The Ramblings of my Disorganised Mind

I have a JB Hi-Fi near me

which could be considered a Good Thing or a Bad Thing, depending on the viewpoint.

The Good Thing is, like my DVD hire store, it's within walking distance (about 1 1/2 kms the other way), so I make a pact with myself to only go there if I walk (no buying anything allowed if I take the car). I have the same pact with myself when it comes to hiring DVDs. No hiring anything if I drive there, although returns obviously OK. ;-)

So the weekend was a good walk, actually. A film I had ordered came in, so I walked down to JB, up to Blockbusters, then home. Unfortunately, I felt sort of drained by the time I got home, as I'm having a second round of that cold we all had. Not as bad as the first time round, but enough that a 5km walk hurt a bit by the time I got home, you know, breathing-wise.

Bad Thing is, well, it's within walking distance. I could be bothered walking there but not taking the car. I'm not a shop-a-holic type: I'm not into "retail therapy" and am not big on shoes. If I need an item of clothing, I have a fair idea of what I need, go in, grab the closest to it if they have it, leave. Er, after paying for it. That's very important. My feet hate me because I tend to buy cheap shoes (fact is, I'd rather go barefoot most days). And this is not just because I'm not exactly a clothes-horse, either. I was the same when I was a size 10 (for about a week, before I fell pregnant with my first. I still have that dress. It will probably never fit again. I had to be almost anorexic-skinny to be size 10. I'm a comfortable 14 hip, 12 waist at my fittest without getting into scrawny realm). Thing is, I've never gotten the whole mad for clothes thing. Once you have enough to change your underwear every day, why do you need more?

I do have my weaknesses, though. Books, music, plants, candles. I can resist DVDs, unless it's something I'd really like. On the up side, I'm proud of the fact that I've managed to walk past the Lifeline bookstore almost every day without being pulled inside. On the down side, well, there was one of those on-table book sales in Lutwyche centro last week, and I had money in my pocket... yikes. In my defence, the prices were, like, one tenth of retail, and there was one book on the Byzantines that I really, really liked. Ok, maybe a third of retail.

I tend to indulge the first and last ones (within reason), because, books, you know, educational (hence my tendency to feel less guilty if I buy non fic). Candles, you know, nice soft environmental light and smelly calm smells. Sanity is very important. Music I will resist unless I have spare money (rarely) and plants I haven't been buying for a while, but now have a whole justification for it: the alternative is bare, weedy dirt at my front door.

On books, the wonderful, lovely Sean Williams sent me his "The Change" trilogy, comprised of the Stone Mage and the Sea, The Sky Warden and the Sun and The Storm Weaver and the Sand. Buy it, peoples. I tucked into the first one last night (although I really shouldn't have; I was supposed to be writing a synopsis), although I had to prise it out of the fingers of my 10 year-old first. He's also co-authored the evergence trilogy with Shane Dix, and has written in the Star Wars universe as well.

Music, I think I've mentioned I like soundtracks, partly because I enjoy instrumental music, and partly because soundtracks make an effective background noise to writing (listen to Gladiator or Last of the Mohicans if you want to write a fight scene. Trés effective. If I see a film and the music strikes me, I'll try and get a copy, if I remember, even if I don't like the film (easier if I do like the film because I remember what its name is, hehe). JB is in the middle of a sale, too. Sigh. So when I went down to pick up the movie I ordered, I ended up bringing home a copy of the Troy soundtrack as well. I love that song that plays in the credits: Remember, performed by Josh Grobin and Tania Tzarovska (who also does the female vocals throughout the score, if my ears are working correctly). I actualy didn't mind the film, but then I'm not pedantic with my Ancient Greek mythology (unlike, say my mediaeval history).

The first item on the score is called 3200 Years Ago but listening to it actually gives me a good picture of a scene I was writing for a sci-fi project I'm working on at the moment (yes, gasp and look shocked. I am writing a sci fi book. No unicorns in sight. It's not actually my fault, though. It's not actually, originally, my idea. Joint effort. Be afraid. Be very afraid).

Plants. Went to pick up the jasmine polyanthum I ordered from the nursery. Honestly, told my kids I would be in and out, just to pick up a single plant. I ended up with four, including the jasmine. I should know better. Well, I needed a bay tree. And I got 2 small pots of black mondo grass for the final touch on my front garden.

Which needs water. Excuse me. :-)

posted by Heather @ 8:24 am