I ran down some stairs today, and one of my shoes slipped off and stayed behind. Just like Cinderella. Except they were red shoes, so maybe it's more like Dorothy, or that poppet from the Andersen story. Which means that a) I'll live happily ever after (like Cinderella), and b) I will be cruelly punished for looking beyond my narrow sphere of existence (like Dorothy and the poppet). Nice.
In other news, my mother has won the Kalbacher Klapperschlange . Yeah, I think it sounds rude too. But it's the German Children's Choice Award. (A Klapperschlange is a rattlesnake). The Germans are clearly nuts about dragons, because Christopher Paolini and Cornelia Funke have won it in the past... So, go Mum!
(can I have my dinner now?)
28 November 2006
26 November 2006
democracy is coming
After discharging my democratic duty on Saturday, I came home and picked up Wide Awake, by David Levithan.
What an apt choice, for an election day.
The book is set in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future, the day after the first gay Jewish president of the USA has been voted in. In this future world, the war and the terror and the fear got very very bad. It got so bad that finally people said 'stop'. And then came the Jesus Revolution, where the answer to the ultimate question (What Would Jesus Do?) was answered. The answer was, Jesus would wave around the love, the compassion, the understanding. Regardless of who you are. There's no 'unless' that comes after 'love thy neighbour'.
So it was the Christians who saved the day, in the end. And other people joined them in their
message of love and peace and tolerance. And so the gay Jewish president was elected.
Except some official people in Kansas didn't like that (because no matter how good things get, there's always going to be some redneck fuckers out there), and they demanded a recount. So Stein (gayjewishpresidentelect) asks everyone who voted for him to come to Kansas and prove it. So they did. Millions and millions of them.
And I thought about that, sitting in the sun reading. And I thought about how excited I get when I watch the West Wing, and how it makes me so goddamn proud to be an American, even though a) I'm not an American and b) I spend most of my time spitting vitriol at the current American government. And I thought about how I felt when I voted.
And I felt sad. I wish there was a politician or political party in this country that I could get that excited about. I wish there was someone I believed in so utterly that I'd drop everything and go to Kansas just to show the world that I care.
Anyway, this wasn't meant to turn into a rant. So stop reading this and go read books by David Levithan. He has an awesome ability to tell you about how crap our world is, not by whinging about it, but by showing you how great the world would be if things were different. It's a positive and beautiful way of trying to change the world.
What an apt choice, for an election day.
The book is set in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future, the day after the first gay Jewish president of the USA has been voted in. In this future world, the war and the terror and the fear got very very bad. It got so bad that finally people said 'stop'. And then came the Jesus Revolution, where the answer to the ultimate question (What Would Jesus Do?) was answered. The answer was, Jesus would wave around the love, the compassion, the understanding. Regardless of who you are. There's no 'unless' that comes after 'love thy neighbour'.
So it was the Christians who saved the day, in the end. And other people joined them in their
message of love and peace and tolerance. And so the gay Jewish president was elected.
Except some official people in Kansas didn't like that (because no matter how good things get, there's always going to be some redneck fuckers out there), and they demanded a recount. So Stein (gayjewishpresidentelect) asks everyone who voted for him to come to Kansas and prove it. So they did. Millions and millions of them.
And I thought about that, sitting in the sun reading. And I thought about how excited I get when I watch the West Wing, and how it makes me so goddamn proud to be an American, even though a) I'm not an American and b) I spend most of my time spitting vitriol at the current American government. And I thought about how I felt when I voted.
And I felt sad. I wish there was a politician or political party in this country that I could get that excited about. I wish there was someone I believed in so utterly that I'd drop everything and go to Kansas just to show the world that I care.
Anyway, this wasn't meant to turn into a rant. So stop reading this and go read books by David Levithan. He has an awesome ability to tell you about how crap our world is, not by whinging about it, but by showing you how great the world would be if things were different. It's a positive and beautiful way of trying to change the world.
