The Purple Dragon Blog

Well, I did plan to put something up for Christmas… but it kind of got away from me. So we’ll see.

Christmas was fun, but I think the excitement and the lack of sleep got to me. I worked this out after I ran down the hallway cackling “I’m a Time Lord! I’m a Time Lord!” after showing Lil Sis my new fob watch  (read the ‘fob watch’ entry on wikito understand the reference), so that she followed me in order to tell me that, in actual fact, I am not a Time Lord, which I vehemently denied, which resulted in a brief struggle and me flashing my toy sonic screwdriver at her crying, “sonic the unbeliever!” until she got me in a lock and flashed it in my eyes and told me not to do that any more. See, that is what happens when we do not get enough sleep. And when your little sister is bigger than you are.

I bought an electric keyboard today. I have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, and since I have a job now, I thought, ‘why not?’ So it is bought and will arrive in the next few days.

Hopefully I will get my belated Christmas project up. Bye now.

You find all kinds of photos online…

Christmas is almost here! Yay! It’s the time of year when people take photos of animals in Santa outfits and post them online! Yes! My family are relieved. My usual singing habits (that is, singing things I can’t really sing) has changed to carols, things that I more or less can sing.

One of the indomitable fish is dead. I checked on the kindy fishes this morning to find one belly-up in the fishbowl. It has been listless ever since Terrible Three #1 ran around with it in her hat last week. Fish just don’t do well in hats. There’s not enough oxygen in there.

Yuo guys remember Angus (see blog categories for Angus entries) the cat that turned up and tried to adopt us? Well, he hasn’t been around for ages, but now a new cat has turned up: el Bandito. We don’t know where he’s come from or what. He’s black and white, with mask-like markings around his eyes, like a bandit. He’s very affectionate, mostly, but goes mrowl, mrowl all day and night, attacks our cat, scratched the hell out of Lil Sis when she tried to cart him away from our house. Menace. Bandito indeed.

If I don’t get time to post: merry Christmas!

For those who are wondering, yes, the Veronicas new album is as good as their first. In fact, I like it even better.  At  least, once I got over the horrific  way they strain their voices on some  of the tracks - they need to get voice training fast or their voices’ll be gone within the next three to five years.  One of them’s had throat nodules removed already.

I am in town today buying Christmas presents, as my house is full of strange men installing airconditioning. They were thumping around in the ceiling when I left, utterly terrifying my cat so she was cowering behind the laundry sink with two enormous scared eyes peering around the edge.

I have also taken the time to buy the box set of season 3 of Doctor Who, which, I found out a few minutes ago ,was $20 cheaper in J B Hi Fi. Bugger.

 I totally have to link to a post now - this one at Tetherd Cow. It’s wonderful for it’s simplicity and instant laughter-inducingness. It  is, of course, computer joke, but an accessible one.

And now I will vanish into the real world once more to continue shopping.

You may remember that aaaaages ago I went to a popculture convention. Well here are some of the photos!

Apparently this young lady is from the Legends of Zelda game. Lovely costume!

Here we have a Star Wars bounty hunter! Is it Jango or Boba Fett? I’m not sure.

And here is everyone’s favorite Time Lord!

And a Star Wars TIE fighter pilot!

…to go with the storm trooper….

…and the Rogue Squadron pilot.

Here we have some Princess Leias…

…one of whom talks to the bounty hunter a few minutes later.

It’s not letting me put photos in easily, so more pics next time! I give up for now.

*Dragon is minding her own business when small child wanders up*

Small child: I found a bug. Want to come see?

*Dragon sees her carrying container and surmises that she is going to go trap bug*

Dragon: No, but you can bring it to show me if you want.

*small child returns later with container. Dragon looks inside*

*blinks*

Dragon: It’s dead.

Small child: *declares* I love it.

Dragon: But it’s dead.

Small child: I shall keep it for ever and ever. *wanders away*

*Dragon blinks*

———–

I bought the Veronicas second album, Hook Me Up today. From what I’ve heard so far, it’s fairly good. It doesn’t have the distinctive sound of the first album that made me fall in love with it and made 4ever my yearr 12 class’s graduation anthem, but it has a sound all its own that is equally distinctive. Do I like it? Yes. Do I like it as much as the sound of the first album? I don’t know yet. Probably not. Love it all the same.

I think at the centre where I work we must have the most indestructible fish ever. Let me explain. In one of the rooms with the older children we have a small fishbowl with two goldfish in it. They don’t do much, nor do they elicit much interest, which is probably a good thing for them because things the kids are interested in tend to either get chewed, broken, or dropped in some wet substance such as paint, milk, etc. Nonetheless they find themselves subject to a range of, erm, interesting incidents probably outside the range of experience of most goldfish. The very first week I started working, the fishbowl was full of white stuff. Some child, it had transpired, had apparently disliked their yoghurt and wondered if the fish would like it better. A few weeks back one child climbed up and somehow got into the kitchen, stole the fish food, and emptied a month’s worth into the bowl. Piles of fish food sat on every surface inside the bowl and came drifting off the fish as they moved, floated near the surface of the water and collected at the bottom of the bowl. Disintegrating fish food clogged the water. Once the bowl had been cleaned out, fish were fine. A week or so ago I walked in one morning to find the fishbowl full of… bubbles. I walked over for a closer look and watched as the fish placidly opened and shut their mouths, sending amusing little bubbles up to the surface. Wish were a bit lethargic for a bit after that, but soon recovered. Superfish, I tell you. Thank God we don’t have hamsters. We’d have gone through five Mr Fluffys by now, at least.

