So, details:
WHERE: The Terrace Bar
Universal Bar
221 William Street
Northbridge WA 6003
(Just a short walk from the Perth Train Station)
WHEN: Saturday, 21 May starting at 5:00pm – 7:15pm
COST: Tickets are $35 per person, and this includes alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a selection of canapés
This is a ticketed event.
Tickets are on sale from now until Thursday 19 May.
Please RSVP to events@sellen.info or comment below.
Payment can be made via Paypal to events@sellen.info
For me Swancon 2011 had been almost two years in the making. I was thrilled when the Committee approached me about twenty months ago and asked if I would be willing to help with finding a venue for them, and when they outlined their vision for Swancon 36 | Natcon 50, it was a vision I knew I could share and I jumped at the opportunity.
And what a journey it’s been.
I’ve gotten to know so many people in the fan community that were previously just names and faces. And I have been fortunate to meet and work with so many awesome people. There’s a whole sector of fandom that I never consciously knew existed. There’s a whole group of background workers that just make Swancon happen almost seamlessly. They quietly rock up and start helping, and if it wasn’t for them Swancon would have been a lesser experience for everyone, not just this year, but every year. A lot of them are people I think I’ve seen at every con I’ve been to – Rachel and Ruth, Doug and Linda to name a few - but I’ve barely ever spoken to, and I’ve discovered this is my loss. It was an absolute privilege to get to know each of them a little better this year.
Swancon itself this year was a totally different experience for me, because, well, I was a bit busy helping behind the scenes. I was able to attend one panel on the Monday afternoon, and that was, I think, the extent of my panel attendance. But I did get to mingle and schmooze a bit.
An absolute highlight for me was the Awards Ceremony, and seeing so many deserving people win. Watching Thoraiya accept her awards with her daughter was beautiful. And having Galactic Suburbia win. It was sad that the hard work of all the winners was marred a little by the loud grumblings of a few, and I have to say, as someone who worked hard on counting the nominations and the ceremony, I couldn’t help but feel it was an attack on my own personal integrity.
So ultimately, what I’m taking away from this Swancon experience is a deeper understanding of a lot more people – people I worked with, spoke to, or observed (in real life and online). I’ve also gained a wealth of experience, and some amazing friendships, and that far and away over rides the negatives!
Tonight, the awesome Galactic Suburbia will have been podcasting for a year1! And to celebrate we were all instructed to bring cake. So here is mine:
But what is in a Galactic Suburbia Celebration Cake?
It was a given that it needed to be chocolate. But what sort? There is a nice solid, chunky chocolate biscuit base to build my cake on, because every book needs a good solid base. The outside shell is a mix of white and dark chocolate, to represent racial diversity. Inside is a light fluffy chocolate mousse, because I like my reading to have some light and fluffy, but in honour of Tansy, it is laced with big bits of nougat, just to make it crunchy.
So there you have it, a lot of thought and reasoning to make a perfectly symbolic cake for Galactic Suburbia2.
1 That’s every two weeks, not you know, continuously for a year.
2 Or it could just be that I knew what type of cake I wanted to make and then came up with justifications for it
Or any other disaster? 2011 is off to a disastrous start, in the full sense of the word. In just five short week Australia has undergone flooding, cyclones and fires on a scale that I feel it is safe to say is unprecedented here.
Hollywood does a great job of making the run for your life seem exciting, and I'm sure there would be a huge adrenalin rush if it actually came to it, but I know what I'm like under that kind of pressure. Panic Central. That's me. I would hate to be trying to think about what to take when under threat. Imagine, there's a bushfire looming and you have twenty minutes to get to safety – that was the situation people in Perth faced yesterday. It’s the situation thousands of Australians on the East Coast faced in the last two weeks. Twenty minutes to be in your car and fleeing. Do you know what you would take? I’d be just as likely to grab my make up bag, my pillow, a dozen raw eggs from the fridge and the phone book. In other words, whatever I could lay my hands on in that instant.
I’m not an organised person generally. And I am prone to panic, which is why I would end up juggling a dozen raw eggs as I run from the giant looming tsunami. So, in order to circumvent this, I have thought about what I would take for my family and me, and prepared Go Bags accordingly. (I've also heard them called Grab It bags or 72 hour packs, but really, it's whatever suits you, I guess. )
So what is in a Go Bag? You might be surprised. They're a unique and evolving beast, which is one reason it's probably a good idea to review them at least once a year, ideally, twice a year is better. No two bags are likely to be the same, and what you need now, and what is important to you now, is probably not what is going to meet your needs in 6 months or a year's time.
It also depends on the time of year, and the reason for running. I have quite a lot of stuff in my bags, and because there are 5 of us, I have managed can split something between us all. However, should we suffer an alien invasion and have to run for the hills in the height of summer, there I kind of know what I could dice from my bags. Ditto when the ice age hits.
The other thing to consider is how long you are going to need the bag. While we’ve seen the authorities set up evacuation centres and communities pull together, some of the worst-case-scenario disasters are not going to allow that to happen. At least not immediately. It is suggested the bag should have enough in it to help you survive for 3 days. (Hence the name 72 hour pack) While I would be grateful for my pillow, my dozen eggs, and makeup bag are likely to be a nuisance after a few hours, let alone carrying them around for three days.