17 November 2006
What kind of reader are you?
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more. | |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm | |
| Literate Good Citizen | |
| Book Snob | |
| Fad Reader | |
| Non-Reader | |
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz | |
(i stole this from emma)
15 November 2006
Text Appeal
I found love in a book and now I'm looking for someone to share it with.
Looking for love this summer? Bring a favourite or recently read book to literary speed dating at the State Library of Victoria. As the wine and conversation flow you may begin your own chapter with that someone special.
Dec 6 2006, Jan 17 and Feb 14 2007
7 – 8.30pm
$20 per session (drinks included)
THREE people for the price of TWO
E XPE R IME D I A
State Library of Victoria
328 Swanston Street
Melbourne
Bookings and registrations 8664 7555 or learning@slv.vic.gov.au
Registation forms can be downloaded slv.vic.gov.au/programs/events
Looking for love this summer? Bring a favourite or recently read book to literary speed dating at the State Library of Victoria. As the wine and conversation flow you may begin your own chapter with that someone special.
Dec 6 2006, Jan 17 and Feb 14 2007
7 – 8.30pm
$20 per session (drinks included)
THREE people for the price of TWO
E XPE R IME D I A
State Library of Victoria
328 Swanston Street
Melbourne
Bookings and registrations 8664 7555 or learning@slv.vic.gov.au
Registation forms can be downloaded slv.vic.gov.au/programs/events
11 November 2006
Where do you get your ideas from?
Ahh, that timeless chestnut. Well I have an answer, along with an explanatory photostory.
The secret is this: I get my ideas from my puppy.
What follows is a small extract from a draft of Scatterheart, with photos of how I got the idea.
Frothing at the mouth, the dogs made straight for the bear, slashing at its side with their teeth in a manic frenzy.
The crowd cried out with joy as red blood was splashed onto the ice. The bear whipped around, quicker than Hannah would have believed possible, swatting at the dogs with a great clawed paw.
One of them was tossed across the ring, yelping in pain, but it sprang back to its feet again and resumed its attack.
Fur was torn from flesh, and blood flowed freely.
See? It's that simple. All you need is a puppy, and some interesting props.
The secret is this: I get my ideas from my puppy.
What follows is a small extract from a draft of Scatterheart, with photos of how I got the idea.
Frothing at the mouth, the dogs made straight for the bear, slashing at its side with their teeth in a manic frenzy.
The crowd cried out with joy as red blood was splashed onto the ice. The bear whipped around, quicker than Hannah would have believed possible, swatting at the dogs with a great clawed paw.
One of them was tossed across the ring, yelping in pain, but it sprang back to its feet again and resumed its attack.
Fur was torn from flesh, and blood flowed freely.
See? It's that simple. All you need is a puppy, and some interesting props.
10 November 2006
09 November 2006
Ding dong, the witch resigned
Let's get nostalgic about Rumsfeld:
"I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said, but I know what I think... and I assume it's what I said."
"We do know of certain knowledge that he (Osama Bin Laden) is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead."
"I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past - I think the past was not predictable when it started."
and of course..."Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know."
08 November 2006
An Inconvenient Truth: free
I have just learnt from Emma that Intrepid Travel want you to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. They really want you to see it. So much so, that if you send them your ticket stub (and your family's, friends' and colleagues'), they'll reimburse you.
That's awesome.
(oh, and if you haven't - totally go see it. it'll change the way you see the world)
That's awesome.
(oh, and if you haven't - totally go see it. it'll change the way you see the world)
48 things you could care less about
1. First Name? Lili. Friends call me Lil. I have never had a successful nickname, much to the consternation of Jellyfish.
2. Were you named after anyone? Mum saw an ad advertising a Lily Tomlin performance, that had spelled it Lili Tomlin. She thought it was cool. I think it's cool that I'm technically named after someone who was in both Big Business and The West Wing.
