A LEAN, GREEN, PROCRASTINATION MACHINE

 

april 29, 2003

belated.

i am going to have to get up so early tomorrow morning. part of the assignment that i'm marking at the moment is participation in an online voice forum, and that means a whole bunch of audio downloads. which i'll have to go into uni for.

and i don't have a car.

quite possibly the tuesday students won't get their assignments back until next week.

because i have procrastinated and had a craft day (which was quite successful) and met people for lunch and gone shopping and saw bands and slept a little too much.

i still have 40 assignments to completely mark, 20 to finish marking (the online component), marks to enter and a class to prepare for. luckily only the class preparation has to be done by tomorrow.

i also have to study for my logic test for technical communication and keep up to speed for television and society and for component engineering.

so, my intention is to not blog until friday.

even though aidan will be dropping off my package of stuff shipped over from europe. and even if i find a cool potential band name such as The Bodacious Ta Tas.


pipstar @ 12:37 AM | link | Comments: *

april 28, 2003

i love matt!

Matt: "The last one is my favorite one and everyone loves it. Many people ask if she is a model and I say YES!"

Pippa: "Damn straight!"

this is our evil lovechild craig. i gave birth to him through my hooha.

proof that starving yourself makes you more beautiful

when i was in italy i hung out with some really great people who i met in spain. matt, as he is the most flattering is definitely my favourite person ever!

and what's even cooler? he's coming to australia! so if anyone wants to give a hot hot boy some kinda fabulous business job (preferably in sydney) just get in contact with me!

(gee, i hope that that doesn't bring in too many dodgy searches!)

he's even cuter in real life


pipstar @ 03:26 PM | link | Comments:

april 25, 2003

the tidy cook

lordy. i haven't cleaned up for tomorrow (the craft day) or started baking yet.

yep. this whole unlimited internet access thing is really bad.

i'm going to switch off and tidy up. really i am.

but first, here's a picture of a car similar to mine. only it isn't partially crushed.

redcar.jpg

i have ideas popping out of my brain. they mostly are the result of reading a little bit of Alex's chronicles each day. i just have to do something though.

mmm. food porn via the morning news.

nescafe big break. yikes. i'd better enter this year. i'm almost too old.


pipstar @ 01:21 AM | link | Comments:

april 25, 2003

smash it up

guess what i did today?

i woke up and finished my essay.

i drove up to uni and submitted the assignment. i ran into alison at the submission box and we hung out and talked about stuffe. like will and grace. (there's a will and grace marathon on. yay!)

and i went to kmart and wandered around looking at stuff on sale and bought underwear and some more long stripey socks and some liquid eyeliner and a cool stainless steel thermos flask which has a funky pop open pouring thing.

once i got home i went for a walk to buy some butter. i realised that i had enough time to go to yoga, so i put on my leggings, hopped into my car and drove off, thinking of ways to make my fortune.

as i went around the scary horrible kensington road roundabout and indicated to head east my car was hit (on the passenger side luckily) and my car swung around and went onto the verandah area of the brittania pub.

the corner verandah post had been replaced from the previous major accident only three weeks before. this is a dangerous intersection.

i didn't hit anything, not a pilon, not a verandah support post, nor a chair. and once i realised that my car had been smashed i thought:

"fuck, i'm late for yoga. fuck, i should brake." and i did. it looked liked i'd parked the car there on purpose.

so, my car is fairly crunched. the body work along one side is badly damaged and the door won't close properly. and even though my car is drivable, it seems kinda lopsided which might be fixed up by a wheel realignment, but it could also be the frame.

anyway, i'm feeling cool. shocked and stressed and hoping that my insurance doesn't have to pay. (the other driver failed to give way to the right. so i'm not at fault).

but i didn't get to go to yoga!


pipstar @ 12:15 AM | link | Comments: *

april 24, 2003

back to the future.

in may last year i took the colour test and i ran market-o-matic.

and i just did both again.

colour test

Your Existing Situation
Readily participates in things that provide excitement or stimulation. Wants to feel exhilarated.

Your Stress Sources
Wishes to be independent, unhampered, and free from any limitation or restriction, other than those which she imposes of herself or by her own choice and decision.

