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World Book Day is March 5th 2015.
Here is a selection of foodie books to keep you well read and well fed.
In case you're looking for it, here is Julia Child's original book, Mastering the Art of French cooking. There is lots of adaptation needed to halalify this one, but its still a kitchen classic.
In Kigali, Angel runs a bustling business: baking cakes for all occasions. Cakes filled with vibrant color, buttery richness, and, most of all, a sense of hope only Angel can deliver. The customers are varied: A CIA agent's wife, a former boy soldier, weary human rights workers. Amid this cacophony of native tongues, love affairs, and confessions, Angel's kitchen is an oasis where people tell their secrets, where hope abounds and help awaits.
In this unlikely place, in the heart of Rwanda, unexpected things are beginning to happen: A most unusual wedding is planned. A heartbreaking mystery—involving Angel's own family—unravels. Extraordinary connections are being made among the men and women who have tasted Angel's beautiful cakes as a chain of events unfolds that will change Angel's life and the lives of those around her in the most astonishing ways.
Its wonderful to watch Julia Roberts eating a simple pizza with wild abandon and joy. Try it one day.
We all think we could eat chocolate chip cookies till we drop dead, but this story makes it all a little more real. The Cozy Cow Dairy's beloved deliveryman is found murdered behind Hannah's bakery with her famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him.
The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by a beautiful yet ruthless pirate. He will be spared, Mad Hannah Mabbot tells him, as long as he can conjure an exquisite meal every Sunday from the ship's meager supplies. While Wedgwood attempts to satisfy his captor with feats such as tea-smoked eel and pineapple-banana cider, he realizes that Mabbot herself is under siege. Hunted by a deadly privateer and plagued by a saboteur, she pushes her crew past exhaustion in her search for the notorious Brass Fox. Yet there is a method to Mabbot's madness, and as the Flying Rose races across the ocean, Wedgwood learns to rely on the bizarre crew members he once feared: a formidable giant who loves to knit; a pair of stoic martial arts masters, sworn to defend their captain; and the ship's deaf cabin boy, who becomes the son he never had.
The darkest option in this list, Herman Koch's The Dinner has been turned into several films over the years and translated into over 20 languages. The Wall Street Journal went as far as to call it "the European Gone Girl.
The book takes readers through this dark story as if they are working through a multi course meal. By the time we're served the final course, the story's mysteries are solved. Or are they?
Warning: This title may make you want to bake.
Marie Dunwoody doesn't want for much in life. She has a lovely husband, three wonderful children, and a business of her own. Except, her cupcakes are crap. Her meringues are runny and her biscuits rock-hard. She cannot bake for toffee. Or, for that matter, make toffee.
Suburban soccer mom Amy has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Former child prodigy Linnie just wants to fit in. The two sisters have been estranged for years, but thanks to a series of personal crises and their wily grandmother, they've teamed up to enter a national bake-off in the hopes of winning some serious cash. Armed with the top-secret recipe for Grammy's apple pie, they should be unstoppable. Sure, neither one of them has ever baked anything more complicated than brownie mix, but it's just pie- how hard could it be?
Part of a series of coffee house based mysteries.
When a freak spring snowstorm destroys her beloved coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, Maggy Thorsen resolves to reopen. With her best friend, Sarah, as an ally, they find the perfect spot right near the train station – and lucky for Maggy that she's just in time for the opening of a new commuter route. Seems things are finally looking up for the amateur sleuth and barista extraordinaire!
But then Sarah's uncle dies under suspicious circumstances…and Maggy's instinct tells her that his death was no accident. And when there are more suspicious "accidents," Maggy must uncover the link between the deaths or she may just never be able to reopen Uncommon Grounds!
Please use this list responsibly. The books on the list are not suitable for children. Or for people like us who might gain 2 kilos per book while reading them. Although we really think it was worth it. Especially for Julie and Julia. Mmm pizza.


text:
package com.cisco.oss.foundation.logging.structured;

/**
 * A formatter helper class to support formatting based on annotations present on the Marker
 * This class should not have any user defined implementations
 * @author Yair Ogen
 *
 */
public interface FoundationLoggingMarkerFormatter {
	String getFormat(String appenderName);
	void setMarker(FoundationLoggingMarker marker);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Ellison has worked closely with Boal on the features Zero Dark Thirty and Detroit as well as Season 2 of the podcast Serial.
If Intelligence goes to series, it will be Ellenberg and Media Res' fourth series order. The company has three shows at Apple: The Morning Show, Pachinko and Untitled Brie Larson Project.
Boal won two Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards (Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay) for The Hurt Locker and was nominated for Oscars in both categories for Zero Dark Thirty. He also earned WGA Awards and Golden Globe nominations for both films. His additional credits include In the Valley of Elah and Detroit.


