Laura Seabrook's Ramblings

As seen on dfordoom's post:

Time Out's list of essential science fiction films. Italicise the ones you've seen, and bold those you like, while strike-through the ones you disliked (nb: I've changed the formatting codes to make this clearer).

The Abyss (1989)
Alien (1979)
Batteries Not Included (1987)
Cocoon (1985)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Battlefield Earth (2000)
The Black Hole (1979)
Cherry 2000 (1987)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
ET: The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
Contact (1997)
Sphere (1998)
Critters (1986)
Dark Star (1974)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Dune (1984)
Earth vs The Flying Saucers (1956)
Enemy Mine (1985)
Event Horizon (1997)
Explorers (1985)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Sunshine (2007)
Flash Gordon (1980)
Flesh Gordon (1974)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
The Fountain (2006)
Howard the Duck (1986)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Hidden (1987)
The Last Starfighter (1984)
The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Metropolis (1927)
Morons from Outer Space (1985)
Pitch Black (2000)
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
Red Planet (2000)
Mission to Mars (2000)
Repo Man (1984)
Brother From Another Planet (1984)
Serenity (2005)
Silent Running (1972)
Solaris (1972)
Solaris (2002)
Soylent Green (1973)
Spaceballs (1987)
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)
Ice Pirates (1984)
Solarbabies (1986)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek Generations (1994)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Starship Troopers (1997)
Supernova (2000)
The Thing (1982)
Things To Come (1936)
This Island Earth (1955)
Total Recall
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
War of the Worlds (1953)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Independence Day (1996)
Zardoz (1974)

1. Post ten (10 Only) pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.
2. NO CAPTIONS - speak with images only and let us interpret your visual language.
3. They must ALREADY be on your hard drive; no Googling or Flickr! They have to be saved to your folders sometime in the past and be something you've saved because it resonated with you for some reason. They can be of anything or anyone; family, friends, macros, maps, movie stars... anything that expresses you and your life or personality.
4. Please tag as "Post Your Drive".
5. You do not have to explain or answer any questions. You may if you want.
6. This is an ongoing meme; like "Five for Friday". Post a round anytime you feel like it.

I did one of these early last year, but it's fun so I'll do it again.

1. Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
   The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2. Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
   The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3. Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
   or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
   Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover. You can choose to go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrsocial/pool/ if you prefer a more dynamic, less philosophical cover.
4. Use photo shop, the gimp or similar to put it all together.

The results:

The rules:

1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this every day for a week without fail.

Slow dancing in Second Life with a cat in tails.

And yes, I know this is all a fantasy, but it felt really nice any way.

Out of the 7 days on this meme, I had two where I was utterly miserable, so I'm making it up with two extras.

The rules:

1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this every day for a week without fail.

Kevin figuring out how to (mostly) tune in my digital tuner with GB-PVR

...so this means I now have a proper media PC.

Up until today I've only had a small subset of local channels available to me. Yesterday it stopped working entirely, showing NO channels! What was the problem? It was too much signal for the tuner, so we attached the 4-way splitter and fed two leads to the tuner, one lead into the lounge TV and one to the TV in my bedroom. This attenuated the signal and both digital tuners are now working properly (with the exception that neither can find the TEN network, but maybe that can be added later). The TV in the bedroom now shows perfect analogue and digital reception.

This is the first step in setting up something more than just a set top box and DVD player, The next test will be to record this afternoon's episode of Corner Gas.

The rules:

1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this every day for a week without fail.

I got nothin' (I wish I did)

In fact, I had diarrhoea on a couple of occasion, including coming back from the chip shop and not quite making the toilet.  Also, the media PC stubbornly refuses to read network TEN and other fuck-ups. Not a happy day for me. I feel sick sick sick.

I'm sick of being ill. I've been this way since the 21st.

The rules:

1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this every day for a week without fail.

??? Nothing today made me particularly happy
In fact, I'm having considerable trouble breathing

Hmmm three days and I'm out. :(

Decided to try this in an effort to be "positive".

The rules:

1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this every day for a week without fail.

Gabby the cat meowing for a pat and me giving her one.

Oh, and I've changed my default icon (to "none").

As inspired by minxee's post (my comments under each question):