3. When did you last cry? West Wing again. Watching the very last episode in Venice and realising there would never be any more. This is what turns people to fanfic...
4. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes. It is either creatively messy, or ugly and illegible.
5. What is your favourite lunchmeat? Casalinga salami.
6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? I'd like to think so, but I reckon I'd get regularly pissed with me.
7. Do you have a journal? Does this count?
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.
9. Would you bungee jump? No. But I'd paraglide. I much prefer the idea of 'flying' to 'falling'.
10. What is your favourite cereal? Good muesli with lots of strange crunchy seeds and things, with plain yoghurt.
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No. Not enough hours in the day.
12. Do you think you are strong? On the inside.
13. What is your favourite ice-cream flavour? Baci.
14. Shoe size? 7 1/2
15. Red or pink? Tough call. Pink for casual, red for work/formal.
16. What is the least favourite thing about yourself? Right now, it's the number that just came up on the scales when I weighed myself. So I'm shallow, deal.
17. Who do you miss most? Right now? The Munkey who is sunning his fur up north. DVD nights aint the same without him.
18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? If other people feel it would aid them in procrastination, then they should do it.
19. What colour pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing? Brown pants. Blue tshirt. Ugg boots.
20. Last thing you ate? A ridiculously expensive banana. I figure I don't buy coffee or cigarettes, so bananas can be my Habit.
21. What are you listening to right now? James Taylor's Fire and Rain.
22. If you were a crayon what colour would you be? A rosy pink.
23. Favourite smell? Rain on a hot day. Jasmine.
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Someone trying to sell me something. I was rude.
25. The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? Height.
26. Do you like who you stole this off? Yes. Looking forward to her next book.
27. Favourite drink? Buddha's Tears tea. Red wine. Hot toddies. Melbourne tap water.
28. Favourite sport? I like watching the cricket. I have a theory about cricket and lobsters, that I may explain during summer.
29. Eye colour? Blue.
30. Hat size? Is that a question that anyone really knows the answer to?
31. Do you wear contacts? No. Glasses for reading and computering.
32. Favourite food? Cheese. Souvlaki. Bananas. My mum's pumpkin soup. Mashed potato. Shitake mushrooms.
33. Scary movies or happy endings? Depends. Scary movies if they're really scary. Happy endings if they're not too cloying.
34. If you could live anywhere in the world where would that be? In the flat in North Fitzroy where I will be living by the end of the year. Venice.
35. Summer or winter? Summer. But I like that it's balanced out with winter.
36. Hugs or kisses? Both. But hugs, if I had to choose.
37. Favourite dessert? Dark chocolate and fresh fruit.
38. Who is most likely to respond? Probably no one is procrastinating as hard as me right now.
39. Least likely to respond? How long is a piece of string?
40. What books are you currently reading? The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes (again). We Are the Weathermakers by Tim Flannery.
41. What's on your mouse pad? Seriously, who has mouse pads anymore? When was this meme created?
42. What did you watch on TV last night? The ABC News, the 7:30 Report (both depressing) and season 1 finale of Grey's Anatomy. I knew that handsome doctor was too good to be true...
43. Favourite sounds? The tapping of my keyboard. Magpies. Cello.
44. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles.
45. The furthest you have been from home? The Isle of Skye, Scotland.
46. What's your special talent? I can tie a cherry stalk in a knot with my tongue.
47. Where were you born? About 7 metres from where I'm currently sitting, in my parents' house.
48. Who sent this to you? I nicked it from Penni.
2. Were you named after anyone? Mum saw an ad advertising a Lily Tomlin performance, that had spelled it Lili Tomlin. She thought it was cool. I think it's cool that I'm technically named after someone who was in both Big Business and The West Wing.
3. When did you last cry? West Wing again. Watching the very last episode in Venice and realising there would never be any more. This is what turns people to fanfic...
4. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes. It is either creatively messy, or ugly and illegible.