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The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers begin a very important four-game series on Monday night in Arlington as both teams are trying to chase down the Minnesota Twins for the second AL Wild Card spot. Texas starts the week 2.5 games behind Minnesota, while the Mariners are three back after both teams suffered key losses on Sunday. Seattle has won eight of the first 12 meetings with the Rangers this year, including two of three in its previous visit to Globe Life Park. Rangers' pitchers were throttled for four home runs, one triple and five doubles in a 16-7 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday. The Mariners finished a 5-4 homestand with a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels and will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak on the road. Ariel Miranda, Monday's starter, threw six hitless innings before being removed after 112 pitches his last time out for Seattle, and he will oppose fellow lefty Cole Hamels for the Rangers. Texas C Robinson Chirinos is 5-for-8 with a home run, three doubles and three walks over his last three games, while Seattle DH Nelson Cruz continues to lead the AL in RBIs (107) and needs one more to match his career high.
Miranda issued six free passes on Tuesday which led to his high pitch count and received a no-decision for his no-hit effort. It was the second time in a span of five starts that he has walked exactly six batters, but he has limited opponents to 19 hits in 24.2 innings during that stretch. Miranda was roughed up for five runs (four earned) in 5.2 innings at Texas on August 2nd.
Hamels is still looking for his 10th win and has had a hard time in his last three outings, going 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA. Hamels is 6-0 with a 3.39 mark in nine home starts this year, including a quality start in a no-decision against the Mariners on July 31st. He is 5-3 in his career versus Seattle but he has a 5.06 ERA in their 12 matchups.
Both pitchers have been struggling recently, but Hamels is much better at home then on the road. Walks are going to catch up with Miranda and the Rangers are a team that will make him pay. I like Texas in the opener.
Mariners are 4-1 in their last 5 road games vs. a left-handed starter.
Mariners are 5-2 in their last 7 during game 1 of a series.
Mariners are 10-4 in their last 14 Monday games.
Mariners are 2-7 in their last 9 vs. a team with a winning record.
Mariners are 0-5 in their last 5 road games.
Mariners are 0-4 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning record.
Mariners are 0-5 in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Rangers are 4-0 in their last 4 during game 1 of a series.
Rangers are 9-4 in their last 13 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Rangers are 11-5 in their last 16 home games.
Rangers are 4-10 in their last 14 Monday games.
Rangers are 25-6 in Hamels' last 31 home starts.
Rangers are 17-5 in Hamels' last 22 starts during game 1 of a series.
Rangers are 29-10 in Hamels' last 39 starts with 4 days of rest.
Rangers are 20-7 in Hamels' last 27 starts vs. American League West.
Rangers are 44-17 in Hamels' last 61 starts on grass.
Rangers are 46-18 in Hamels' last 64 starts.
Under is 5-1 in Mariners last 6 games vs. a left-handed starter.
Under is 4-1 in Mariners last 5 overall.
Under is 4-1 in Mariners last 5 on grass.
Under is 4-1 in Mariners last 5 vs. American League West.
Under is 4-1 in Mariners last 5 during game 1 of a series.
Under is 4-1 in Mariners last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.
Over is 4-0 in Rangers last 4 during game 1 of a series.
Over is 7-1-2 in Rangers last 10 on grass.
Over is 5-1-2 in Rangers last 8 overall.
Under is 5-1 in Rangers last 6 Monday games.
Over is 5-1-2 in Rangers last 8 vs. American League West.
Over is 3-1-1 in Rangers last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Over is 3-1-1 in Rangers last 5 home games.
Over is 3-1-1 in Hamels' last 5 starts on grass.
Under is 3-1-1 in Hamels' last 5 starts during game 1 of a series.
Over is 9-3 in Hamels' last 12 starts following a team loss in their previous game.
Over is 9-3-2 in Hamels' last 14 home starts.
Over is 19-7-1 in Hamels' last 27 starts with 4 days of rest.
Under is 5-2-1 in Hamels' last 8 Monday starts.
Over is 12-5-1 in Hamels' last 18 starts vs. American League West.
Over is 38-18-5 in Hamels' last 61 starts overall.
Rangers are 4-1 in Hamels' last 5 home starts vs. Mariners.
Over is 4-1 in Hamels' last 5 starts vs. Mariners.
Over is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings in Texas.
Mariners are 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
Mariners are 3-9 in the last 12 meetings in Texas.


text:
The time has come for me to let everyone else in on my theme for 2019. I stumbled upon this one scrolling through Facebook, but it struck me like a bell. One of the people I follow in my capacity as a midwife is Dr Sara Wickham, who posted about an article 'In Celebration of Plateaus'. I read the pull out quote and it resonated so strongly with me.
I suggest we reframe plateaus as being both physically and psychologically purposeful, rather than worrisome or in need of a remedy
Davis E (2018). Labor plateaus and our sexual nature. Midwifery Today. 127: 14-16.
If you've been following along, you'll know that 2018 was hard going and left me feeling quite wrecked and burned out. I now feel a strong pull to recover and rebuild myself into who I want to be going forward. This is not the hiding away from the world and protecting myself deep inside like my year of Chrysalis, but neither is it pushing myself forward ambitiously and putting myself out of my comfort zone as I did with Cusp.
2019 is about moving forward, but doing so in a way that is sustainable and building on the future I want for myself and who I want to be. I think that will require reflection and a lot of self awareness about what I want to keep from my yester-self and what new things I want to try on. What better way to do that than embracing the idea of a plateau. So yes, Plateau is my theme for 2019.
The idea of a plateau is often held as a negative. They are often perceived as being stagnant of growth and with a sense of holding back, or taking the easy route. However, as with all things, there are more positive ways to consider plateaus.