I have a Go Bag for each member of my family. Plus a couple of bags with extra stuff. If I had two minutes to get out of my house, I could grab them and go, and know that at least the bare essentials are taken care of. This list can seem a bit melodramatic, but it’s also preparing for a worst-case-scenario.
My (Ideal) Go Bag under the cut:
( Read more...Collapse )I’ve spent last night and today reflecting on my passions, and by extension, what defines me. Yesterday, 
callistra
My immediate answer was Tusk, my family, and my Hobby of the Moment, but outside of those, I wasn’t entirely sure, as I’ve never tried to define them. So I’m going to give it a go.
What am I passionate about? What makes me ME?
My religious beliefs – this is the most important thing in my life. I try to make my life fit around my beliefs and worship, rather than than the other way around. I’m not always successful with this, and it certainly isn’t always easy.
Tusk – We are two weeks off our 21st anniversary and I am still passionate about him. He still makes my insides flip-flop when I see him. He is the single most important person in my life and the person I want to spend most of my time with. Even when we’re working we will call each other numerous times throughout the day just to say ‘hello’, and ‘I love you’.
Family – My kids and my parents and my extended family. We’ve always been a close family.
The Hobby of the Moment – this varies, but currently, as we all know, it’s cake decorating. Previously it’s been writing, beading, drawing and sewing. I guess the common theme is creativity – so perhaps that’s the umbrella answer there. I’ve always been creative.
Event organising – I love this! Whether it’s a giant gala ball for 500 people with a six figure budget, or a teensy little kitchen tea on a shoestring. To be honest, the bigger the event and the tighter the budget, the more I like it, I think.
Happiness – I think (generally speaking) we’re all in charge of our own happiness. There are some things that you cant change if it’s out of your control, don’t worry about it. One of my mottos in life is “You always have a choice, even if it’s just a choice of attitude.” I know it’s not always practicable, but I strive to look at the bright side of things, to always assume that something positive is meant, rather than assuming the worst of a situation or a person.
Learning – I love learning new things. I love that learning phase of being in a new job. I’m content to know a little bit about an awful lot, rather than having an expert knowledge in one subject.
This is by no means an extensive list – I think my passions tend to change depending on my mood / the weather / the time of day / whatever. As I thought about this, I realised I don’t have favourites of things, you know. I don’t have a favourite food, or a favourite drink – I have multitudes of favourites, and they vary depending on my immediate circumstances. And I think this follows through with my passions.
So, yeah – that’s me :)
I had an attack of inspiration a month or two back, and experimented with some flavours I wanted to try. I threw in a bit of this and a dash of that, and actually having the foresight to right it down, which I’m glad I did, because the were pretty much on the scrumptious side.
Essentially they are pumpkin and spiced cupcakes with a cream cheese and maples syrup frosting. And gluten free. I’m sure they’d work just as well with normal flour, but I am trying to do all my cupcakes GF now, as it seems probable that both Tusk and Ratbag might have a bit of an intolerance.
So, when I had the opportunity to catch up with some fabulous women the other day, and since I finally had my Kenwood Chef working again, I took it as an excuse to commit cake.
The result under the cut…
( Read more...Collapse )I have been crazy!stupid busy lately. In between work and general life stuffs there have been days where I haven’t had time to stop, so my online play time has been impacted quite seriously.
I’m still at The Job That Serves A Purpose, even though the original purpose has been served – the parameters of the purpose have been broadened ever so slightly, so I’ll probably stick at it for a bit. To be honest, it’s dead easy work generally, although a little on the brain dead side, but it is local, and it is part time, and with the night time penalties the hourly rate makes a nice impression on my pay packet.
But in addition to that, I’ve been temping in Osborne Park, so I’ve been having to get back into the swing of a commute, complete with a 6am awakening. Ergh. Couple this with TJTSAP, there have been days where I have been up at 6, done a full 8 hours, snoozed on the train, come home and slept for several hours and gone and done a 6 hour shift. So last week, I did those two jobs, plus a second temping job where I take minutes for the Cockburn Cement EIP meetings.
And then, just for fun, I decided to hold a car rally. Because I could, obviously :) And, you know, regular family stuff, homeschooling, as well as trying to keep up with a semblance of a social life.
So the next obvious step is taking a full time job, isn’t it?! Of course it is. I got approached about two weeks ago and asked, if by any chance, I was interested in temp work. I said yes, before actually asking what it was…B is going on LSL for several months and needs someone to replace her. Full Time. For four and a half months! The astute person will note this takes me right through the Swancon period. o_0
I interviewed at 2.30 today. Well, went in for an informal chat really. They rang me at 3.15 and offered me the role.
The upside is I will be the official Twitter and Facebook moderator for a Govt Department. And I will be organising events. (Yay!) Plus, you know, money is good :) Especially since we are looking at getting a new car early in the New Year.
I’ve spoken to my manager at TJTSAP, and I should be able to go on LWOP, so I will have that to go back to afterwards, too.
But, Full Time. ergh…
We are cat people. I’ve had cats pretty much all my life. So has Tusk. But for the past four years or so, our family has been minus a feline companion. Sadly, our cat, Miss Molly, was run over not long after moving up to Perth, and because we were renting at that stage, and looking to move into another rental, we decided it would be wise to hold off for a bit.
So we did.
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