Your Restrained Characteristics
Willing to participate and to allow herself to become involved, but tries to fend off conflict and disturbance in order to reduce tension.
Believes that she is not receiving her share--that she is neither properly understood nor adequately appreciated. Feels that she is being compelled to conform, and close relationships leave her without any sense of emotional involvement.
Able to achieve satisfaction through sexual activity.

Your Desired Objective
Needs a change in her circumstances or in her relationships which will permit relief from stress. Seeking a solution which will open up new and better possibilities and allow hopes to be fulfilled.

Your Actual Problem
Feels restricted and prevented from progressing; seeking a solution which will remove these limitations.


market-o-matic

Work of Proto-Art in the Age of Generative Reproduction

The mind creates, the empire accentuates. In the trans-gender reality, art objects are resurrections of the imaginations of the mind -- a mind that uses the empire as a zeitgeist to represent ideas, patterns, and emotions. With the rationalization of the electronic environment, the mind is approaching a point where it will be free from the empire to transcend immersions into the machinations of the delphic reality. Work of Proto-Art in the Age of Generative Reproduction contains 10 minimal shockwave engines (also refered to as "soundtoys") that enable the user to make exciting audio/visual compositions.

measuring chains, constructing realities
putting into place forms
a matrix of illusion and disillusion
a strange attracting force
so that a seduced reality will be able to spontaneously feed on it


pipstar @ 01:48 AM | link | Comments:

april 24, 2003

old skool blog entry

yeah. 1727 words done! and there actually seems to be a point to what i'm writing. only 200 words of filling in and wrapping up and then the work is done for tonight.

sweet.

and i've just put in the bibliography. that's usually a very very last minute task.

i just need to finish the goddamn essay!

lordy. i do really repeat myself!


pipstar @ 12:21 AM | link | Comments:

april 23, 2003

this or that tuesday (a day late)

1. Yummier: Chocolate ice cream or strawberry cheesecake? homemade strawberry cheesecake
2. Better to watch on TV: Movies or sports? movies
3. A better web browser: MSIE or Netscape (or tell us your own favorite!) well, i design largely for IE (its a market share thing)
4. A better way to travel: Automobile or bus/train? public transport all the way. better for the environment and you get to read and switch off.
5. Your preferred camera: Digital or film? both. for different reasons.
6. A Cooler Vehicle: Motorcycle or sports car? motorcycle
7. More fun: Video games or board games? boardgames
8. Sexier: A perfect body or an intelligent mind? the mind. but only if it works in a sexy way
9. A stinkier smell: Skunk or gasoline (petrol)? skunk (i guess)
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: What is more important to you: making a ton of money and being at the top of your field, or finding your soulmate and living a comfortable but not wealthy life?
soulmate and a comfortable life.


pipstar @ 03:22 PM | link | Comments:

april 23, 2003

i make an l with my hand and hold it to my head

so i was sitting writing an email to a fellow vegie gardener and i heard the rubbish truck go past my window. i forgot to take out the rubbish!

since i've made the compost bin, i've reduced my household waste considerably, which didn't really matter as the standard trash hadn't been picked up yet. but i'd forgotten to take out the green waste bin!

it's full and won't be picked up for a fortnight now. and there is a huge pile of non compostable waste (eeek! asparagus fern!) already piled high against the fence.

it's not like i was writing my essay last night. or reading. or tidying up. or any time of productive procrastination.

i was playing freecell.


pipstar @ 02:23 PM | link | Comments:

april 22, 2003

mash it up

whoops. i think that i was meant to put all boys into the mash game.

