Happy Birthday Abby Babby!!!!!!!!!

Today is Abby's 1st birthday but we had a party for her and her friends and family over the weekend. The party was a flower/forest-fairy party and there were lots of little fairies (and an elf or two). The day was so much fun although I have to admit that I wasn't prepared for the chaos of all the kids and people. Leading up to the party I had visions of fairy babies and kids all sitting in a perfect circle for "pass the parcel" and "pass the fairy-dust" but sadly, reality didn't pan out that way. It was a blast though and everyone had fun particularly Abby, which means her party was a success, I think.

See the gallery of pics of Abby's Birthday here.

Joanna Jameson : 20 Sep 2004 11:33 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Good Morning!

Today's Daily Dilbert: Hilarious…

Joanna Jameson : 15 Sep 2004 08:51 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

A week in Cornwall with Abby

Abby at the Eden Project

We took Abby for a week in Cornwall a couple weeks ago but I've only just got around to blogging it. I've made a cute Abby-Cornwall picture gallery too.

The week was great but a tad cloudy except for one terrifically sunny day where we went to Falmouth beach. The Eden Project, Mousehole village and Land's End were other visits we made and I can definately recommend the area as a nice getaway. Oh, and if you go to Falmouth beach, make sure to have lunch in the cafe there and order the mussels and french fries…......YUMMY.

Joanna Jameson : 14 Sep 2004 10:45 |  Tags: All Things Abby |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Two lovely cats need a home

We are moving back to Canada in the near future and I'm looking for a good home or two homes for my two cats Tuppence and Merlin. The flight wouldn't be fair on Merlin since he's a very nervous traveller and a cattery on the other end for a long period while we get settled wouldn't be fair for Tuppence. We love them both very much and they are both spoilt so we need to find a very nice place for them to live. They can't stand each other, so we don't mind seperating them :-)

Here is a small gallery I've made with pictures of each and both of them. I'll add more today:

Cat pics Gallery here If you're using IE as a browser, you'll need to refresh it once it's loaded. For some reason, it's only the loading the first three pics on first screen load…

Merlin is a pedigree British Short Hair and his colour is technically "lilac" as on his papers but he's really a light grey. He doesn't get along with other cats but is EXTREMELY loving to people. He is a completely indoor cat (has never been out) and I don't think it would be a good thing for him to start. He'd get run over by a car or beat up or fall off something because of his clumsiness (he's not very good at being a cat). His breed aren't lap cats and he doesn't much like being carried around but he acts just like a dog and follows you all around the house (when he can bothered to wake up) because he's lonely and nosey…. He never scratches and is his extra gentle nature is also part of his breed.

Tuppence (Tuppy) is a black and white, fat (I prefer to say "plump") moggy. She is my cat and we rescued her from people who didn't want her and her companion. Her companion passed away and we got Merlin to keep her company but she hates him. She's an older cat (about 7 or 8) and doesn't want to play with him. She does, however, love playing "chase the string" or "poke a pencil from under the rug" with people. She is a proper cat and needs to go outside a lot but never goes beyond the backyard fence. She just loves to sit within sight of the backdoor and sunbathe. Tuppy is EXTREMELY loving to people and loves, loves, loves cuddles and strokes and sleeping with you. She does NOT, however, like to be picked up. There must have been some trauma in her kitten-hood that I don't know about. Tuppy is SO lovely and I'd like to think someone who really loves her would look after her (maybe some little old lady if anyone knows one who won't forget to feed her).....

Joanna Jameson : 14 Sep 2004 09:25 |  Tags: My Cats |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Trackbacks (1) |  Report a problem

I'm a Realist!

Okay, I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon … I'm a Realist. Even though the Beeb was very open by saying that their personality test is a cut down version of the Meyers-Briggs Test, I find that it was spot on for me.

The only thing that irritated me about the test is the fact that there were a couple of questions where I could honestly say that I would really do two out of the four options and those two were completely opposite. For instance, in the "What would you do if you needed to choose between two houses" question, I would honestly both write a list of both houses' pros and cons AND go by my gut instinct.

Anyways, Realists are loyal, steady workers. They believe in established rules and respect facts. They think of themselves as mature, stable and conscientious and they may appear too logical or tough-minded and forget their impact on other people.

That's me to a tee….

Joanna Jameson : 03 Sep 2004 14:13 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Orcs: Subverting Tolkien

I have to say this was an enjoyable read. If you combined Platoon with Lord of the Rings with The Last of the Mohicans, then Stan Nicolls's Orcs is what you'd get. I love texts that tell us stories from the viewpoints of either "bad" or minor charactors of well known works and Orcs sets out to do just that by telling the tale of an Orc warband called the Wolverines, led by it's captain, Stryke.

Orcs is an omnibus of three novels: Bodyguard of Lightening, Legion of Thunder and Warriors of the Tempest (and there was a very short story at the end called "The Taking"). This saga lives up to the claim on the back cover that "Nicholls will make you change the way you think about Orcs forever." One of its particularly enjoyable aspects is that it is a complete catalogue of every fantasy race or animal you've ever heard of. Nicholls includes everything from Elves, Orcs and Dwarves to Centaurs, Brownies, Gremlins, Fairies, Pixies and even Satyrs… Nicholls also has a knack for exciting descriptions of large battles, hand to hand combat scenes and landscapes that make the story come alive for the reader.

Nicholls does successfully subvert the usual tropes of good and evil and beauty and monstrosity that are common in post-Tolkien writings. He uses the viewpoint of the Other to challenge the traditional subjectivity of this genre, however, sometimes (only sometimes) it feels as if he's overemphasising the viewpoint needlessly. The loyal warband at the centre of the tale manages to convince the reader that Orcs are not monsters but as a race born to war, they are just and honourable warriors who are forced, at times, into service of those who do not uphold their own values.

Orcs has a straight-forward, linear plot that is fast moving and filled with battles, making for a quick read (which is good considering the trilogy is 700 pages!) and all in all, the saga is a fantastic page-turner with a refreshing viewpoint. Anyone who loves Tolkien and other fantasy writings will love Orcs.

PS…I think I'd like to write an extended reading of this novel elsewhere but for those who care about such things, Nicholls is not completely subversive. There is no attempt to overturn the usual gendered tropes. Typically, the big baddy is a sex and power crazed hybrid female who is dangerously alluring. I won't give away the ending for this queen but it is partly why I gave the title four instead of five stars…

Joanna Jameson : 01 Sep 2004 09:28 |  Tags: Vcb Very Cool Books |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Funny Urban Myth that turns out to be true

Writing about web page http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/tombihn.asp

I love this. It must be just a publicity scam because I can't think of any capitalists with true subverssive tendancies. It just wouldn't be good business sense :-)

Joanna Jameson : 12 Aug 2004 11:06 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Hottest Noodles in the whole world!

Writing about web page http://eng.nongshim.com/eng/pro/nood_deft_viw.jsp

My husband went on a business trip to Korea once and when he got back, he told me about these noodle cups (Shin Cups) he and the guys were eating over there. They are sort of Korea's answer to Pot Noodle, only better… We were surprised to find them here in the UK at Sainsburys and I was even more surprised to find them here at our tiny Costcutter on Westwood Campus!

I consider myself a person who loves hot/spicy food and so when I ate my first Shin Cup I went ahead and put in the whole packet of soup base flavouring before pouring in the water. Well that was a mistake, I nearly blew my head off!

I love these things but I now only put half the packet of flavouring on. If you love hot/spicy food, give these noodles a try. I dare you to eat a whole cup with a whole pack of flavouring…..

Joanna Jameson : 09 Aug 2004 12:14 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

ITIL standard?

I can't help but giggle at my daily Dilbert strip today, in light of my recent ITIL training….

Of course, it wouldn't be ITIL standard since he didn't use any TLAs….

Joanna Jameson : 02 Aug 2004 12:10 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Great Weekend Day–Out

Writing about web page http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/

This weekend was just perfect, the way all summer weekends should be! We set off early on Saturday morning heading for one of my favourite places, the Cotswold Wildlife Park. We had a cracking day with Abby (pics to come soon)...She got to see penguins and parrots and lions and zebras and a whole lot more. Abby had her first picnic, ate her first ice cream cone and the park was just buzzing with families who had the same idea as us. I love that!

I really recommend this place for a gorgeous day out. The animals (a huge variety) are extremely well cared for with loads of space and minimalist enclosure methods. The park used to be an old manor-house and grounds and the manor is now the restaurant, with zebras surrounding it. The planting and gardens all over the park are just beautiful and you can tell that a lot of care goes into making the park a lovely place to be. It's a terrific place for a leisurely walk or a picnic, well worth the drive!

Joanna Jameson : 02 Aug 2004 09:22 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem