katiefoolery: (Grimmy has no words)
[personal profile] katiefoolery
It’s been quite some time since I last updated my LJ… and even then, it was just a ficlet.  This is mostly because I suspect that not many people want to hear about my exciting morning doing the laundry or the thrills of standing over the central heating vent in the kitchen in order to defrost myself (usually after coming in from taking the laundry to the dryer – non-stop thrills!).

I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

And of course, it’s around this time that LJ tells us they’ll be providing permanent accounts for sale soon.  I’ve longed for a permanent account since just about forever but I don’t think I could justify it if I’m only updating once a fortnight.  If that.  Of course, irony will ensure that I’ll start updating like mad the minute the permanent acccount sale is over, but I’m prepared for that.

So, what have I been doing?

Apart from the laundry?

Well, yesterday, I spent quite some time wailing, yelling and swearing at my iPod mini, due to the fact that it decided to die.  Again.  CURSED PIECE OF PINK RUBBISH.

No, I take that back.  Well, not the bit about its being pink… but everything else.  I adore you, little (unfortunately pink) iPod.  Won’t you consider coming back to life?  Again?

Because if it doesn’t, I’m seriously going to consider smashing it into many, many pieces with the nearest available heavy object.  Or perhaps I could take it outside and throw it against a wall – either way, I’m sure I’d feel better after getting all that frustrated rage out.

So I have no iPod and my iriver player is still being daft, on top of having the worst shuffle function in the whole of existence.  Oh, it’s nothing but angst around here.

In less angsty news, it seems as though our landlords have decided not to sell right now.  How much this has to do with the fact that a developer has put in an application to build four townhouses directly across the road is anyone’s guess… but my guess is that it was a major factor in changing our landlords’ minds.  Of course, this means we’ll have to put up with the sound and disruption of construction but I’d far rather do that than move.

Then again, I’d far rather coat my head in honey and stick it in a bucket of ants than move, so that’s not saying very much.

The rest of my time seems to be taken up with being a beta.  Which I still love.  If I could do that and be paid for it, then I’d be very happy indeed.  I very rarely find my brain falling asleep during beta-ing.  And I never have to deal with the sort of students I was dealing with last Thursday when I’m beta-ing.  That’s a huge appeal all in itself.

And that is why I haven’t been updating.  Unless you want to hear all about commas and how fascinated I am by the way people use them.

on 2007-05-28 07:27 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] gehdra.livejournal.com
I was thinking about you today, and how I hadn't seen you around LJ for awhile. Glad to hear you're alive, even if it's a laundry-doing existence ;)

on 2007-05-28 07:57 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Yep, I'm alive and well and doing the laundry. :D Not being able to access LJ at work really screws with my ability to keep up sometimes.

on 2007-05-28 07:28 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] bunhusband.livejournal.com
What is Beta-ing?

on 2007-05-28 07:57 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
...

Riiiiiiight.

on 2007-05-28 09:07 am (UTC)
ext_1836: (Default)
Posted by [identity profile] rigel-7.livejournal.com
It's Bunne!

*hugs*

maybe if you bake the iPod in the oven for a while - it worked for Clare's phone, at least for a while :D

on 2007-05-28 09:22 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
You know, it really couldn't hurt (especially considering I already kinda sorta maybe banged it against the wall a couple times...).

on 2007-05-28 11:12 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] alankria.livejournal.com
Glad to hear you're not being forced to move. And surely construction work doesn't run through the whole night?

Mmm, commas. You want me to use them more, you pesky non-Brit you. *hugs her empty spaces where you don't really need commas unless you want the text to look polka-comma'd*

And you should really consider finding work as a copyeditor. Enthusiasm and love for the work were two massive factors, I reckon, that helped me secure my job, and you've got them in buckets.

on 2007-05-28 11:20 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
I'm very happy about it. :D And the planning application hasn't even been approved yet, so we probably won't have to deal with the construction work for a couple of months. On the down side, they do want to put our rent up but I can cope with that.