You will live in Mansion.
You will drive a blue vespa.
You will marry sarah and have 1 kids.
You will be a it consultant in melbourne.

what's going to happen to you?


pipstar @ 12:09 AM | link | Comments: ******

april 20, 2003

lalalala

it looks like i'm going to have to try making mozarella. fortune made some the other day and is raving about how easy and fun the process was.

and a link to lay-c's site from bccy has made me think about combining fish and bamboo. (to look at. not to eat)

i don't know what is going to happen next year (adelaide, melbourne, sydney, copenhagen, the world?) so i can't justify getting anything cute and fluffy, or something with a memory lasting > 5 seconds. but a fish? boring, but still, it's company. i'm serious about the pet. but feng shui?

if i was really serious about fengshui i would do a massive cleanup, use mirrors and various devices to align the sectors of my house and i'd leave the lid down on the toilet. i haven't done anything like this. in fact, as we speak, my fortune has just slipped down the drain. oh dear.

and at this point in my mid semester break procrastination (essay, mathematics, marking) i haven't yet resorted to cleaning. but tidying (there is a difference between tidying and cleaning. that difference is a matter of hygiene) looms on the horizon. i am however, about 25% through the essay's word count, but i'm probably only about 15% through the style and content of the essay..

my living room has crafty things scattered across the floor, there are records and cds on surfaces that they shouldn't be resting on and i have to work out where to place pete's keyboard (with sequencer!) for maximum use and space efficiency.


pipstar @ 08:00 PM | link | Comments:

april 20, 2003

yesterday...

this cat came to visit me i took a photo of my treasure there were many different greens


pipstar @ 05:31 PM | link | Comments:

april 19, 2003

10 out of 10 (i make a compost bin)

do you know it only takes 10 minutes (or thereabouts) to make a compost bin?

you need:

turn the bin upside down and use the secateurs to cut out the base section of the bin.

once the base is out, turn the bin upright.

dig a few inches into the ground where you intend to put the compost bin.

put the bin onto the ground and put the lid on top. you may want to secure the bin with some stakes.

add kitchen scraps, dirt, leaves as required

follow good composting rules.

an ordinary black bin

cut the bottom out

and you have a compost bin


pipstar @ 06:31 PM | link | Comments:

april 19, 2003

handmade by pippa

apparently one can not only make mozarella at home, but one can also painstakingly prepare green, black and oolong tea!

as much as i love my tea and would love to live some type of self sufficient lifestyle, i have a feeling that i'd prefer just heading off to the tbar to buy some more rather than spending a week fermenting my leaves before they dry.

also the choice of tea would be limited. at the moment i have monks pear, blue flower earl grey, homemade chai, store bought chai and standard lipton yellow label teabags. so i'm not going to make my own tea. and i probably will never make my own mozarella.

and even though i love the idea, i'm never going to own a wormfarm. this article at yougrowgirl is a great guide to setting up a worm farm. however, worms only eat certain products... i have enough problems balancing my own diet, let alone that of a thousand worms!

:::...

the desire to be some type of self sufficient hippie earth mother is often very strong. but not to the extent of tea manufacturing. maybe just growing my own vegetables and possibly having some chickens.

but i can do those things and have a "proper" job, whether that be working for the man, running my own business or consulting for the man. but i still don't know what to do!


pipstar @ 04:09 PM | link | Comments: *

april 18, 2003

christ is risen

i planted the snail creeper next to my bedroom window, and was motivated enough to turn the earth where i intend to have my vegetable garden. i found a little brown bottle with its label still visible (...headaches...) and a half penny.

i thought i might discover some more clues or treasure, but after the bottle and the coin there were just bits of brick and glass. the earth doesn't seem to be particularly nutritious or treasure filled.

so tomorrow i'm going to brave easter saturday hardware store madness and i'll buy some manure and a compost bin.


pipstar @ 06:55 PM | link | Comments:

april 18, 2003

christ has died

last night i dreamt of bird nests and concrete gardens.

i woke up and ate cookies which are more candy than biscuit.

i didn't go to sonja's brunch and i have two punnets of strawberries in the fridge.

ninetynine are playing tonight and memories of istanbul will come flooding back.


pipstar @ 01:46 PM | link | Comments:

april 18, 2003

shell.

the other day i threw a bit of a tantrum when i discovered that the jasmine on the fence opposite the kitchen window had been removed. i thought that the gardener had got out of control as one did in claire's garden, but i later discovered that the neighbours hadn't enjoyed having such a lovely plant crawling across their tennis court.

so today i visited the local hardwarey / garden store and bought a new jasmine, a beautiful smelling snail creeper and a punnet of brussel sprouts. i'm going to plant the snail creeper right near by bedroom window so that i'll have super lovely smelling sleeps next summer, and the brussel sprouts are my foray into winter vegetable gardening.

