Oh also, on Siren Tides the comments are disabled for the moment as I am getting spammed an absurd amount, and for some reason akismet isn’t just kicking them to the spam file but I promise I’m trying to work it out, and for those few who care, they will be back A.S.A.P.

Nevermind, apparently it got disabled somehow O_o

Oh and… anyone happen to have any good ideas on how to raise money for a new laptop? I know, saving, but at the rate food costs that’s going to be a century or two before I have my own laptop again (the old one really tanked) and thus can actually do things. I’m borrowing a computer for the moment, but obviously that can only go on for so long.

Okay, here’s the thing. I see Christmas pretty much as a tie to stress out (family issues. Rawr.) and decorate. The last bit is possibly the only reason why I like it at ALL anymore, actually.

But Mum refuses to put our tree up. At all. And I don’t have space for the family tree in my room, so I can’t put it up in here (plus, seriously, who wants to work out if red or green goes at the bottom?) and the only tree I’ve found downtown that I liked was a, $50 and b, still too big.

So I’m trying to work out a handmade version, but I’m honestly stumped. Does anyone have any ideas? Preferably ones I can move away from my cats reach? I wouldn’t mind something I could get away with making ornaments for all year… It’s soothing.

I come with photos! Whoo!These are some teddies my aunt brought back from Europe for us, I’m pretty sure Nan said she got them in Austria, but it could have been Germany. The one on the left is mine, I need a name for it. Any ideas?

A slightly crappy picture (sorry) of a mini-wreath ornament I made from leather, hemp, wooden beads and bells. It’s nice to hold, weighted but not too much so. It was time consuming to make, though. Like it?

So all this talk of Christmas is a, making me mildly nauseas and b, making me want to craft. Given that I am Pagan and in Australia, it’s really closer to Midsummer than it’ll ever be to Yule when Christmas comes around, so I have sort of bi-polar holiday decorating sprees. My mind sort of goes like this: Midsummer! Suns, war, flowers, fey! Christmas, Winter, snowflakes, snowmen, tinsel!

Despite the very obvious fact that I have never seen a white Christmas outside of movies and pictures.

And if I live here all my days, I probably never will see one. So the winter theme is marvellously ironic. Whoo! (Who else sees the hilarity in singing “White Christmas” in Australia, in December, in 30+°^C heat?)

Anyway, as most of my family is probably likely to look at me like a loon if I try to explain to them why Midsummer would be a more fitting holiday (some Catholics have no sense of humour) and I make most of my holiday ornaments, I propose a compromise. Which no one but me will suspect. Make Christmas/Midsummer ornaments! Sunny themes amongst the wintery ones.

Does anyone else make their own ornaments? Would anyone be interested in seeing what I come up with/tutorials I find helpful?

Which makes me happy to stupidly ridiculous levels. Beause there were a few years when we never spoke and I rang him about a month ago and we talked and now he’s rung back.

But I have a small problem. I want to make him something for Christmas (that I can mail, he lives in Queensland) and I don’t know what to make. And he says he’s colour blind, which sort of makes my normally colourful things sort of moot. Any ideas? He likes red.