1. Heard a kookaburra in person.
         First day Peggy and I moved into Rainbow Haven we were greeted by one
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Seen a koala.
4. Visited Melbourne.
5. Watched a summer thunderstorm.
6. Worn a pair of thongs
         or Flip-flops, as they're known elsewhere
7. Been to Uluru (Ayer's Rock).
8. Visited Cape York.
9. Held a snake. 
         At the Reptile park in Wyoming (a suburb of Gosford)
10. Sang along with Khe San.
          For my 40th I was shouted at the old Newcastle Pub by Maz. 
          Her friends played Khe San over 40 times consecutively that day!
11. Drank VB.
12. Visited Sydney 
          quite often
13. Have seen a shark.
14. Have used Aussie slang naturally in a conversation. 
          sure thing mate
15. Had an actual conversation with an indigenous Australian (aboriginal).  
          You'd be surprised just how many Australians haven't (it's a racist thing 
          for some non-Indigenous folk)!
16. Eaten hot chips from the bag at the beach 
          Yeah, but, well better in the park with the pine trees (less sand in them)
17. Walked/climbed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  
          walked over once, but caught the train/bus over it more often
18. Used an outside dunny, and checked under the seat before sitting down.
          only in Perth
19. Seen Chloe in Young & Jackson's. 
          naw mate, but I've seen Jackson's in Canberra with a
          young friend called Chloe!
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus
21. Been to Sydney's Mardi Gras. 
          Mostly only to Fair Day and the the parade, where I've marched at  
          least 11 times
22. Have gone bush-bashing. 
          only on foot (preferably with dog)
23. Taken a sickie.
24. Been to see a game of Aussie Rules football. 
          My dad took me to one when I was ten
25. Have seen wild camels.
26. Gone skinny dipping. 
          at Minto
27. Had a Tim Tam Slam. 
          Gasp! No, but I sip shandies through a straw
28. Ridden in a tram in Melbourne.
29. Been at an ANZAC day Dawn Service.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. 
          all the time
31. Held a wombat.  
          I think not, nor have I tried boxing with a roo  
          (both will gut you if they can)
32. Been on a road trip of 800km or more.
33. Seen the Great Australian Bight in person
34. Had a really bad sunburn 
          it was a really botch suicide attempt
35. Visited an aboriginal community.
36. Seen a red back spider.
37. Have watched Paul Hogan with much bemusement.
38. Seen Blue Poles in person. (see #19)
39. Wandered barefoot in the bush/outback. 
          when the thongs broke
40. Eaten Vegemite.
41. Thrown a boomerang.
42. Seen the Kimberleys.
43. Given a hitch-hiker a lift.
44. Been to Perth
          Just recently, and of course, I grew up there (but I escaped!)
45. Have tried Lemon, Lime and Bitters.
46. Tried playing a didgeridoo. 
          don't have the lung capacity for one
47. Seen dinosaur footprints.
          mostly in my backyard
48. Eaten Tim Tams.
49. Been to Darwin.
50. Touched a kangaroo.
51. Visited the Great Barrier Reef.
          North Stradbroke Island back in 1997
52. Listened to Kevin Bloody Wilson. 
          worse luck
53. Killed a Cane Toad.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
          it was the 70s
55. Have read and own books by Australian authors.
56. Visited Adelaide.
          Perth without King's park and the Swan
57. Know the story behind "Eternity".
          Soon to be shown in the ABC
58. Been camping.
59. Visited Brisbane.
60. Been in an outback pub. 
          The Kwolyin Pub (since burnt down)
61. Know what the term "Waltzing Matilda" actually means.
62. Gone whale watching. 
          The buggers never showed, though I have patted a dolphin
63. Listened to Slim Dusty.
64. Own five or more Australian movies or TV series.
65. Sang along to Down Under. 
          One has to be drunk, or in a room full of Countdown fans to do so
66. Have stopped specifically to look at an historic marker by the side of the road. 
          In particular, roadside memorials to traffic accidents
67. Eaten a 4'n'20 pie. 
          Year ago, until I found half a rat in it
68. Surfed at Bondi. 
          don't surf, couldn't swim until I was 30
69. Watched the cricket on Boxing Day. 
          when I still lived at home, and dad had it on
70. Visited Hobart.
71. Eaten kangaroo.
72. Seen a quokka. 
          While at Rotto, though they're also on  Bald Island and Garden Island, 
          though most recently I saw a Quokka at the newsagent in  
          Perth Domestic Airport
73. Visited Canberra.
74. Visited rainforests.
75. Used a Victa lawnmower.
76. Travelled on a tram in Adelaide.
77. Used a Hills hoist.
78. Visited Kata Tjuta
          See #79
79. Visited the Olgas.
          Trick question!
80. Used native Australian plants in cooking.
81. Visited the snow.
82. Chosen a side in Holden VS Ford.
          almost as good as Aussie Rules vs Rugby
          (and I drove mostly Japanese cars)
83. Visited the desert.
84. Been water skiing.
85. Read The Phantom.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Gone spotlighting or pig-shooting.
88. Crossed the Nullarbor.
          It was a bit hard not to when I lived in Perth and wanted to 
          go to another "real" city
89. Avoided swimming in areas because of crocodiles.
90. Listened to AC/DC.
91. Called someone a dag.
          Whoever wrote this, maybe? ;)
92. Voted in a Federal Election.
93. Have been swimming and stayed between the flags.
94. Had a possum in your roof.
          Every year
95. Visited the outback.
          born there (Kalgoorlie)
96. Travelled over corrugated roads.
97. Hit a kangaroo while driving.
98. Been well outside any mobile phone coverage.
99. Seen an emu.
100. Have woken to the smell of bushfires.
           Prefer not to, though.

Interesting meme - I hope yuriverse fills out this meme - I want to see your results.

Inspired by aesmael's post.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now (even if we don't speak often or ever) please post a comment with a completely made up, fictional memory of you and me.

It can be anything you want - good or bad - but it has to be fake.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph in your LJ and see what your friends come up with!