{ 30.1.01 }

I have this burning itch to update my blog or transfer it over to Blogger, but I can't at present - I need to do some fiddly things with the stuff in my webspace, and CuteFTP - though off a fresh install - has decided to tell me that my trial ended two weeks ago. Liar..!

And I don't want to turn this little bit into a "traditional" blog.

Whatever shall I do?

I know. I'll go and watch "Frasier". It will definitely do me and my tired brain some good.

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{ 27.1.01 }

sammy's Best-Ever Potato Wedges

Don't argue, just make 'em.

Ingredients: 6 - 8 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges (4 - 6 for each). Cup of dry breadcrumbs, tablespoon curry powder (ultra-hot if you have it), same of lemon pepper, some chicken stock powder, and whatever other herbs and spices strike your fancy. Mix these dry ingredients up. Half a cup of vinegar.

Method: dip wedges in vinegar (oh, don't whinge - they won't taste too vinegary, if you're not the vinegar loving type), and then in the breadcrumb mixture until well-coated. Place wedges on a baking tray (sprayed lightly with cooking spray). Cook in a 200 degree C oven for 40 mins - an hour, checking a couple of times. Baking time isn't strict - but the potatoes should be cooked and you know they're good when the coating is crunchy and has bubbled up a bit, so you may find yourself baking them for about an hour and a half. It's worth the wait, trust me.

Serve plain, or if you want, with ketchup and sweet chili sauce (preferably mixed together - you might think this is sacriligious, but it isn't).

Fat per serve - nada. Enjoy..!

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{ 25.1.01 }

Guess what tonight is? Tonight is plasma night..! It's also "sammy makes her friend Liz give whole blood for the first time ever" night. See..! I'm having at least one person's worth of positive effect on the world in one tiny little way.

I could entertain you more with tales of my father's witty repartee of insults - I must ask him how he comes up with gems like "you dumb shit" in such a fantastic off-the-cuff fashion, it could save me in an argument - but I'm just about to prepare myself a nice cup of noodles and drink some more water in preparation for... plasma night! That really should be Plasma Night.

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{ 21.1.01 }

Yay, the blog got updated. Go have a look, it's chock full of nifty goodness... chili recipes, a column by Kevin Smith, some cute personal sites, etc.

Anyone got a spare room they want to lend me? I need to haul ass out of this house, pronto. I'm not kidding. It really sucks that I have to stay here because of address purposes for this godforsaken visa... I have to live in this hole and be told that "the visa is taking a long time because Nathan doesn't want you anymore" and that I'm a liar and a pig and that if I talk back I'm going to be beaten to death.

These are not jokes, people. I do live with an emotionally abusive and physically threatening pyschotic. It's all very well and good to say that abused women should just get out of their houses and leave their abusers, but this is my home. Give me one good reason why I should be the one to leave this place, the house I grew up in, when I'm the only person that does anything? Without me it would likely never be cleaned and the cupboards would be bare and the dishes never done. The pets would be neglected, the floors would never be vacuumed, the place would be an absolute pigsty (my room notwithstanding). Give me a good reason why my mother should leave? When she's the one that holds the budget together and allows us to actually keep a roof over our heads while he drinks and burns the rest? Why should the victims of abuse be the ones to leave when it's perfectly clear that abusers of all kinds should be unkindly deported out of their homes, because they do not deserve families or care or respect.

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{ 15.1.01 }

I heard "Patience" on the radio again today. Either Triple M has a limited playlist or the airwave gods are trying to drive the point home.

I have a little Public Service Announcement to make - this could be of interest only to Australians, but it's relevant the world over.

If you're in good health, get thee to a Blood Bank immediately or as soon as possible..! Blood stores are dropping to alarming lows, especially because the risk of "mad cow disease" has ruled out donations from anyone who lived in the UK for a six-month-or-more period in the last ten years. Only 3% of Australians regularly donate blood, and of the healthy adult folk among the remaining 97%, the main reason they don't donate is "not enough time." Not enough time? People, it's one hour every three months. You make an appointment at the Blood Bank centre, or call them and see if there's a mobile unit coming out to your general area, you go there, they take your blood pressure and haemoglobin count, then they put a needle in your arm - it's like a slight sting, and then it goes away with a few deep breaths. The bag fills up with blood while you relax and read a magazine, and then afterward, you get a free snack. If you give blood plasma (the liquid part of blood), you get to donate every two weeks, rather than every three months for whole blood donation. The nurses are always really nice to you, and you walk away feeling that you've done something worthwhile.

Take a friend. Take a bunch of friends. Just go and give blood now, damnit!