5. What is your favourite lunchmeat? Casalinga salami.
6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? I'd like to think so, but I reckon I'd get regularly pissed with me.
7. Do you have a journal? Does this count?
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.
9. Would you bungee jump? No. But I'd paraglide. I much prefer the idea of 'flying' to 'falling'.
10. What is your favourite cereal? Good muesli with lots of strange crunchy seeds and things, with plain yoghurt.
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No. Not enough hours in the day.
12. Do you think you are strong? On the inside.
13. What is your favourite ice-cream flavour? Baci.
14. Shoe size? 7 1/2
15. Red or pink? Tough call. Pink for casual, red for work/formal.
16. What is the least favourite thing about yourself? Right now, it's the number that just came up on the scales when I weighed myself. So I'm shallow, deal.
17. Who do you miss most? Right now? The Munkey who is sunning his fur up north. DVD nights aint the same without him.
18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? If other people feel it would aid them in procrastination, then they should do it.
19. What colour pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing? Brown pants. Blue tshirt. Ugg boots.
20. Last thing you ate? A ridiculously expensive banana. I figure I don't buy coffee or cigarettes, so bananas can be my Habit.
21. What are you listening to right now? James Taylor's Fire and Rain.
22. If you were a crayon what colour would you be? A rosy pink.
23. Favourite smell? Rain on a hot day. Jasmine.
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Someone trying to sell me something. I was rude.
25. The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? Height.
26. Do you like who you stole this off? Yes. Looking forward to her next book.
27. Favourite drink? Buddha's Tears tea. Red wine. Hot toddies. Melbourne tap water.
28. Favourite sport? I like watching the cricket. I have a theory about cricket and lobsters, that I may explain during summer.
29. Eye colour? Blue.
30. Hat size? Is that a question that anyone really knows the answer to?
31. Do you wear contacts? No. Glasses for reading and computering.
32. Favourite food? Cheese. Souvlaki. Bananas. My mum's pumpkin soup. Mashed potato. Shitake mushrooms.
33. Scary movies or happy endings? Depends. Scary movies if they're really scary. Happy endings if they're not too cloying.
34. If you could live anywhere in the world where would that be? In the flat in North Fitzroy where I will be living by the end of the year. Venice.
35. Summer or winter? Summer. But I like that it's balanced out with winter.
36. Hugs or kisses? Both. But hugs, if I had to choose.
37. Favourite dessert? Dark chocolate and fresh fruit.
38. Who is most likely to respond? Probably no one is procrastinating as hard as me right now.
39. Least likely to respond? How long is a piece of string?
40. What books are you currently reading? The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes (again). We Are the Weathermakers by Tim Flannery.
41. What's on your mouse pad? Seriously, who has mouse pads anymore? When was this meme created?
42. What did you watch on TV last night? The ABC News, the 7:30 Report (both depressing) and season 1 finale of Grey's Anatomy. I knew that handsome doctor was too good to be true...
43. Favourite sounds? The tapping of my keyboard. Magpies. Cello.
44. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles.
45. The furthest you have been from home? The Isle of Skye, Scotland.
46. What's your special talent? I can tie a cherry stalk in a knot with my tongue.
47. Where were you born? About 7 metres from where I'm currently sitting, in my parents' house.
48. Who sent this to you? I nicked it from Penni.
04 November 2006
help: why men suck
(this post is not meant to be offensive to men. there are lots of nice men. but some of them suck.)
I need to give the reader more clues that the bad guy is bad.
So. What are the little things that a man could do that tells us He Is Not A Gentleman?
Like...
-buying himself an icecream and not asking if she wants one.
-laying his jacket over a wet park bench, but sitting on it himself, leaving her to get wet.
-when she complains about the above two points, he tells her she's just being over emotional.
More? Please?
I need to give the reader more clues that the bad guy is bad.
So. What are the little things that a man could do that tells us He Is Not A Gentleman?
