worryingly jolly batman

I am very pleased to announce that the Chudley Cannons have had their first victory since 1892 ... because they were the namesake for aimeemcn's team, of which I made up one happy member, in the Wellington Children's Book Association annual children's lit quiz. I knew immediately on hearing the title that this was an event for me: like pub quizzes, but with answers I know/don't have to shout down the judges about.* And so it proved to be. The Cannons managed to eke out a victory over our closest competition - Slytherin! Of course we were natural enemies, even though caramarie was one of their members, but come on, we're Ron Weasley's favourite team! We squeaked through on a single point (luckily, because I would have been pretty embarassed if me writing down "the littlest swan" instead of "the little mermaid" had been our downfall.)

I made away like a bandit with a bottle of wine, cheese, and chocolate, and also scored spot prizes of a pen shaped like a pizza (for knowing the meaning of puttanesca) and christmas-themed cookie cutters for standing up in front of 50 people and singing "A Pūkeko in a Ponga Tree." (Although we didn't have most of those right: we got the flax kete and the piupiu and made up all the rest). Also we made a diorama of a pūkeko sitting in a ponga so basically, it was rad, and I'll have to go to a lot of the events next year.


*I have only done this once. The question was "Who invented the telescope?" For the record, the answer to this question is not Galileo Galilei.

1. I've made a couple of posts over at le blog, most of which I imagine will not be of interest to you unless you need a recipe for hazelnut meringues with chocolate sauce. oh wait, you ALL need that recipe, because it is godly, however the content around the recipe is the same as that post about separating eggs I just made, ie way less interesting. SORRY.

2. What IS interesting to, oh, IDK, EVERYONE:


a-mazing.

3. Tonight I went to the Wellington Contra Dance group and it was awesome, exactly what I was looking for - sweaty dancing fun. I had a blast and bumped into a few people I knew (naturally), including an old classmate, my old Physics teacher, and dryadwoman! They do it only once a month though, so I'm on the lookout for other similar stuff - I'd really like a dance class once a week.

4. I realised today it's only THREE DAYS until I can start playing and singing Christmas carols twenty-four hours a day. So SOME QUESTIONS. First off, I know I have some Wellington flisties in various choirs, does anyone know if any of them are carrying on over Christmas? Secondly, what's your favourite Christmas carol? Thirdly, recommend me an album of Christmas music. I already have Bright Eyes and Sufjan Stevens and Jane Monheit and Love Actually. What I really really really want is an album of really seriously bog-standard choral Christmas carols, because as much as reimagined is fun, I frankly want something pure and traditional (i.e. no Snoopy's Christmas although yes I do love it, but I'm looking more for the standards).

Also, I really, really want a nice recording of the carol "As With Gladness, Men Of Old", because it was my school carol and it's lovely and I miss singing it every December. In fact I actually miss it so much I'm thinking about finding out when the QMC Christmas service is and going THAT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA BUT IT'S HOW MUCH I WANT TO SING CAROLS RIGHT NOW.

OK, look, as a mature adult and a slash fan I have come to appreciate Draco a lot more over the last few years. I even enjoy post-series Harry/Draco now, although I pretty much blame blythely for that. However, since as we all know HP fandom is the size of a blimp and like everyone my age I know the canon backwards, I enjoy taking a refreshing dip into giant-squid-infested waters every now and then when I'm between reading fandoms.

But seriously. SERIOUSLY. You know that period during sixth year when Draco was trying to kill Dumbledore and instead nearly kills a couple of other people, you know, Ron and Katie? THAT WAS ACTUALLY HIS FAULT. Like, yes, he was under pressure and that's horrible and sad and I generally wouldn't approve of the idea of being super-punitive towards a sixteen-year-old boy. BUT HE DID HAVE A CHOICE, OK. The thing about Draco is that he is CONSTANTLY being given choices by everyone around him - more choice, frankly, than either Tom Riddle or Harry fucking Potter ever had. And he certainly had more resources than some of his fellow Death Eaters at Hogwarts (Crabbe and Goyle, for example.) Everyone around Draco reaches out to him particularly doing sixth year.

So you don't get - I mean, you really do not get to just say "Oh, Katie Bell's being awkward around you? How horrible of her! That wasn't your fault!" I mean, seriously! a) IT WAS HIS FAULT and b) Even if it WASN'T his fault, come on! Why shouldn't she be awkward! He nearly killed her! He placed her under the Imperius curse, an "Unforgiveable" (har har har) may I add!

Seriously!!!!!!!!!

It's still weirdly easy for me to get het up over HP. I have no idea why.

I have totally read it. XD XD XD XD

( SPOILERS. BIG HONKING SPOILERS. RIGHT HERE. )

I finished it ten minutes after it went on sale in teh States. Heh.