More info: The Australian Red Cross Blood Service

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{ 14.1.01 }

Oy, So much fiddling with the settings and templates just to fix this thing up and get the archives tucked away somewhere..! It probably looks like I've been sitting here and "blogging" all day. Not so, chickadees.

I saw "Blair Witch II: Book of Cheese" last night. It followed most of the "formula" of the original (paranoia and strange happenings) only with a sprinkling of special effects and a lot of gore, all of which accounts for the lingering aroma of parmesan, but I still liked it. It was - to me at least - scary as all hell and quite fucked up. I was watching it with my hands over my eyes in some parts - my mother laughed at me.

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{ 12.1.01 }

There's a new journal entry up for your perusal. I haven't even given a second thought to my blog in the last week - I've been entirely too busy to scout out any new links, but I do have one I want to share, so I guess you should check that out as well - I'll put it up eventually!

Out in traffic yesterday I saw a girl driving a BMW, and on each headrest - front seats and back - was a lace doilie. I had to wonder if she was driving a car or a loungeroom... and if she'd considered the security of her vehicle well enough. I mean, a maurauding gang of grandmas could break in and have afternoon tea in there or something..! The horror!

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Hey, Mr. Road Rage...

Dear "Father", genetically imprinted upon me as you regrettably are,

Please don't make rude gestures or scream obscenities out the window at other motorists whilst I attempt to drive your drunken ass home. It makes it hard to concentrate on the road, and if someone cuts me off or "takes my braking space", I think I'm well-equipped enough to ignore them and let it go. By the way, when I politely request that you don't smoke in my car, I damn well mean it, you nicotine-injected freak.

no love, but much humiliation,

your "daughter",

sammy

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{ 11.1.01 }

I've heard Guns n' Roses' "Patience" and "November Rain" about twice each in the last two days. Is somebody trying to tell me something through the shitty radio station I listen to at work?

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{ 9.1.01 }

Apparently yesterday was (Inter?)National Bubblebath Day, I assume just in America since it was an American who alerted me to the fact. I think every day should be Bubblebath Day. Or at the very least, Bubble Day, which is easily acheived with a little bottle of bubble mix and a wand, available at most toy shops and any department store with a toy section. I have a couple of bottles and a few wands scattered around in my room - I love to blow bubbles, see them shining in the air before they pop. Bubble-blowing is becoming a popular alternative to confetti and bird-killing raw rice at weddings, which gives me at least one idea for the Most Unplanned Wedding Ever, which doesn't even have a date yet (it's that unplanned). I think that everyone who attends should be blowing bubbles throughout the ceremony. What an awesome way to celebrate - no passive sitting and smiling while Nathan and I say our vows, our guests can create atmosphere. Yeah!

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{ 6.1.01 }

Well, where else would a cat sleep when it's unbearably hot?

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{ 2.1.01 }

Whining Yet Again About Advertising

Annoying me this time is a stupid ad for Pizza Hut featuring three "groovy" guys (you know they're cool because they're wearing Hawaiian shirts, boardies and sunglasses) and a "cute" girl - gathered in their livingroom, one of the boys decides, "Let's get some pizza!" which prompts the girl to go and "get ready". (Get ready for what, exactly?) She exits, one boy calls Pizza Hut to pre-order their pizza, the other two leave to pick it up. Once they're back with the greasy, meat-filled items, the girl emerges from a back room in a pretty pink frock - and jewellry, with a little black bag - and announces, "I'm ready!", which is met with knowing smirks and a sarcastic, "That was quick." She rolls her eyes while the boys tuck into the pizza.

1. Not all girls feel compelled to give themselves a total makeover before venturing out in public. I might change out of sweatpants into my "nice" trousers before I go to the shopping centre but it's not the same thing. The act of wearing sweats in public sometimes crosses a line that I know all too well, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but sometimes I have just a teeny bit of pride. However, I don't get all dressed up just to go out for food.

2. Ha, ha, not.

3. If an ad pitches two or more guys against a girl, the girl always comes out looking dippy. What's up with that?

Not that I'm complaining too loudly. I'm not going to write an indignant letter to the Board of Advertising on Network TV or whatever the hell there might be, demanding that they pull the ad or something reactionary like that. If that happened everytime something annoyed me, I'd eventually have nothing to complain about - and we can't have that, can we?

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{ 1.1.01 }

Updated the blog. I know, you're all thinking I should just move the blog here and save myself the trouble, but I have a word for you: no. I'm more than just a linklog, god damn you...! I'm a person! I have feelings! Sniffle!

Uh, yeah. I'm nearing nap-time, forgive me.

Looking into my crystal ball for a second, I foresee that there could be a journal entry coming soon. Or more naps. Both seem like a distinct possibility at this point in time.

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