Have I ever mentioned skippyslist.com, otherwise known as ‘The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the U.S. Army’? No? Gosh, what a tremendous oversight. Well, it’s a blog by a guy in the army which not only has the list that gives the blog its name, but also hilarious blog entries like this one, and this one. Yes, the list inspired the ‘50 things I am no longer allowed t odo at Hogwarts’ list - but unlike that one, Skippy’s list is true. *scared mindboggle*

I don’t know how often I’m going to be update guys, coz it’s been hard as it is, and I’m going to be working even more days a week than before, and I’ll probably be working through the Christmas holidays. (ah boo.) I’ll try to update whenever I can though, coz I loves yous all! *Loki muse hits Dragon over back of the head because of her grammar*

The kindergarten class sits in a circle with a teacher at the head of it. She holds up photographs of various Australian animals for the children to identify; a wombat, a koala, a possum.

Next she holds up a kangaroo.

“Does anyone know what this is?”

Small Vietnamese boy informs her that the animal is made into hats. For emphasis he mimes putting on a small hat.

“No, W.,” the teacher says gravely, “we do not make hats out of kangaroos.”

Purple Dragon collapses into helpless laughter despite all efforts.

According to The Sun, Fifth Doctor Peter Davison is too big to fit into his old costume for a Doctor Who special. Their solution?

 FORMER Doctor Who Peter Davison had to wear Sylvester McCoy’s TV outfit to film a spoof show – as he’s too tubby to fit into his original costume.

Somehow I can’t help but think that the Sun is up to their old ‘make-stuff-up’ routine again.

Meanwhile life is busy, as usual. Always busy. I’ve created a deviantart account. It doesn’t have much yet, but I’m adding more. Eventually I’ll add proper art, as well as just sketches and things. Among other things, this will have a whole series of tongue-in-cheek Doctor Who comics I’ve been doing.

Family friend has broken her hip. All worried.

Found something that set me laughing hysterically; ‘50 Things I am Not Allowed to do at Hogwarts.‘ It has *counts* 12 appendices full of additions to the original list, and includes references to lots of facets of poular culture. I like this one:

-I am not able to see the Grim Reaper, nor am I to claim that he is standing by the Headmaster, tapping an hourglass and looking at him impatiently. Or, for that matter, Harry Potter.

Also:

-Please do not refer to Dumbledore as Methuselah.

And:

-Not allowed to play poker with Tarot cards anymore, last time I did, I got a royal flush and the Dark lord returned. 

And another:

-Nor will I send magical equipment to Caltech or MIT in exchange for full tuition.
-By “I,” we actually mean you, Hermione.

And lastly:

-I will not enchant Hermione Granger’s Time turner to rotate every half hour.

I was on the train this morning when a bunch of high school girls get on, and didn’t ppay attention until someone said, “hey, why have you got a kitten?” I look over, and on this girl’s lap is a maroon school jumper made into a sort of nest, and wrapped inside is a tiny, sleeping black kitten curled into a ball. It was really cute. At one point it woke up and started squeaking, which I didn’t know kittens did;  so there was this high-pitched tiny ‘meep, meeeep,’ noise until the girl settled it back down again and it went back to sleep in the jumper. Kittens should be on trains more often, I think, even if it is against some council by-law or something.

Week before last ended horribly; one of the disabled children tried to bite my thumb off and was prised off my poor thumb with difficulty; I got slapped; someone threw a large plastic toy at the back of my head; and when I was dealing with H. (henceforth referred to as ‘that f***er’ when I am really mad) sucker-punched me in the gut and when I doubled over tried to climb the fence. So I was glad to have a fairly restful one last week. Hopefully this week will be nice too. I work the rest of the week. *droops* I hope you all feel for me. I get beat up by preschoolers.

In the fit of Romana!love I experienced while watching City of Death (see previous post) I sketched her in biro. I took this photo with my cameraphone so it’s blurry and detail is lost, but still…

Had a lovely quiet day yesterday; was assigned to do all the cleaning that hadn’t been done at the childcare centre yet. Wandered about quietly on my own, industriously cleaning, sometimes singing in my chorister voice… I need more days like that.

(Avatar by me)
Have been watching the Fourth Doctor story City of Death today. Bought it last week on DVd even though it is hideously expenisve, but I’m glad I did. The Doctor. Romana. In a school uniform. On location. In France.
The dialogue in this is positively sparkling. Romana makes an excellent companion; she’s intelligent, individual, and strong-minded, and she and the Doctor spend their time engaged in witty, educated banter when they’re not in the middle of a crisis.

Romana: Where are we going?

Doctor: Are you talking philosphically or geographically?

Romana: Philosophically.

Doctor: Then we’re going to lunch. *snickers*

Another example:

Romana: Well at least on Gallifrey we can capture a good likeness. Computers can draw.

Doctor: What? Computer pictures? *appalled* You sit in Paris and talk of computer pictures??

Speaking of pictures, I love the drawing of Romana the Time Lady with the face of a clock. Isn’t that a great idea? So interesting. This is a great story; intelligent, well-written, and not let-down by poor acting or effects. I love it. Duggan is amusing too, the way he’s always knocking someone unconscious when the Doctor’s talking to them and the way the Doctor and Romana are always having to restrain him.

Duggan: You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.

Romana: *tartly* If you wanted an omelette, I’d expect to find a pile of broken crockery, a cooker in flames and an unconscious chef.

This is also the first Fourth Doctor episode I’ve seen, and I can see why he’s so popular, he’s full of charm, isn’t he?

Doctor: *delighted* I say, what a wonderful butler. He’s so violent. Hello. I’m called the Doctor. That’s Romana. That’s Duggan. You must be the Countess Scarlioni, and this is clearly a delightful Louis Quinze chair. May I sit in it, I say haven’t they worn well? *to menacing ‘butler’* Thank you Herman that will be all.

Am very glad I got this DVD, and to LizBee; well, my avatar say it all, doesn’t it?