i don't really like brussel sprouts that much, so i figure that i might eat them more willingly if i've grown them. hopefully my family and friends will appreciate little green sprouty balls of fun, as i'm sure i'm going to get sick of eating them.

but i got motivated in the gardening store... maybe i could plant beans and peas and baby beets! broccoli, carrots and cabbage! i think i'll hold off purchasing store bought seeds as i'm still intending to join the digger's seed club which gives you access to many different heirloom vegetable varieties.

gardening stores are a little like craft, art supply, hardware, $2 variety, music and wine shops. i walk in intending to purchase one item and i come out with about 7 extra things! managing to leave with only three individual plant purchases instead of just one is what i call a successful shopping trip.

but i didn't do to well on the music front today. i've managed to resist buying any new cds and hardly anything second hand since i come back to adelaide, and i definitely didn't intend to buy anything when i followed nick on his hunt for the blue monday 12". uh oh. two secondhand records for $18, maybe a little too much for an impulse buy, but i couldn't resist laurie anderson's big science and paul kelly's post in good condition.

:::...

my new scarf is finished. it's a little too wide and a little too short to be the ultimate scarf. but it is very red and fluffy!
pretty and it smells nice too!Snail Creeper - Phaseolus caracalla

a vigorous climber with slender, wiry stems.
leaves resemble those of a bean while the unusual flowers resemble those of distorted sweet pea.
some of the petals are spirally twisted and resemble a snail shell.


pipstar @ 02:48 AM | link | Comments: *

april 18, 2003

stuff

nicpip.jpg nick and i during new years eve celebrations in frankfurt homemade mozarella? what a good idea! [link via bread, coffee, chocolate, yoga]


pipstar @ 02:14 AM | link | Comments:

april 16, 2003

10 minutes

i tried out alex's 10 minute miracle approach to getting stuff done.

ten minutes of essay writing and i have 150 words of my television and society essay written (luckily it's only a 2000wd essay!).

ten minutes of knitting and i've restarted my second knitting project and added in a ball of rust coloured feather yarn.

10 minutes outside and i've laid down the career pages from last weekend's age on some unplanted ground and covered the newspaper with mulch. (note, it was quite windy while i did this, so i feel an extra sense of accomplishment).

10 minutes in the laundry and i prewashed the camouflage flannel i'm going to make pyjama pants with and handwashed a jumper.

10 minutes on the net and i decided that joining the adelaide aquatic centre might get me going to the gym and swimming regularly.

i must add that 10 minutes on the net almost made me spend a couple of hundred dollars on wine. cleanskin and naked grape are oh so tempting websites! and if you buy local wine you don't have to pay shipping costs!

and i'm going to spend another 10 minutes cleaning up my desk and coffee table.

i'm almost productive!


pipstar @ 07:03 PM | link | Comments: *

april 16, 2003

how to lose weight fast!

whilst visiting my mother and stepfather for dinner tonight, i was told the story of a wild mushroom incident gone wrong.

on saturday mum and ed went to play a game of golf. whilst playing golf they spied a number of delicious looking wild mushrooms peeking through the grass.

mum: "darling let's pick some"

ed: "mmm. we'll be able to have mushrooms on toast!"


now, my parentals are relatively skilled at picking mushrooms. last autumn they collected over 4 kilograms in one day, and they had no problems with any of the mushrooms.

there were so many mushrooms that they dried them for later, and the house ended up smelling of mushrooms for weeks.

mum and ed both have european backgrounds, backgrounds of parents and grandparents who go nuts for freshly found mushrooms made into pilzensauce for weinerschnitzel. so they've never really worried about the varieties of mushrooms they found, they knew the drill (white, brown gills underneath and a little ridge where the cap comes off) and they've found tasty mushrooms. (wild mushrooms are so much tastier than shop bought)

but on saturday, the mushrooms were slightly wrong. we're not talking about mystical experiences with tiny red and blue fish appearing to be swimming through one's veins, we're talking along the lines of mystical experiences of nausea and vomit.