Heh - usually, I would have made all of those comma tags red but I just made them suggestions instead. I seem to sit half-way between British and US comma use myself, so I try to adapt myself to the style of whatever I'm working on. And your style definitely said "I have enough commas, thanks", so I didn't want to force any more on you. :D

Thanks for the encouragement! That's actually kind of cheering, really, considering all I really have is a Bachelor of Arts (and my writing major, I suppose).

on 2007-05-28 11:25 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] alankria.livejournal.com
I got my job without even knowing my degree classification (I find that out in early July, I think), with some work experience at a nonfiction small place and one or two other experiences, and some managerial experience at McDonald's, and also because the job was military-related and my degree was War Studies (and history). And while the experience and the degree subject obviously helped, with the former being very important, I think my enthusiasm really helped. And I even mentioned that I'd been editing my friends' fiction for years and that was considered a plus.

Basically, you'd be surprised what will help you get a job. Don't feel like you're committed to one career path. Do see if there's any more experience you can get -- if I see any more fiction magazines asking for slush readers, I'll let you know; they crop up every now and then.

on 2007-05-28 12:50 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
I will certainly keep all of that in mind. Thanks again. :) I could potentially go into post-grad study, but I'm not in a huge hurry to do that. And I figure I have nothing to lose if I find any jobs I want to apply for - all they can do is turn me down.

on 2007-05-28 11:42 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] silver-pegasus.livejournal.com
Oh but why would we not want to hear about the thrills of your laundry good Bunne? It is just so...clean.

It seems that it doesn't matter what you put in this here lj, you know exactly how to deliver it, so that even the laundry can sound like headline news. Keep it up puh-lease

on 2007-05-28 12:51 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Oh well, if you're sure. It is lovely and clean. :D

Thank-you muchly for your lovely words, good Tanya. *hugs*

on 2007-05-28 12:37 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] ayiana2.livejournal.com
Wait. They're going to be selling permanent accounts? I'm not a paid member, which is probably why I hadn't heard, but...a girl can dream, can't she? *is poor but fond of daydreams.*

And commas. *hugs them* They're such tiny little things to cause so much controversy, yes? For me, commas:writing::breath marks:flute playing. Maybe not always necessary (because really, we know when we need to breathe, right?) but sometimes they keep us from turning blue before we reach the end of a phrase. :-)

on 2007-05-28 01:04 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Yep - they'll be selling them some time in June. It was in an LJ news announcement early in May - linkage (http://news.livejournal.com/98422.html). I'm still slightly tempted to get one, mostly because the exchange rate is so good at the moment. Although, if I'm going to spend money on anything, it should probably be a new iPod.

Not that I have any money to throw around like that. :(

Ooh, you're a flautist, too! I do like that analogy there. It's just a matter of balancing that phrasing with the dictates of grammar - and it's so frustrating when they don't agree.

(I'm just doing a final pass on your story at the moment, by the way. Hopefully, I should get it to you before I go to bed.)

on 2007-05-28 01:04 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] pitkat.livejournal.com
I'm always more than willing to hear the ways people use commas. I know I'm horrible at them.

Good to have you back, even if it's only to curse the pink mini Ipod. :)

on 2007-05-28 01:13 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Aww, thanks muchly. I swear, that iPod is the bane of my life. And yet I'm so addicted to it. Why, why won't it come back to life again?

Commas are quite fascinating, really. It's so hard to say exactly what's right and wrong when using them, simply because different English-speaking countries have different rules.

on 2007-05-28 01:58 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] gravityslave.livejournal.com
I'm a BIG fan of both laundry and commas.
To be honest, my use of commas was an area of stability and certainty to me until I was introduced to the Internet.
These days I find myself constantly questioning my grammar because I have been exposed to so much that is, shall we say, less than perfect.
It's confusing.

on 2007-05-28 09:43 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Weirdly, I don't mind doing the laundry at all. I hate cooking, though.

My comma situation is exactly the same as yours - the internet seems to have corrupted me into picking up different rules and half-employing them in my writing.

on 2007-05-28 02:02 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] crazedturkey.livejournal.com
Whee!!! Katie!! *crashtackle hugs* Now don't you go anywhere!!

I'm so pleased you don't have to move babe! Mostly because it means that there is no excuse for you not to come and visit us here! Hooray!!!

