alias_sqbr

It really is just a small, efficient convection oven, it's less that you can cook new things and more that a bunch of recipes become faster and easier. But that has made a pretty big difference, to us as people who spent a lot of time thinking "I WOULD cook that in the oven but ehhh... too much effort".
( Read more... )

I have a bunch of questions I can't figure out the answers to, mostly I can find general guides online but need local people to help answer them with specific answers for Perth/Australia. But general advice would be helpful too.
( Read more... )

My dad gave me a wooden ramp he had from his house's previous owner, and it's perfect except for being about 1cm too high. It's made of wood which has been treated with some sort of outdoor protection, and the bit that needs adapting is a like...5x5x75cm wide block under the flat bit of the ramp.

Does anyone have any suggestions for any relatively cheap, easy ways to get it shortened/lowered and then the wood treated so it doesn't rot outside? Bearing in mind that Cam and I are not the sort of people who are any good at this sort of thing, and do not own much in the way of tools. Anyone local who is good at this stuff want to deal with it for me? (worth a shot :D)

Meme via chagrined. Give me your age and I'll give you a number to do it yourself, if you like!
( Read more... )

Went to the synagogue (Temple David) with Mum today. It was pretty cool! If very confusing: all the prayers are in Hebrew with a transliteration and english translation, and instead of having a separate hymn book with music and choruses etc they just sing a (to me) arbitrary subsection of the prayers. So it was like "Ok, we're singing the first two words again? And...going down three paragraphs and singing that bit then repeating the top line again and...now we're doing that English bit and OH GOD EVERYONE TURNED A PAGE WHERE ARE WE NOW there seems to be a lot of z's in this bit look for z's..."

Mum got us to sit next to her friend who always knows which page to be on and is happy to point it out, which he did indeed do for me when he noticed me being lost. Anyway, it was nice. Not unlike a uniting church service, the woman running things was very down to earth and friendly and there was a naming ceremony for a baby which was really sweet. A lovely sense of community, especially since mum's friends tried to make me feel welcome. And afterwards there were cupcakes! (I couldn't eat them but the kids looked happy)

Other than that: did I mention Cam got a job? He's working from home and quite enjoying it, we've quickly settled into a routine where I don't bug him during work hours unless I have to, but it's still nice having him around and being able to go in and ask if he wants anything from the shops etc.

House continues great! Asides from the many ants, ug. But being near a supermarket and library is super convenient, and being on the top of a hill gives a great view and lovely breezes (useful right now for drying laundry inside) Boxes continue to be opened and full of a mixture of happy suprises and "why didn't we throw this away already" crap. I offered mum some old tapes since her "new" car uses them:
Me: You know, the kind of thing I listened to as a teenager.
Mum: What...oh. That satanic death metal?
Me: It wasn't satanic death metal!
Mum: And it was all in german.
Me: No it wasn't! It was grunge.

Luckily I also had some classical music and Ben Harper, which she was very happy with.

I had a bit of a down swing healthwise recently and right now am recovering from all the standing in the synagogue (I didn't want to embarass mum by looking like a lazy non-jew daughter, especially since the old people were managing) But after that I have high hopes of ACTUALLY SOCIALISING WITH PEOPLE OMG.

GUESS WHO MOVED INTO A HOUSE TODAY. A HOUSE THEY OWN. WITH FLOORS AND A ROOF AND EVERYTHING.

Currently my loungeroom looks like this.

I am so very very tired. Much boxes. Very packed.

Including ALL MY SPOONS. SOMEWHERE AMONGST THE VARIOUS PILES (we bought some more to tide us over)

*flops*

WE HAVE A HOUSE
AND KEYS
(and a mortgage but never mind that)
AND
A
HOUSE!!!!!!!

Movers booked for Tuesday, cat is staying with in-laws until after Swancon. Phew!

We spent part of this afternoon just sitting on the floor going "HOUSE"

EDIT: Second "final" inspection was fine, after the DISASTER of the first.

(househousehouse)

We got a home loan :D :D

Now to wait for the settlement agent to find out that the land the house is sitting on is legally part of New Zealand or something.

So I stopped watching "House" early last season, and all I've encountered since then has been via fandom, ie bits of fanfic etc here and there, and some comments about how the writers are quite clearly pandering to fans and slashers etc. I was pretty sure it was still pretty understated (if not entirely in people's imaginations) though.

And then I randomly flipped channels to commercial tv for a change, and hit a trailer for the upcoming episode (8:30 on ten, if you care), which basically implied that House becomes obsessed with a male soap opera star and kidnaps him for his own nefarious purposes, a la Love and Death on Long Island. I sat there incredulous.. and then of course looked it up online.

Alas, the real plot, as exhibited by the american ad, is much less interesting :)

On the ohtr hand, how awesome is it that I can watch an ad and immediately find a synopsis of the episode and a similar ad for the same episode. I love the internet.

Part of the process of moving means....no phone! And...NO INTERNET!!! For ages!!! (Like, a week, maybe more) From tomorrow.

God, I can feel the withdrawal already. Thankfully I have internet at work, though I don't get much chance to use it unless I come in early on purpose. So...yeah. Try not to forget I exist :( And our email may bounce, and our website will be down until it's all set up, so really all I'll have is lj. SIGHHHHH.

Anyway, house is ok. Bigger, except for the almost non existent dining room. Further from train, but hopefully walkable. Will have to have a housewarming at some point.

*tries to motivate self to answer email while I still can*