and despite this return to feeling sorry after experiences where erring on the side of caution should have happened (teenage drunken experiences came to mind), my mum seemed to have recovered quite well.

mum: "have you noticed that i've lost weight?"


pipstar @ 02:18 AM | link | Comments:

april 15, 2003

dip

i just posted my hummus recipe and now i have a dip craving...

so yumyum. i'll make some hummus and go to bed. and then i'll wake up in order to clean up for my grandma's weekly visit.

i honestly think i have an amazing housing situation. living in my grandma's house is cool: i pay no rent, just the utilities; i live in a pretty swish suburb; i effectively have the house to myself as she's only ever here for about 4 hours a week and in semester time i'm at uni when she's here. i can go and visit my grandma in her nursing home instead, and bring her flowers which i picked from her garden.

and i feel like i'm carrying on a family tradition.

i may bake her yummy little cakies later in the week.


pipstar @ 02:10 AM | link | Comments:

april 15, 2003

knitting and purling

i've started on my second knitting project, a short fluffy scarf using a ball of an orange, pink, red swirly yarn. because i only have one ball, i think that it will be a very short scarf with a slit. the yarn is kinda itchy, so i'm not sure how good it will be for scarf creation.

eventually i'll put up a photo of my first knitting project, but i gave the hat to sarah as part of her birthday present, so i have to get her to model the hat!

hmmm. i reckon that as sarah read that she squealed and went "oh no!".


so it looks like i'm going to be knitting my mid-semester break away instead of doing my traditional melbourne trip. but i did hang out with the lovely katie today and went to see talk to her. and a craft day is being planned, but is being planned very slowly.


oh well, i suppose writing an essay and marking 60 assignments will have to replace the fun of visiting half of my old friends in their new hometown.

... the kitten heel thong? please. don't let it be true...


pipstar @ 01:36 AM | link | Comments:

april 11, 2003

style guide

apparently, a "little black dress" is fine to wear to a wedding held after 6pm. and completely appropriate for a reception. however, if the weddding is held outdoors during the day, all over black shouldn't be worn.

luckily i have my nice green leather jacket to wear over my dress when the reception is on. though the weather may be iffy tomorrow.

let's hope that for zoe and dominic's sake that the sun is shining and the grass isn't too wet. but that there is potential for good photos with an overcast sky.

anyway....

wondering what clothes you should spend your hard earned money on? The Morning News has a series of amusing, but inherently practical articles on the basics for developing your wardrobe.

for ladies - an excuse to buy clothes... "it's a classic!"

for men - on the whole the articles are a little conservative and for the late 20s man, but take note... get a suit that fits!*

so, during the holidays I'm going to hunt for a classy black skirt (A-line or pencil), a good white shirt, a nicely coloured jumper and a good coat. that's not to say that i don't have things resembling these items...

i honestly don't have a plain black skirt, though i do have star spangled, green cord, and three different denim skirts.

i have many white blouses of varying styles, but not one shirt that would let me get away with Alison Janney's look in The Hours.

jumpers? i tend to rely on my sage polar fleece. and i do wish i had a nice v-neck sweater which would go with lots of different clothes. i just have a cool fluffy tan v-neck jumper which hardly goes with anything. would purple be a good idea?

i do have a tan leather coat, my chinese silk jacket, my very cool green leather jacket, a black hooded parka and a bag like bright blue raincoat, but i don't have a warm coat which covers my bum and which has pockets. but i am really tempted to make myself this jacket... and the pants, and the shirt...

*that brown, second hand, too tight/ too loose, flared trouser suit you found at goodwill is great for "fun" occasions, but don't dare go to a wedding in it. nor should you take your foxily dressed lady out on a date wearing it. you're doing her a disservice.


pipstar @ 03:38 PM | link | Comments:

april 11, 2003

oh no.

i hate it when i realise that i have an extra couple of hours on a deadline. my motivation becomes even less.

i kept on thinking... 5pm, that's my deadline. and then i check the course website and discover that i have until midnight.


pipstar @ 01:12 PM | link | Comments:

april 10, 2003

sweetness and light

aaw... in the 3d virtual environment called Traveler that I take my students through in class, Pink Moon by Nick Drake is playing in the background.