(Selfish be my middle name :D)

on 2007-05-29 07:24 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Hehe! I was thinking exactly the same thing - now I can come up in July and not have to worry about anything! Speaking of which, I really should book my tickets soon...

on 2007-05-28 02:20 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] naelany.livejournal.com
Acketh, it died again? Hope it'll get back to life again this time, or otherwise that you can get a new (not pink?) one soon. *hug*

on 2007-05-29 07:23 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Alas, yes. I thought it would die eventually (again), but I'm still sad about it. I'm well and truly over my pink phase (thank goodness), so I shall be steering clear of that colour in any future iPod purchases.

(It's so good to have you back on LJ, Naelany.)

on 2007-05-29 03:43 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] naelany.livejournal.com
I hope you choose a color that'll last you longer ^_~

Glad to be back ^_^

on 2007-05-28 06:07 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] starlingthefool.livejournal.com
I could use some explanatory discussion about commas. I hate them.

on 2007-05-29 07:06 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
The poor comma - it's so misunderstood and over-used. The good [livejournal.com profile] linnet_101 has quite a helpful guide to commas here (http://linnet-101.livejournal.com/80725.html), if you're interested.

on 2007-05-29 04:12 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sirgallivant.livejournal.com
'Tis Katie of Bunne! How pleased I was to see your entry on my friends page - complete with plendiferously ridiculous alarmed-man icon.

There is something so satisfying about getting laundry done that no other mundane home task offers. I've been doing a lot of it as well, though it's often a perilous affair as my washing machine has been known to randomly spit parts out across the room during its cycle.

A pox on that misbehaving iPod. :(

on 2007-05-29 06:59 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
And 'tis lovely to see you too, good Gally! (Hehe - Grimmjow is ridiculously alarmed because someone just cut his arm off. O.o But he is also doing a wonderful job of personifying the rage I'm feeling towards my iPod..)

I find laundry quite satisfying, too - I'm very glad I'm not alone in that. And I'm quite glad my washing machine doesn't try to attack me the way yours does.

on 2007-05-29 06:04 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] flippyfrog.livejournal.com
Ipod's are evil... but i put you onto the silly iriver with its useless shuffle, so I don't know... go Sony next? I heard the Ministry of Sound one is okay, and cheap... but I don't know.

stupid pink evil thing.

And I like how you like the beta-ing... it means if I ever finish something you can't say you won't edit it for me, because HA! you've just admitted you like it! :P

on 2007-05-29 06:57 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
NO SONY NEVER SONY NO NO NO.

I quite liked the iriver, apart from the shuffle thing and the bit where it decided I wasn't allowed to put songs on it any more. The problem is that I'm addicted to buying music from the iTunes store and even though I know how to get iTunes-bought songs onto a non-iPod player, it's still fiddly and takes time and... the effort, yeah?

I'm sure the pinkness has contributed no end to its evilness, though.

Hey! You weren't meant to hold that against me! I'll edit for you if you cook for me. :D

on 2007-05-29 06:16 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] rilla06.livejournal.com
*strokes funky purple sony wlakman* Tehe :)

I have a grammar question! It just occurred to me to ask you, as it was puzzling me earlier today... Not about commas, though.

Which is correct:
China and it's one child policy...
or
China and its one child poilcy...

?

I always thought that if the policy is China's, then it belongs to China, and so needs an apostrophe... My textbook and Word say differently. I don't trust Word though :P I trust you! :D
:D

on 2007-05-29 06:43 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
The correct one is:
China and its one child policy...

This is because "its" is the neutral equivlant of words like "hers" and "theirs" (which also don't require apostrophes). The best thing to do in situations like this is to see if you can substitute "it is" for the "it's". If we try it on your sentence, it reads like this: China and it is one child policy... Since that doesn't make any sense, then you know to leave the apostrophe out. :D

Thank-you for trusting me over Word! (Even though I'm actually agreeing with it this time. :D )

*hugs the Rilla*

on 2007-05-31 11:11 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] rilla06.livejournal.com
Ahhh, thank you! I can now hand in my geography assignment without worrying :D

*hugs the Bunne*

on 2007-05-29 08:31 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] murfgirl.livejournal.com
See, you can make any average day exciting. You're a creative writer! :) Make your awesome tale of laundry into an exciting, wacky adventure. XD

on 2007-05-29 09:35 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] katiefoolery.livejournal.com
Hehe, thanks. :D Also, I think you just woke up one of my sleeping muses with that comment.

on 2007-05-29 10:31 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] murfgirl.livejournal.com
Awesome. :D

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