My existential crisis re: Alice in Wonderland

"I didn't like the Alice books because I found them creepy and horribly unfunny in a nasty, plonking, Victorian way. Oh, here's Mr Christmas Pudding On Legs, hohohoho, here's a Caterpillar Smoking A Pipe, hohohoho. When I was a kid the books created in me about the same revulsion as you get when, aged seven, you're invited to kiss your great-grandmother." - Terry Pratchett

Thankfully someone phrased it better than me. In speaking with a friend yesterday about the notion of narrative and plot, Alice in Wonderland came up. With it too came a quick realisation that I'm not a fan, and secondly that I don't understand one thing that happens in it.

Further investigation revealed that I was never a fan of the book as a child although Mother did read it to me. Apparently I didn't like the falling down a rabbit hole idea nor cakes and drinks that proclaimed 'eat me' and 'drink me'. I objected to the book so much that Mother donated it to charity and we never watched the movie, although I'm sure I've seen it parts of it at some point. This is course coming from someone who loves the Gene Wilder movie version of Willy Wonka, so no problems with the child on an adventure, makes choices good and bad and meets weirdos genre at all for me. Oh well...time to rediscover it and face those fears of rabbit holes?

The Liberty London Girl returns

It's weird the connection you have with the bloggers you follow. In 2006 I was an avid follower of Liberty London Girl...we shared the common bond of both being female and me reading her blog. Never met, never exchanged words, but for a few minutes a couple of times a week, I'd log on and check in.

What grabbed me most was the complete swap in circumstances (she a fabulous UK fashion girl come NY local and me, well me) and of course the weather with LLG in boots and covering up from the cold and me turning the fan up. Sadly though for personal reasons she decided to stop blogging a while ago, and fair enough too although I knew I'd miss her keenly...but now she is back!

I happened upon her blog again when my work laptop went kaput. Suddenly all my favourites and internet links were held up on a dead machine and it was back to a world of network server...and some old links....and there she was...a quick click and we were back in business. But so much time has past...will we ever catch up...what has happened? And why do I want to send her a big hug as a thank-you for continuing her journey and the fortuitous event that brought me back to the site? Either way, if you are after me, I'm catching up with LLG.

The Golden Mongoose

Yes, I've finally got around to uploading photos. So here it is...my new bike! Meet the Golden Mongoose.

And just look at that gold.

Gold in a way that is so Gold Coast tarnish rather than Olympic medal glory. Gold that is grungy gold that just screams the 1980's...and what better than to match your gold Mongoose to a gold and black helmet.

Ok, so it's not quite Copenhagen Cycle Chic, but watch out BMXers and Tour de Frenchies...

PS. The old friend's bike will go to good use too, I'm donating it to a charity that recycles bikes for underprivileged kids.

Like Hawaii threw up on my plum pudding

or the 70's...that's how I'm describing this picture taken on Christmas Day. Well I had to do something to entertain myself and what better than an ugly tablecloth, some punch and umbrellas in my drink. Super stylish I know.

I made that pudding myself as well, but that involved hours of recipe research, extensive fruit soaking, a trip to pick up my pudding calico, soaking said calico, making the pudding, fussing about with how much flour was required to be spread on the cloth for skin forming, constructing a complex hanging method so the pudding is neither completely submerged nor not submerged enough...hours of waiting, a complete failure, a do-over, more hours of waiting...and then a week or so of worry before pudding time...but that is a much longer story!

Happy Lamington Day...

So, as it was our National Day and I decided to make lamingtons. Not eating wheat or sugar for a few weeks and feeling like a sweet carb indulgence of course had no effect on my quest to make these sweet coco-nutty cakes at all you understand.

Much to my surprise Matt Moran provided the inspiration and before I knew it, 3 hours of careful baking later and voila! (well a few minutes of mixing, then sponge cooking, then waiting for it to cool for an hour or so, then about 5 minutes of roll it about in chocolatey niceness and fluff about with coconut).

The interesting part of my adventure was I also had no jam and no icing sugar in the cupboard. So? Well quince paste stepped in nicely for the jam, just a lovely bit of tartness, and in the place of the icing sugar some melted down orchid icing (you know that pre-rolled icing so favoured on iced fruit cakes, that was in cupboard too!), The result...bloody awesome. And can you see my very yellow sponge...how's that for a nice use of organic and biodynamic eggs, Happy Australia Day.

Image: Quince Paste Lamingtons on Wedgwood Jasper Conran 'Chinoiserie' saucer

On a presentation with a lose topic...but pretty pictures

So I've been asked to speak at an upcoming conference regarding the use of Tstats. For those playing at home Tstats is a reporting and analysis add in for our Tessitura CRM...really for us visual learners it's all in the drag and drop reporting.

This all started as I mentioned the topic months ago in a meeting and am now apparently an 'expert', meaning I have used the program more than a few others. As I said to a colleague from the SOH my presentation would not be about how to use Tstats rather, how to utilise Tstats in amongst other reporting options.

So what to speak about, well...

1) I still don't trust it

2) configure rules

3) cross check

4) play

5) don't reinvent the wheel...

Yep that's about it for now, but at least I have a new toy to play with. I'm thinking about using Prezi as my tool for presenting as I am more than a little over powerpoint presentations and in a nerdy moment, absolutely love the flexibility of prezi (ok, yes I also love how it zooms in and out too)...now to just decide what to speak about...back to the drawing board!

On beachcombing

Don't for a minute think that I have finally started on my longed for quest to visit every secret harbour beach in Sydney. No, this pleasure is a lot more er, armchair inclined.

With a midweek evening timeslot ABC1 are never wrong and my new love this week is Monty Halls and his Beachcomber Cottage. In a sentence...man leaves city (man is a marine biologist, yes a real one George Costanza fans!) moves to rugged Scottish coast and takes over a derelict crofter so essentially tries to adapt, ruralise and live off the land...buys boat, tries to fish...has spirited and playful dog...man builds his own composting toilet...looks lonely as the weather changes (think howling wind and flickering candlelight), man runs up hills to keep fit, takes shirt off occasionally. Are you with me now?

This BBC series is well worth a dip into and a perfect follow up after my River Cottage phase. Guilty pleasures abound. Oh dear, a press release I just found online for the series says he is a 'former Royal Marine'. Now that was something missing from the ABC teasers adverts!

...and so we beat on

Gasp!....2010.

I will not attempt to write a 'best of 2009' post followed by a heady list of resolutions too soon forgotten and neatly summed up with a thoughtful and poignant remark about my hopes for 2010. Nor will I rant about the all those things we were suppose to have by this oddly futuristic date...aka where's my flying car Marty McFly? Nor will I do a best of the decade-type post as I'm sure 2003 and bits of 2006 slipped out of my brain at some stage. Instead I'm going to steal a quote from my favourite heroine Elizabeth Bennet and say that this year

'I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me...'

So there 19th century nirvana, pure and simple. Happy New Year!