how cool!

and a related search brought up Close Your Eyes and a link to Protest Records which was set up by Thurston Moore.


pipstar @ 11:40 AM | link | Comments: *

april 09, 2003

things i like

vegemite to put on toast the lovely tin i store my teabags in to store tea bags in these mugs were just the right size and shape for a lovely cup of tea to drink tea from


pipstar @ 03:40 PM | link | Comments: *

april 09, 2003

ausaid

i've long considered doing some variety of overseas aid work, and last year adam told me about the ausaid youth ambassador assignments.

so i looked up the ausaid website and was disappointed to find that there weren't that many IT positions available. but i just rechecked and it looks like i'd be able to find a position that suits my skill set.


pipstar @ 03:24 PM | link | Comments:

april 09, 2003

riffens!

warped, one of my favourite live bands (sex with guitars? yes please!) has three live tracks played on triple j tonight.

put on your studded belt and get prepared to play air guitar in your living room...

Triple J, The Home and Hosed Show with Robbie Buck
Between 9-11pm


pipstar @ 02:27 PM | link | Comments:

april 08, 2003

while you were out

sorry, my dns server was hacked over the weekend, so battlecat was unavailable for a little bit.

but in procrastination related news, i have started my knitting project.


pipstar @ 09:43 AM | link | Comments:

april 06, 2003

pics from the last couple of days

pete's dad has a glowing head! good luck pete! my brother was given this dog, borona! tree.jpg


pipstar @ 02:04 AM | link | Comments:

april 06, 2003

and then... (ii)

the problem with "and then..." lists is that they are fuelled by procrastination. and unless i have heaps of things i have to do, i tend to procrastinate.

if i have heaps of things to do, i do them all, and i manage to do the things on my "and then..." lists. but at the moment i have about 300% of the time i need, so i never actually do anything until the very last minute.

so, anyway... i'm procrastinating. i've got a java assignment to finish off (which would be easy to finish, but i have to start finishing it first!) and a television and society essay to write. and once the midsemester break starts i'll have 60 student journals to mark!

which means that i've redesigned my site. mulched some of the garden. slept a lot. repierced my ears. looked at an awful lot of websites....

and i've started another and then list...


pipstar @ 01:42 AM | link | Comments:

april 05, 2003

<attentionspan class="short">

things which have distracted me today from my purpose of study and household chores:


pipstar @ 02:52 PM | link | Comments:

april 04, 2003

oh, shirley!

I visited a Salvation Army Op Shop with one of my brothers today and amongst other items, I purchased The Best of Shirley Bassey on vinyl. My, what cool songs she has sung!

Last Rock City I played a few Motown songs (courtesy of my Mum's record collection) as I'd been inspired by Standing in the Shadows of Motown. It looks like next Rock City (Friday April 25 at the Swing Cat Club, Hindley St, Adelaide) is going to feature even more fantastic old songs.

:::...

And according to Emode's Ink Blot Test, my unconscious mind is driven most by Peace.


pipstar @ 07:25 PM | link | Comments:

april 03, 2003

discuss: how self obsessed i am.

[i think that my new site design is swell. pretty. and entirely made with cascading style sheets!]

oh, the dream i had last night.

i was back at school and the chapel was much bigger (i'd been there in a previous dream). i was making posters promoting Saints as a great place to study and my parents were still together and we were all on an 820 bus and my dad was holding a little baby who was the fourth child in the family.


creepy.

and this morning (in reality) the bus i caught was just like the 820 hills style buses as opposed to a normal suburban bus.

creepy coincidence.


pipstar @ 10:29 AM | link | Comments:

april 02, 2003

explore

wow, the visual thesaurus is so much fun!


pipstar @ 10:29 PM | link | Comments: *

april 02, 2003

evolve

it started with an itchy throat... which got increasingly painful. a sneezing fit, swollen glands, aching sides and head. a blocked nose this morning.

and this afternoon i had a deep deep nap, only to wake up when chris gave me a phonecall.

my brain feels clogged. i can't really think. copying and pasting my new site templates feels like too much of a challenge.

more sleep.


pipstar @ 10:02 PM | link | Comments: