new computer monitor

Most of my blog posts start with 'I'. This has nothing to do with the title, I just noticed it. It's not surprising since this is a purely narcissistic blog I write about me...and the weather. Hmm, Most of the weather blogs don't start with "I". Perhaps I should start using the royal "We" as variation.

We bought a new computer monitor today because SWTOR on a 19 inch monitor is tricky in group fights - too much HUD to click on the action. We were planning on 22-24 inch, but they either had shiny screens (yuck - much prefer matt) and/or didn't have the DVI cable option (only VGA). So, since it was on a $100 off sale, We now have a 27 inch screen. It doesn't have the 2ms refresh rate of the old one, lets see how long an LG lasts, but they set up skyrim on it and I couldn't see any difference in the quality with the character doing fast battle moves. This is as big as we can go and still fit the monitor and computer together on the desk.

We had to go back and correct all the accidental first person wordage in the paragraph above.

March Books

I doubt I'll read another one today. Too much to do, sp here they are...some with a 1 line comment! I like to ensureyou have enough feedback.

Wen Spencer : tinker – attracted by the bright pastel cover colours, stayed for the story
Garth Nix and Sean Williams: Trouble twisters – a little young for me I think, I couldn’t relate to the main characters
Rick Riordan: The throne of fire – OK book number two in a series I haven’t read # 1 of, so I can’t judge too much, it may require #1 to set the scene
Gail Carriger: timeless – enjoyed it. I really can’t see the issue with the dominant male thing – the female lead justs blasts straight through it
Kristen Britain: Green rider and first riders call – good books, I recommend the series
Orson Scott Card: The lost gate – book one in a series – looking good

Plus what I read at Andreas’
The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko
- Psi High and Others
- Diving the Wreck
- City of Ruins
- Boneyards

Edit:
OK, so much for not reading another one

Garth Nix: A Confusion of Princes - very good, read it in one sitting.

skyrim nausea

I have just come to the conclusion that the way skyrim is interfaced makes me nauseous. I played it a few times when I first got it and felt off afterwards. Then I played it again tonight and I feel distinctly off again. I think its the way you change direction with the mouse. Its too randomly floaty. Queasy now so off to bed.

The things they make..

I bought Bertie Botts every flavour beans from my local lolly shop the other day. The soap flavoured beans actually taste like soap, the dirt ones taste like dirt, the vomit ones taste like spaghetti bolognaise (which I think smells like vomit anyway). I think I'll pass them round the tea room this morning.

Last night I had the strangest dream

I dreamt I was participating in a bike race, underwater, in canals..I think there was scuba gear involved, but we could have just been holding our breath. Then I was teleported to Antarctica and was hiking through the snowy wasteland looking for people to save me when I came over a ridge and there was a large, green mossy field with Mawson's hut at the front and a huge industrial complex behind it. I wandered up and the surprised employees got me to wait out front while they figured out what was going on. I remember looking down at the light jacket, shorts and cloth shoes I was wearing and thinking "I should be colder than this".

What did I eat last night? There was no cheese.

Power is back

we have the electricity back on. Its not all cleaned up yet. I've been hearing chainsaws all morning and every time I drive to and from work the roads/lanes that are closed have changed as they work on powerpoles and debris. So lots of interesting meandering routes to work

next pic

Did I mention, shortly after the storm we started hearing the sirens, I thought it might be one home...until daylight

tornados now

What next?
I was woken at 5:10am this morning to huge winds and thunder and rain going sideways into the house and what i thought was my parents closing windows loudly and banging on my door. In retrospect, they hadn't shut anything by the time i got up to close my window, so it must have been the sound of roofs being ripped off nearby.

I shut my window and then did a double take because there was still rain getting on me...through the wood panels between the casement windows. the rain hit the bathroom louvres and sprayed in up on the ceiling. At least the fly screens are clean now. The ceiling isn't.

My budgies are traumatised and we lost an eggplant bush, and nearby there are fences and brick walls and gates down..but the cross treat is worse.Not far away theres a house where the roof came off and all thats left are the beams and another where they lost the roof and half the walls (see piccys above). A road was closed nearby & they used roof panels as part of the road closed sign. Apparently there were no houses in that area that didn't lose their roof and some houses in Townsville have been completely demolished - though i haven't seen the evidence yet.

February books

and it took me till 1/2 way through March to list them...March may be difficult because I inhaled some of Andreas books while visiting and didn't make notes of the titles.

Neil Gaiman: Anansi boys
Sylvia Kelso: The moving water, Everran's bane
Rick Riordan: The son of Neptune
Misti Wolanski: Driven by the deadline
Selena Fenech: Memories wake, emotionally chraged
Kristine Kathryn Rush: The white mists of power

On other news I joined goodreads, but it seems to upload my database of just under 900 novels requires I have the ISBN numbers...the only information I don't have. There is a barcode reader at work. Perhaps one day I'll borrow it and resort all my books using the scanner...or one week.

Sydney conference

I managed to have a conference in Sydney on the wettest day they've had in 25 years...and it was at its worst at rush hour when I was travelling. I had to wade through the summer hill station underpass. Unlike the locals I didn't take off my shoes..and I waited for someone else to wade to be sure there weren't any potholes. Then I had to catch a taxi. Nobody was answering their number so I went to a taxi in the street which was in a traffic jam - cars everywhere. He was letting off a client at the station because they couldn't get across Parramatta road which was shut due to flooding. We took a long detour, which still should have only doubled my 7 minutes taxi ride, but the traffic jams were so bad, it took 50 minutes. The rain was tropical during the taxi ride and we went through some flood waters that I wouldn't go through in a sedan at home.
I was only 1/2 an hour late for the conference. It was very good btw. I'm taking some ideas home & I met lots of interesting people.

no wonder I felt blah today

I have a bit of a scratchy throat & an eye strain headache & by 1pm I was had it for the day & went home sick at 2pm (it took an hour to get through everything enough to be able to walk out the door). Then I realised I hadn't eaten anything since 6 am., hadn't drunk anything since 8am and had worked solidly since 7am with 3 hours of lectures thrown in...no wonder I felt bad...and I'd worked almost a full day before I left. So, after painkillers for the headache. ease-a-cold and gargle for the scratchy throat a drink of juice and a piece of cake for lack of sustenance and a nap...I feel somewhat better

Cranky day

And it started well, then someone changed a protocol and didn't tell me till the last minute...well, 5 minutes before I was supposed to teach it. Not happy Jan. I don't like other people changing things I'm supposed to be in charge of without consultation. Enough said.