Strange Machines

A lovely mention on Mike’s blog (and my mug of our poem The Nightmare Avatar’s Nightmare and my reading on the SFPA’s Halloween page. If you haven’t grabbed a copy of it yet, run run and buy the H.P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror Issue #4 now.

I’m up to 4500 words on The Flame now, a speculative story I am writing. So far I hit 3000 on the first sitting - 6 hours - the ending was rather abrupt, says my kindly readers, so I revised it for expansion during another edit and sitting to 1500 words. As the plot is rather complex, I have had to lie down and poke holes in the plot. It troubles me when a story has glaring plot errors, never mind the factual errors, and I want to ensure I commit none of them.

Since it has been a zillion years since I have worked on a story this long - I got up to 30 pages once for a novel but that has been shelved after I got stuck and bored. The hard copy is still with me. Someday I might just take another look at it. At best it is another Interview with the Vampire, before I even read it. But that is another story.

Got a new mouse today. My fingers are getting friction burn from using the touchpad. And the true reason is I had spilled my honey green tea onto the keyboard causing some keys to stick together. Must Google to find solution. Speaking of which, bought a handful (literally) of Google shares. Glad I have made 5% already. Go Android!

Note: Just after I pressed Publish, the hubby signalled me that Jack woke up. He turned on the sidelight and true enough my little munchkin was sitting up rubbing his eyes. I walked to him, waving and said hey. To our delight, he waved back. It was the cutest thing!

It is bizarre! We came home today to find our home infested with roaches. Not the tiny sort-of cute ones that look like gentle bugs but the large brown ones with twitchy limbs and the ability to fly in your hair. I wondered if it was the cheap pest control stations I installed the day before that was attracting them. Most likely but anyway, too late for regret. Now it was time for action.

I evacuated Jack into the kitchen along with the cats while their Dad bravely ventured into the bathroom and bedroom, attacking the roaches with our bug killer and picking them up with a long pair of chopsticks while they twitched some more in the bin. He even got one off near the ceiling. Our hero!

Mom’s Beef Stew: an original recipe.

Makes one week’s supply of beef stew for babies and cats. So far the hubby says it is tasty, Jack (the baby) likes only 3 bites, and the cats love it.

Ingredients:
300g premium minced beef
1 handful frozen sweet corn, peas, carrots
1/2 handful pasta (twirly ones in durum wheat)
1 small tomato (cut in 4)
10 leaves of baby spinach

Non-edibles:
Non-stick pot with cover
5 baby glass bottles, sterilised and dried
Bowl for distribution to cats

Cook it:
1. Throw all ingredients into pot.
2. Add water to just cover the ingredients.
3. Turn on fire. Ensure is boiling then turn to low.
4. Leave for 1 hour but return every 15 minutes to make sure it is not burnt. If running low on water, add a small bit more.
5. When cooked, let cool for a while before bottling. Put in freezer.
6. Place remainder in bowl and distribute to cats.

How to use:
When you wish to feed baby, put 1 bottle to thaw in refrigerator 4 hours before. If you forget, microwave on high for 1 minute then use spoon to stir. If still cold, repeat. If baby dislikes food, feed cats. If cats dislike it, you don’t have to make lunch for yourself.

Ahh what else is there to blog about but my Lenovo V100 (dang I need a name for it already). After playing with it all evening, I have to say I am entralled.

Things I love:

1. In the sidebar installed, your pics run like a mini album. Jack’s face keeps smiling at me from various angles and positions.

2. There is a clock.

3. I can type notes to remind me of things I shouldn’t forget.

4. The built-in camera. For amusement at self.

5. The lightness of the whole laptop.

6. The fingerprint authenticator. I feel like a spy.

7. The beautiful Windows backgrounds.

8. The keyboard tapping under my fingers.

9. The little beeps it makes.

10. The new Vista taskbar.

11. The cute kitten startup icon.

12. How the screen cover opens.

13. The tough display screen.

And this is just the first day! More to come…

It is 90% a stomach virus Jack has. His father has it several days ago and so did I, although mine manifested quite differently. This morning at 830am he woke up and let’s just say I changed his diaper thrice in ten minutes. He sweetly smiled and we went back to sleep after.

Anyhow, this is the first post written from the luscious yet unnamed Lenovo 3000 v100 that is mine, all mine now. I am writing from my bed with Jack sleeping, mouth attached to my nipple. The keyboard is heavenly and I think I’m the happiest tech-crazy Mom out there today.

If you’re the chief operating officer of your household, it is quite likely that you’ll also be the chief financial offer who manages the budget, finances, and investments in your family.

Here are some tips on how to invest that extra bit of savings you have:

1. Look at the labels of the things you buy regularly. Note which is the manufacturing company.

2. Do a little research online and check that the company is:

a. Not in debt.
b. Ideally spends little of its budget on research and development and new equipment.
c. Has good management - any scandals, obscenely high salaries and bonuses for directors?

3. Check the share prices of the company. Remember the numbers.

4. Open an online trading account. Shop around for a reliable no-frills account and sign up. Ensure they don’t charge custodian fees.

5. Save 90% of your money in a fixed deposit account that charges no penalty for early withdrawal.

6. Keep an eye out on the indices (health of the country’s economy) and share price of the companies you are watching.

6. When they plunge, buy the shares when everyone is selling. If you’re lazy to research for companies, buy the indices as an ETF (exchange-traded fund) such as the S&P500.

7. Keep for 2-5 years. When the economy recovers, sell.

8. Go back to 5-7.

For further reading, pick up any book on Warren Buffet.