Like...
-buying himself an icecream and not asking if she wants one.
-laying his jacket over a wet park bench, but sitting on it himself, leaving her to get wet.
-when she complains about the above two points, he tells her she's just being over emotional.
More? Please?
02 November 2006
NAFADOYBIMSCOM
The inestimable John Green has declared November to be NAFADOYBIMSCOM.
It's sort of a spin-off of NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, where entrants attempt to write an entire novel or novella during the month of November.
NAFADOYBIMSCOM is also known as National Finish A Draft Of Your Book I Mean Seriously Come On Month.
So I'm gonna go do that now, as an international participant.
It's sort of a spin-off of NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, where entrants attempt to write an entire novel or novella during the month of November.
NAFADOYBIMSCOM is also known as National Finish A Draft Of Your Book I Mean Seriously Come On Month.
So I'm gonna go do that now, as an international participant.
01 November 2006
Things you overhear in the office...
Do you have to tell someone you're a nun?
So exactly how pink are we talking?
We need a rapper-dude. Stop laughing. Yes, I'm old.
My body needs to expel something. Time to have a baby.
So exactly how pink are we talking?
We need a rapper-dude. Stop laughing. Yes, I'm old.
My body needs to expel something. Time to have a baby.
30 October 2006
Shivers down my spine...
...to read these words from Little Willow's blog:
The first Baby Sitter's Club book came out twenty years ago. For the majority of the fifteen years the books came out, the characters stayed the same age. In real life, Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn would now be in their thirties.
How weird is that???
The first Baby Sitter's Club book came out twenty years ago. For the majority of the fifteen years the books came out, the characters stayed the same age. In real life, Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn would now be in their thirties.
How weird is that???
27 October 2006
What were you doing at 6:43pm this evening?
I was driving round and round Albert Park lake, waving my fancy evening-wear skirt in front of the car's air vents, desperately trying to dry the dog-vomit off before I disembarked to attend the Children's Charity Network Annual Dinner-y Thing. Mental note: dog gets carsick.
Home again, home again, jiggety jig
Good things about being home:
-toast
-short-life milk
-friends & family
-the puppy's trembling, ecstatic welcome
-finding signed copies of The Last Days and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist on my desk
-reading The Last Days and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.
Bad things about being home:
-jetlag
-bad news from people I love.
17 September 2006
pointing over there
I'm going to be the Writer in Residence on insideadog.com.au for the next few weeks. So you can find me blogging there. With pictures.
14 September 2006
Singing and dancing and making people happy
Over the past two nights, I've been lucky enough to see two West End musicals. The two best musicals I've ever seen, in fact.#1 was Wicked, the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West became Wicked. It's a truly heartbreaking story, made all the more so by Idina Menzel's amazing performance as Elpheba, which she made her own when the show first started on Broadway. The name Elpheba, by the way, was coined by Gregory Maguire (who wrote the book on which the musical is based) in honour of The Wizard of Oz's first author - L Frank Baum. L F B. Elpheba.
The audience was wild. When Idina first walked on stage, the whole production had to stop for a minute while the crowd whistled and stamped and cheered. I can't imagine an Australian audience responding so vocally to a musical.
#2 musical was Avenue Q. For those of you who aren't familiar with it... well, it kind of defies explanation. It's a musical. About a bunch of misfits living all the way out in Avenue Q in New York. They fall in love, get their hearts broken, struggle with sexuality, wonder about what their purpose is, get drunk and have sex. They sing songs with names like "What Do You Do With A BA In English?" and "The Internet is for Porn" and "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist". The superintendant of the building is child-star Gary Coleman. Oh, and half the gang are muppets.Again, one of the best things about seeing the show was feeling the buzz from the audience. You could feel the uncertainty at the beginning, it was clear that pretty much nobody was familar with the show. When the lead guy walked on stage for the first time with a muppet on his arm, the audience squirmed and looked doubtful. Then he started singing. The audience started laughing. They kept laughing for much of the first act. They cheered wildly when one of the characters came out of the closet. They threw coins into hats in the Money Song. They loved it. I loved it.
(This post is dedicated to Jellyfish, who introduced me to both musicals, and is probably now as green as Elpheba with envy.)
13 September 2006
London: Like/Don't Like
I like... the way that the train conductor tells you exactly why you aren't moving.
I don't like... the way he tells you it's because there is someone underneath the train.
I like... the way barmen kick very drunk men out of pubs.
I don't like... the way the very drunk man "accidentally" groped me. (casing him to get thrown out of said pub)
I like... that it's not raining.
I don't like... the fact that it's 30 degrees and I only brought three tshirts. Who knows where to buy cool tshirts in London?
I like... the view from the top of St Paul's.
I don't like... the way my legs no longer work after climbing to the top.
I like... having a semi-spiritual moment in front of Randolph Caldecott's memorial in a crypt.
I don't like... being looked at funny for crying over some dead children's literature illustrator.
I like... the St Paul's audio tour. Highly recommended.
I don't like... the Globe guided tour. Ripoff.
I don't like... the way he tells you it's because there is someone underneath the train.
I like... the way barmen kick very drunk men out of pubs.
I don't like... the way the very drunk man "accidentally" groped me. (casing him to get thrown out of said pub)
I like... that it's not raining.
I don't like... the fact that it's 30 degrees and I only brought three tshirts. Who knows where to buy cool tshirts in London?
I like... the view from the top of St Paul's.
I don't like... the way my legs no longer work after climbing to the top.
I like... having a semi-spiritual moment in front of Randolph Caldecott's memorial in a crypt.
I don't like... being looked at funny for crying over some dead children's literature illustrator.
I like... the St Paul's audio tour. Highly recommended.
I don't like... the Globe guided tour. Ripoff.
10 September 2006
So if you care to find me, look to the western sky
I've packed my bag. I've bid farewell to my loved ones. I've checked in (love online checkin. also love seatguru).
See you in London...
See you in London...
09 September 2006
Reviews
Some Joan reviews:
A remarkable story... What are we to make of this Maid of Orleans? Fascinating!
(New Life Christian Newspaper - which is so enthusiastic in its book reviews that there are at least four exclamation marks per four-paragraph review)
A must read... a very accessible medieval history...
(I don't know what this is from, I just have a photocopy. But I think it's a Queensland Christian publication of some sort)
The author takes the reader on a journey through Joan's life... very appealing... a bit emotional at times.
(Gabrielle, aged 14)
Wilkinson's book is very exciting: I had to put the book down a number of times when the tension she created became too much... I thorougly recommend this book.
(Insights Magazine)
The reader is always eager for more... The effect is to immediately engage the reader... tension and excitement... This book is a rejuvenation of the legend of Joan, which is a part of our common civilisation and of the canon of young people's literature. It will make young people want to read about it.
(Viewpoint Literary Journal)
right, back to packing...
A remarkable story... What are we to make of this Maid of Orleans? Fascinating!
(New Life Christian Newspaper - which is so enthusiastic in its book reviews that there are at least four exclamation marks per four-paragraph review)
A must read... a very accessible medieval history...
(I don't know what this is from, I just have a photocopy. But I think it's a Queensland Christian publication of some sort)
The author takes the reader on a journey through Joan's life... very appealing... a bit emotional at times.
(Gabrielle, aged 14)
Wilkinson's book is very exciting: I had to put the book down a number of times when the tension she created became too much... I thorougly recommend this book.
(Insights Magazine)
The reader is always eager for more... The effect is to immediately engage the reader... tension and excitement... This book is a rejuvenation of the legend of Joan, which is a part of our common civilisation and of the canon of young people's literature. It will make young people want to read about it.
(Viewpoint Literary Journal)
right, back to packing...
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