Plateaus are rest points, while you're climbing, or pushing, learning, or building. There's also often a view, even if it's specifically of the progress you've already made and how far you've come. Plateaus give you the chance to continue to progress, slowly, and without exerting extraordinary amounts of energy. You get to maintain forward momentum, but in a way that continues to allow recovery before you start climbing again.
I want this year to be a year where I do move forward. I want to do and try new things, but I want that to be rooted in a foundation of self care and healing. I want to prioritise coming back from the burn out I began 2018 with and which was exacerbated by the trash fire that largely describes last year for me. I want the option of stretching myself and choosing ambition, but not at the expense of recovery.
So what might that look like? Here's a list of what I'm thinking, I'm keeping it simple because I don't want to pin myself down or feel weighed down by goals and obligations, even those I set for myself. I am going to split it up into areas just because I can visualise it as a balance better.
Be the best midwife I can be and keep growing and learning as a part of that.
Keep reflecting on my practice as a midwife and connect with other midwives and learn from their experience and mentorship. Be generous with my time and support to other midwives and students.
Start my Masters degree. I enjoy studying and I do want to do research in the area of midwifery, so this is a first step. I plan to take it slow and let myself be immersed in it. I am hoping this also fulfils part of what I mention above regarding connecting with other midwives.
Continue my support of and contribution to the Australian College of Midwives as my national peak body.
Go to the ACM National Conference, it's as much about learning and growing as it is connecting with other midwives. It fills my bucket.
Continue prioritising the things for my physical and mental health. I am lucky that I have health professionals I trust to work with on this and this is already something that's in progress, it just deserves its own dot point in my opinion.
Continue to practice relaxing and letting myself have down time without worry or fear. Let myself have fun just for its own sake. This is just habit rewiring, it wasn't really possible for a long time and so now it's something I struggle with.
Play the video games I want to play, and watch the television and movies I want to watch.
Go to the cinema for the immersive experience that turns your brain off.
Maintain sleep hygiene stuff so that sleep remains a priority. Obviously as a shift worker my hygiene is mixed, but I do my best to support something of a routine way of handling the changes.
I want to read more books than I read last year, I didn't set an ambitious overall reading goal though. I am aiming for 50 books and I hope I beat it hand over fist.
I'm also pledging to do the Australian Women Writers Challenge again in 2019. I just enjoy this challenge a whole lot. I'm going to pledge at the Franklin level, to read 10 and review 6. I hope I exceed this too.
I am also doing Beat the Backlist again, because my TBR list that I regularly prune is still over 600 books. So, reading the books I already want to read, that's the plan.
I still want to increase the areas of diversity I'm reading in, more queer writers, more non-white writers, more writers who are disabled or neurodivergent.
Dining Out and Cooking
Dining Out is one of the hobbies that I started to develop last year but I think I want to highlight it a bit more. It's a hobby Fox and I share, also something my girlfriend Omega and I share. Additionally, it's something I've always enjoyed but it also will tie into self care and having fun for the sake of it. I want to try new restaurants and maybe even review them. Mostly I just want to explore all the amazing food that other people are making.
That's because cooking is a hard one for me at the moment. I feel like I'm burned out on cooking as well because of how it was so critical in recent years. Meal planning and being frugal were absolutely necessary. And I got extremely good at using food creatively and cooking amazing meals that helped us to get by, not *feeling* like we were missing out while we had so little income. It worked really well, but as a result of doing it full tilt for a few years, I need a break so I've been doing a lot less of the style of cooking I'm most used to and comfortable with.
I still do it, this week I made an amazing carrot cake decorated like a fox face! But it's more sporadic rather than being a cornerstone of my days and weeks.
So any dot points for these items?
Try new restaurants, including fancy fine dining and casual dining.
Try to attend one of the one-off dining events that happen every so often.
Go to a degustation event.
Continue to cook what I want and when I want, try not to let obligation or duty dictate things too much.
Continue to teach Fox to cook and encourage him to build confidence here, but also mindful of his burn out too.
Join in some of the months of the Food 52 Cookbook Club, it was fun for the couple of times I joined in last year and I loved the focus on a single cookbook in the company of others.
Do some mini weekend trips with Fox to Victoria as whimsical escapes – like wineries and bed and breakfasts, trips to the south coast.
The big ticket item is that we're planning on a trip to Germany in July, it will be my first overseas trip and I'm ridiculously excited. Not sure that I'll get in any other countries this time around, but travel is a long term thing that Fox and I both want to do more of together.
So 2019 is about embracing the plateau as a useful way to move forward, while seeing where you've come from, and taking care of yourself while growing and changing. Here's to the new year, a new theme, and the best hashtag about those I've come across: #twenty-nice-teen.
2019Australian Women Writers Challenge 2019AWWC19Beat the BacklistbookschrysaliscookingCuspdining outFood52 Cookbook clubgamesmediamidwiferymoviesPlateaureadingreflectionself-caretelevisionthemetravelyearly theme
Reflecting on Chrysalis for 2016
January 5, 2017 Ju	1 Comment
As always before I do my reveal and discussion of my new year theme, I like to reflect on the year past and what I learned from my enquiry over that year. In 2016, my theme was Chrysalis, envisioned as below because I felt I needed a protective place to recover, a suit of armour to prevent further damage and needed to be inward focused in order to get through another year of study, another year where I anticipated many challenges and much stress. It was a reactive theme, but even so I still put forward aims that I hoped would be part of the enquiry and part of what helped me to heal, you can read about how I originally imagined Chrysalis back in January of 2016.
Monarch Butterfly Chrysalis by Kim C Smith – 2014
So now, in January of 2017, where do I think my past year of enquiry has taken me? What happened, what did I learn. What will I take forward and what will I let go?
Reflecting on this theme, I think what I got from Chrysalis is exactly what I needed: comfort, peace, healing, protection, love. I spent the year reinforcing in every way I could a recovery of my energy, rebuilding of my resilience, and letting go of some of my perfectionism to make way for simply trusting that things would happen – like dinner on the table when I was in the depth of study doom. It was a year where it sounds like I was selfish and that's true, but it's the selfish of desperation where I had very little left I could pour out and give – I'd exhausted myself and everything inside of me to get to the end of 2015.
Things that contributed to that state included my study, partner illness and financial stress. To share a little more, I am studying a demanding degree course in Midwifery, which I love and am passionate about – but it is one long push, there are few lulls and it is demanding intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Being realistic about that doesn't make me love it less or less committed to being the best midwife I can be.
It's no secret that one of my live-in partners has been in the depths of mental-health crisis for the past couple of years and this has taken its toll on him, but also on Fox and I as we do our level best to support him, protect him, and encourage anything that draws him out of the depths of it. The best outcome for 2016 was a dramatic shift in his mental health and while it's certainly a massive relief to see, and we all hope that it will continue onward and upward it's not a magic wand and there's a lot of work and time before I think he can look back and say 'This is behind me'. Right now he can say that he feels like the worst has passed – that feels true for Fox and I too.
Which brings me to that other stress point – we're still on one income predominantly. Over the past twelve months I did some part time work which eased the pressure for most of the year. Fox has continued to be our breadwinner, he's stoically dealt with the awfulness of his job and company that has steadily declined in all level of satisfaction. The likelihood of redundancy looms ever stronger and we're doing our best to hold out for that as a means to give ourselves the best buffer and chance to weather a change in job and income. Fox's dedication as a provider is incredible as is his own commitment to his mental health, which has improved slowly and steadily over the years since he first started tackling this. I'm so proud of him, so grateful to him and I can't wait to repay his faith in me and my studies by giving him the chance to pursue his own studies.
So finances still sucked but they sucked a little less, and we made as good a use of that as we could – we didn't need to be so strict on meal planning (that will be a necessary change this year), we could get takeaway on occasion and did so at several points where 'too hard' hit. But that has been hitting less and less as Bat has recovered more mental health and capacity. There is less worry and so work happens more evenly distributed and support flows more freely in all directions. Bills were paid, we had some disposable income occasionally. I was able to invest in some training to go with my Midwifery studies that will hopefully set me up to be an attractive graduate candidate when I apply this year for a position for 2018. All the ways in which I dedicated energy to self-care, to recovery and resilience paid off, for me but also our family. We're all in a better position personally at the end of 2016 to go into 2017.
Reading, Media and Fandom
One of my big realisations for 2015 was just how much reading for pleasure grounds me, and is a self-care mechanism and stress relief rather than simply a luxury. I'd spent most of the first two y ears of my study feeling guilty for still reading fiction and then I learned that it's a small and regular thing I can do to look after myself and enjoy my days and weeks. So I made that a priority for last year, and letting that joy be there for myself rather than worrying that I should be studying was so helpful. I read some amazing books (my favourite books of 2016 post is still pending, but I'll edit and link when I've posted it).
I loved reading and reviewing this year and I exceeded my reading goals in lots of ways – and there's still room for improvement in others, as it should be. We're never done, there's always more room to grow and more to learn. You can read more about my reflection on last year's reading goals if you like, or see what my goals are for 2017 in reading – I won't rehash them here. In short: read books, review them, especially books that are diverse in important ways, and books by Australian Women Writers. Try and read 75 books in the calendar year.
I also listened to my favourite podcasts and I looked for ways that I could keep listening even when I wasn't working. Favourites continued to be Galactic Suburbia and Fangirl Happy Hour, and I continued to really enjoy Tea & Jeopardy. New favourites include Sheep Might Fly, Magical Space Pussycats, and in non-books and fannish areas, Acts of Kitchen and The Birth Hour. I also fell in love with the Booktube channel Books and Pieces, I highly recommend it. I managed several really great walks (and Pokemon Go was great for this as well) while listening to podcasts, which was a happy goal to achieve. Plus, I've also gotten to a point where some of my general online productivity like organising recipes or sorting stuff etc can be done to a podcast background so I've stayed mostly up to date and in love with the voices and conversations of intelligent women, who are so switched on and aware, so emotionally present and generous. This kind of listening brings such joy to me.
There were a few other media things I did to contribute to self-care and taking time out. I played games and in particular enjoyed Stardew Valley, No Man's Sky, Pokemon Go, and Armello this year. My favourite movies were Deadpool and the new Ghostbusters, pretty equally, although I also really loved Zootopia too. With music, I set up a Pandora radio station for Hamilton and other Broadway musicals so that I could have background music that mostly made me feel better about the world and let me relax and think about the stories the songs were telling. Like a large percentage of the rest of the world, I unexpectedly fell in love with the Hamilton soundtrack and listened to it time and again over the months in the second half of the year. I think Lin Manuel Miranda is a gift and should be celebrated.
In taking on Chrysalis last year, in my original post on the subject of midwifery I said:
I just want to do well. I want to do well, I want to learn. I want to be the best midwife I can be. I want to regain my confidence on prac.
This area is one in which I'm particularly proud of the outcomes. I excelled academically in 2016, beyond even my high expectations of myself. I worked exceedingly hard for it too and I'm so pleased that paid off. I also went back to prac and it went well. I achieved that aim too, to regain my confidence in my practice and to do well in my clinical placement. I've also started asking for and collecting recommendations and I've been doing additional workshops, seminars, conferences and courses to supplement my study as part of my efforts toward applying for a graduate year position. They're competitive and I've my sight set on one in particular (I have yet to work out my second and third preferences) so I've been working hard already to achieve this. I also had my halfway mark assessment, and it went well, and I'm feeling confident in my ability to prepare for my final assessment at the end of 2017.
I went into 2016 still so passionate about Midwifery but feeling shattered and uncertain. I have emerged from the year with a greater consolidation of experience and knowledge, as well as an even greater passion for midwifery. Calling. Vocation. I never though those words would be ones I could really identify with and yet, more than ever I feel this.
Self Care and Development
I did so much better with this area of focus in 2016 than in previous years and I think the shift in making it about care as much as development helped with that. I wanted to grow, but I didn't want to push myself in to painful spaces when it was obvious to me that I needed to draw in energy and seek out joy and connection, love, and comfort. Through that focus I did grow and learn. My confidence returned and grew. I'm more sure of myself in conversations and my opinions and ability to contribute meaningfully. I worry less about perception (in some ways, in others this is still a work in progress).
I had the best birthdays this year, Bat and Fox made it perfect for me with the most thoughtful gift – a Book Bath Box subscription, and because that would arrive months away they also made up their own version to give me on the day! So sweet! They spent the day quietly hanging out with me and cooking me an incredible birthday dinner – pork belly with caramelised pears on silky potato mash and a brownie cheesecake birthday cake dessert. It was perfect! So relaxed and peaceful, I slept in, there was no stress and I felt whimsical and full of love the entire day.
I wanted a better year for my partners and I do think we all got it – although there were still so many hard things about the year, so many ways in which we just needed to dig deep and focus on the fact that we love each other and would somehow make it through as a starting point. I do recommend that as a starting point by the way because if as a fundamental assumption that has shifted, then a different conversation may be necessary. But I love my partners, I trust them and I value them. I feel loved and trusted and valued. This is especially true of my partners whom I cohabit with, where we've created a little family for ourselves.
But my other partners are just as important in different ways and I love and value them for what they bring to the world and my life too. I trust that I bring them good things to their lives as well. There are a number of partners and close friends, chosen family who I wished I could have seen more of throughout the year – and yet energy and time where in short supply. It was also a hard year for some of them and I know this impacted on us being able to make time and scheduling work. My platonic romantic partner and I spent quite a bit of time together, mostly in quiet conversation and having lovely cheap dinner dates in the city – spending time and keeping each other feeling sane and cared for. She had a hard year and I hope that what I could do to stand behind her helped. I did get to spend time with two of my Perth partners who came over and that was wonderful and messy and I'm so glad – even though I was in the midst of semester so it was also hard. But right now, there is no ideal time. We made it work. Overall with people and social, especially partners I did the best I could but I wish I'd have managed more somehow.
2016 marked another year where I didn't get to see my longest term partner, K. Our 19th anniversary came and went and I missed him more than ever. We're starting to make determined plans for our 20th anniversary together because even with crappy finances, somehow we will make this happen. K has been one of the most integral parts of my life for about a third of my life and no matter how things shift and change for us, he remains one of the most important people in my life, and someone who's happiness means the world to me. I know that I mean similar things to him.
I did have a year that was more social than the previous one, and it was part of my extrovert self-care mechanisms I put in place. I attended our local science fiction convention Continuum and has the most wonderful time, it was seriously one of the best things I did this year. Followed by my trip to Apollo Bay with a friend where we cooked, and explored and lounged for a week – it was great. I organised with chosen family members to do semi-regular dinners and host them so that I could soak up the social time, but have it be easy and love filled and not a struggle at all. I did regular vid chats with @dilettantiquity which was wonderful for both of us in several ways and was one of the our mutually most successful aims for 2016. I did several more frequent chats with others who are far away and that meant a lot to me too, I want to continue that in the new year.
My health was mostly very good, pain and strain were well managed. Reflux stopped being an agonising problem and is well managed. I had some reproductive health issues but thanks to our wonderful public health system, they're all taken care of. I judiciously applied bravery, reward and lots of care mechanisms to deal with the emotional and anxiety strain these issues posed and I came through it all really well. Pokemon Go deserves the most credit for me improving my activity levels, I enjoy wandering and will quite happily do that for several kilometres in order to catch the little monsters or hatch eggs. It's low key, easy and satisfying and I value that ease as much as the compelling fun nature of it.
I did declutter and organise my physical things better (I need to revisit some of it as it got away from me in the last part of the year). I obtained some second hand bookshelves and unpacked my books (still a work in progress, one shelf needs stabilising). I also enjoyed more of Melbourne in tiny and cheap ways that brought me a lot of joy. I walked along Southbank several times (in part because Pokemon). I wandered through the city and admired how beautiful Melbourne is. I went to several Wheeler Centre events and marvelled at the speaking programs they have and the way I think it contributes to our city and people overall.
I blogged throughout the year – here less so than I hoped but I did manage to keep things up reasonably. I maintained my 5 things habit throughout the year, although I have decided to change it going forward. My blog is as important to me as reading and I value having spaces to chronicle, to write and share with people that are more thoughtful than the immediacy of social media.
I didn't get to any different cities in 2016, we'll see if that's different in 2017 – finances say doubtful. I didn't get my license either, this still hangs over my head. However now that I'm in a better mental space than I have been in two years it looks like it is vastly more possible than it has felt for ages. I'm just trying not to use this as a stick to beat myself with. I will get there. I will. Eventually.
The framing for this was trying to maintain things that worked to take stress out of decision and uncertainty. To reduce the cost of food, but to eat well and enjoy the meals we have together. I wanted to maintain my enjoyment of cooking and not have it be something that always felt like a chore. This was successful overall. Meal planning fell largely by the wayside in any formal way, but we did try new things in that vein and they have potential. The repository of recipes is more accessible and easy to navigate by people other than me. Fox did a bunch of cooking, including for Bat's birthday dinner and did a magnificent job all year when it was his turn. Bat is cooking more and we're back to enjoying trading cooking between us and sharing it as the joy it has been in the past for us.
We had people around regularly and good food was always a part of that and we all enjoyed that massively. Low-key dinner parties are our favourite social events to host and sharing great food with those we care about is enjoyed by us all. Fox remains enamoured of our BBQ which continues to be adorable. We hosted Christmas with chosen family and a friend this year, it was our turn – 3 years in, it's officially a tradition now! We over-catered and went way over-the-top for our feast, it was glorious and a massive undertaking that paid off. The inset photo is of the feast at the time of serving before we devoured about 5% of it.
Much of our 'make-from-scratch' things like stock and bread fell entirely by the wayside – we ate more pre-prepared stuff in general. But I was busier, made less decisions and organised less. And we still got fed, there was still delicious food and it was good for me to let go in this way and trust the others and let them figure things out so I could concentrate on work and study priorities where they impacted on my ability to do household contributions. I was successful in abdicating adulthood at various points when it was necessary and being supported by my partners in this. It was important and necessary (and hard to do) but worth it.
Chrysalis was a year that I wanted to focus on care, recovery and resilience. It was that for me. I got all of this in so many ways – expected and unexpected. The letting go and simply trusting in my partners and the people around me was a valuable lesson, and one I want to take forward. I still think that my expectations of myself when I read over my planning from the beginning of last year was too demanding, wanting too much of my finite energy, time and skills. That too was a lesson – and I know amongst those I am close to that this I am not alone in this trait. I spent the year re-framing things so as not to beat myself with sticks. The point is not to punish myself for failing to achieve all the myriad things I wanted, or for forgetting things or cutting corners. Actually the point was to learn that the sky doesn't fall when you do these things and in some ways, it turns out even better emotionally and in the final results.
I am grateful to this theme, it has been a gift and an inward focus that I've consistently put energy into. And in all the other ways I achieved what I put in, that was true with this enquiry too. And now with this reflection, I can draw a line underneath Chrysalis and move on from it's protective shell. It's time to move properly into 2017.
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Review: Ree Reyes Series by Michael R. Underwood
November 2, 2015 Ju	Leave a comment
Title: Geekomancy (Ree Reyes #1)
Author: Michael R. Underwood
Publisher and Year: Pocket Star, 2012
Genre: fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk
Blurb from Goodreads:
Clerks meets Buffy the Vampire the Slayer in this original urban fantasy eBook about Geekomancers—humans that derive supernatural powers from pop culture.
Ree Reyes's life was easier when all she had to worry about was scraping together tips from her gig as a barista and comicshop slave to pursue her ambitions as a screenwriter.
When a scruffy-looking guy storms into the shop looking for a comic like his life depends on it, Ree writes it off as just another day in the land of the geeks. Until a gigantic BOOM echoes from the alley a minute later, and Ree follows the rabbit hole down into her town's magical flip-side. Here, astral cowboy hackers fight trolls, rubber-suited werewolves, and elegant Gothic Lolita witches while wielding nostalgia-powered props.
Ree joins Eastwood (aka Scruffy Guy), investigating a mysterious string of teen suicides as she tries to recover from her own drag-your-heart-through-jagged-glass breakup. But as she digs deeper, Ree discovers Eastwood may not be the knight-in-cardboard armor she thought. Will Ree be able to stop the suicides, save Eastwood from himself, and somehow keep her job?
There's a lot to appreciate about this book, it revels in geekery in a way I can completely get behind. However, it is definitely a debut novel and suffers from some of the clunky-ness that I've associated with those at times. I liked this book, enjoyed reading it, but didn't love it. I grabbed it from Google Books because I was invited to review the third book and wanted to read the others beforehand. It was definitely worth reading! And I definitely enjoyed it enough to keep reading the series.
I love Ree as a character, she came across really realistically to me. City mid-twenties woman, working, trying to become a screen writer, huge geek, dealing with the aftermath of a breakup. I loved the way she interacted with her friends over this – the way her friendships came across was one of my favourite parts of this novel! I loved the Rhyming Ladies and really enjoyed their supporting roles in the story. I also loved Ree's Dad and I adore how supportive he is, takes the supernatural in his stride and supports his daughter. Ree is entirely the reason I kept reading, even though the initial writing was quite clunky and explained more than showed me and let me immerse myself in the story – that did improve. Ree is absolutely the kind of urban fantasy heroine that I can really get behind, she's unique and interesting, her own person and not a cut out of anything – but I love that she recognises all the tropes and pop cultural references, it's a bit tongue in cheek and I was quite amused by it.
I hated Eastwood's character, if he'd been the protagonist or if Ree had liked him more I'd have been put off the series entirely. However, I adored Drake! He's interesting, unique and I love the way he comes to this x-mancy world with his own brand of steampunk and science from a kind of Victorian era. Drake rocks. Drake is everything I ever want in a support character, and he's not the burly hyper-masculine type of character either, he's a much more interesting, unique male character that doesn't rely on tropes of masculinity – it's not his strength that matches up well with Ree, but his willingness to work with her, listen and be an awesome team capitalising on their mutual strengths. This was my other favourite aspect of this book (and series).
I really enjoyed this, it was so much fun and even though I didn't get half the references, I appreciated the book being utterly full of them and I revelled in Ree's enjoyment of pop culture. My geek is different to her geek but it definitely left me feeling somewhat validated in my own experience of geekery.
Title: Celebromancy (Ree Reyes #2)
Fame has a magic all its own in the no-gossip-barred follow-up to Geekomancy. Ree Reyes gets her big screenwriting break, only to discover just how broken Hollywood actually is.
Things are looking up for urban fantasista Ree Reyes. She's using her love of pop culture to fight monsters and protect her hometown as a Geekomancer, and now a real-live production company is shooting her television pilot script.
But nothing is easy in show business. When an invisible figure attacks the leading lady of the show, former-child star-turned-current-hot-mess Jane Konrad, Ree begins a school-of-hard-knocks education in the power of Celebromancy.
Attempting to help Jane Geekomancy-style with Jedi mind tricks and X-Men infiltration techniques, Ree learns more about movie magic than she ever intended. She also learns that real life has the craziest plots: not only must she lift a Hollywood-strength curse, but she needs to save her pilot, negotiate a bizarre love rhombus, and fight monsters straight out of the silver screen. All this without anyone getting killed or, worse, banished to the D-List.
This book picks up soon after events in Geekomancy finish. One of Ree's major dreams looks like it's about to become true with a screenplay of hers having been picked up to shoot a pilot for pitching. I love that the show itself is not as much the focus and instead the business of getting it made is. I love Jane as a character and I found the magic division of celebromancy really interesting – and seems way too close to the truth of the cult of celebrity we see in play via the media. Well played Underwood!
Ree and Drake continue to be one of my favourite hero pairings, they work so well together. I found the romantic tension believable and I loved the way Ree made a point of dealing with her issues herself and not making them someone else's problem. I also really loved the romantic fling she ends up in with Jane – I loved the spontaneity of how it happened, I could really picture them together as the story unfolded. In this story Ree is mostly the hero of the story messing with her tv show and big deal, she does call Drake in to help, and others but it's mostly about Ree saving the day and actually, I really fucking love that. I love Ree.
I continue to love the geekery – I love the way it's pointed out that different people with different focuses to their x-mancy have a different set of specialised knowledge. That little moment was one of my favourite things. I also think that Underwood hits a better writing stride here, it's far less clunky and explainy, things just happen and you're taken up for the ride. The queerness included in the book is delightful, it's underplayed where necessary which comes across very genuine and natural, but it's also a key part of what drives Ree's motivation for the plot and saving Jane – I think it just works without being heavy handed.
Another great thing was a distinct minimising of Eastwood. I just dislike his character so much – I think that we're actually supposed to do that, but it doesn't really make for fun reading. On the other hand, I really liked Grognard and the tavern and that Ree gets to have another job that's not with Eastwood. I'd absolutely frequent a tavern like this (not that I'd drink beer… but the cider sounds nice).
Title: Attack the Geek (Ree Reyes #2.5)
A side quest novella in the bestselling Geekomancy urban fantasy series—when D&D style adventures go from the tabletop to real life, look out!
Ree Reyes, urban fantasy heroine of Geekomancy, is working her regular barista/drink-slinger shift at Grognard's when it all goes wrong. Everything.
As with Geekomancy (pop culture magic!) and its sequel Celebromancy (celebrity magic!), Attack of the Geek is perfect for anyone who wants to visit a world "where all the books and shows and movies and games [that you] love are a source of power, not only in psychological terms, but in practical, villain-pounding ones" (Marie Brennan, award-winning author of the Onyx Court Series).
I really enjoyed this side quest, I especially liked the epic wave battling with all the other characters helping out. I adored getting to know Grognard better too! This was an out and out hero battle story and these are not usually to my taste, but I really enjoyed this. Ree continues to be an awesome protagonist and I adore her massively! I still hate Eastwood.
I was surprised when Lucretia turned out to be the villain, but not surprised that she used someone else to give up the rest of the crew – I was surprised that she involved so many that weren't directly related to her grievances – it kind of goes against the way the community manages itself. However, I did like how people reacted and banded together.
This isn't a big plotty novel, that's not it's point, it's a fun little tangent that does further the overall story, but without taking itself too seriously. It's a chance to see Ree demonstrate her awesomeness (and the others too).
Title: Hexomancy (Ree Reyes #3)
When Ree's long time nemesis Lucretia is finally brought to trial and found guilty for the deadly attack on Grognard's, the Geekomancer community breathes a collective sigh of relief. But Ree and her crew soon discover that Lucretia has three very angry, very dangerous sisters who won't rest until Eastwood—a fellow Geekomancer—is killed.
What follows is an adventure packed with epic battles, a bit of romance, and enough geeky W00t moments to fill your monthly quota of adventure and fun.
An eARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Finally I reached the book that I set out to review in the first place! I'm not sorry though because I enjoyed the ride so very much. While the first book in this series was quite clunky, as the series and the writer developed it improved greatly – as is often the case. I'm almost always willing to forgive first-book-clunk, if the story or characters are worth it. Ree is definitely one of those characters, she's become a favourite for me and I love reading about her adventures!
Hexomancy picks up not long after the battle at Grognard's in Attack the Geek. While Lucretia is held accountable for her actions (via a rather epic duel fought by Ree), trouble soon escalates as Lucretia has sisters who keep coming to finish off Eastwood. Now, personally, I don't mind this – because I still really dislike his character. Part of how much I like Ree is that she also doesn't like him much and trusts him even less. The plot of this book is as epic as the one in Celebromancy, and that really works for the kind of magic we're talking about here – no half measures. I loved the differences in attack style between the different sisters and once again it was great to see Ree and Drake teamed together.
I'm also delighted that the romantic tension was address more directly in this book, I'm impressed at the way the breakup was handled and how Ree comes clean about her new secret life with her friends. I like their reactions too – it really came across to me as believable. Love, connection, and expectation of honesty and respect – and making amends, showing forgiveness when people mess up, recognising that inevitably, they do. It was great. Loved Drake's realisations and love the way there's still such a culture clash between Drake and Ree. This book spans much more time than the previous ones – months, almost a year as opposed to a few days or weeks and so it was nice to see the way Ree and Drake's relationship developed over this time as well as how they were working to beat the sisters.
I appreciated the way the end game became cyber, from Eastwood's old life. I am also pretty impressed with how one of the long story threads was incorporated into the is book arc and was resolved. The demon was back and was defeated, but not without a price – but it's also one that makes sense and is one I like given the rest of what has come before in the story. Eastwood redeems himself here (but I still don't like him).
Ree grows as a character, so does Drake. Grognard opens up more and the whole universe just becomes so much more like an old friend. This is not a standalone book, it benefits from being read as a series and I'm glad I decided to grab the books via Google Books to read them before reviewing book 3. The writing and voice in this book is much more confident, much smoother. I still really enjoy all the pop culture references – and I really like that Ree is developing her style of geekomancy with the media and power ups that she finds most useful – and I love that they're the in between ones for maximal effect and not about showing off for the sake of it.
This is a great urban fantasy series, especially if you enjoy geek humour – I would suggest that you don't have to get all the in-jokes or references to appreciate it, but that might be just me. If that kind of thing does bother you, this might not be for you. This book, this series was epic, awesome, fluffy, entertaining and satisfying on both story and character levels. I also really liked the covers, they look like how I'd imagine Ree to look and she's not dressed or posed in ways that make me angry – she looks like a hero, my kind of hero.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Intrigue, espionage and the effects on the lives and futures of passengers aboard a Trans-Continental Express emerge when a girl traveller returning from a holiday strikes up an acquaintance with a middle-aged English governess.
During the journey she mysteriously disappears from her compartment. The girl, seeking an explanation for the disappearance, is accused of hallucinating and is nearly convinced that her new friend does not exist. However, further enquiries made among the passengers reveal the curious behaviour of a group of foreign government agents who are also travelling as passengers.
Spies! Playing the game of love – and sudden death!


Rocky is a beautiful five-year-old pit bull who loves to play with balls or rocks or any toys. He also likes to sleep, swim and splash about in water. He gets on well with people and children and is good with dogs but not so great the cats.
Poor Rocky had been abandoned in the campo and was covered in ticks and very skinny when he was found. He is so much better now and really deserves to find someone who wants to take him for long walks and play with him every day. Rocky has low-level leish which is controlled with medication.
He's such a social doggy who loves playing with everyone: males, females, pups and oldies. He also adores people and kids. He's such a super dog and needs a home!


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