wordfalls and scatters

My friend Dinesh is visiting from India this weekend. He gets in on Friday afternoon, and leaves early (9amish) on Monday morning. 1) Any chance anyone can help out with lifts to/from the airport? 2) Does anyone want to do Tourist Stuff around Perth over the weekend? Maybe dinner on Saturday night? That is all!

Sometimes it seems like my LJ has become an almanac of excuse notes.

The next few weeks, at the very least, are going to be hard. For a variety of reasons. This means I will be maintaining what has become my usual level of being-terrible-at-catchups. As usual, I'm sorry. As usual, I still like you very much, and will be missing you.

I'm going to be trying to make more time to spend alone, because I'm sorely feeling the lack of it at the moment.

Catchups that revolve around doing work together will be much appreciated.

I will be trying to ask for help when I need it. This doesn't feel easy for me, although the size of my 'internets please help' tag tells me that I probably do it more often than I think I do.

I will be trying to be a good person in all the ways that I know how.

So, I have a question about tax. I tried to call the tax helpline, but apparently it's too complicated for them. Which seems ridiculous. I figure the Internet probably knows the answer.

So, I made some money this year as me.
And I made some money this year as me-with-an-ABN.

But, there is no handy section on the individual tax return forms saying "money you made as you-with-an-ABN here please".

Do I need to fill out a different form for me-with-an-ABN?
(If not, where do I write me-with-an-ABN-income?)
Do I need to get some kind of pay summary for me-with-an-ABN?

I feel like this should be easier, given the pitiful amount I made in the last year and the fact that it only came from two sources. (Maybe I will ask my dad, also. I hear he is a grownup.)

* Bicycling: out to Mount Hawthorn last night, listening to interesting podcasts and feeling independent and adventurous. Especially whilst...
* Dressing up like an adventurer: there's nothing like Ridiculous Indian Pants under a tweed skirt, with boots and felted fingerless mittens, to make me feel intrepid. Today I am similarly themed, and it makes me feel like I have a secret stock of strength.
* Knowing how to do things: Darning socks. Fixing my bicycle tire. White vinegar and bicarbonate soda for a thermos with a lingering smell. Crocheting a skirt without a pattern. I love being able to fix and make things.
* Writing: my thesis is finally starting to feel like it may, one day, be finished. My latest commission for ActNow was accepted. I have been blogging furiously over on witty title pending. I have been thinking of lots of story ideas, and need some fiction-writing time.
* Music practise: J and I have been having some music practice time of late. He has been playing guitar, which I find is quite a pleasant instrument to listen to, even for tuning. I have been playing accordion (if it's not too late) or the keyboard (if I suspect littles are in bed). I am quite terrible, but have still been enjoying it.
* Advice from grownups: I am not very good at asking for, or taking, advice. But I have a great appreciation for it in small doses. I like having Older-and-Wisers to give advice: γιαγιά telling me that she thinks the skirt I'm making should flare out, Supervisorface talking to me about my chapters, Think Tank Ladies giving advice on whether to go for government jobs, Liz reminding me how to crochet, dad telling me to go adventuring, mum telling me about work stuff, my aunt showing me how to take in a dress (and sewing it for me).
* Family: Feeding people at our place. Watching J play tavli with παπου. Working in the garden at my family's place. My brother's delight in plants. Little chats with cousins, about boys and politics and school.


Also: I am excited about barcamp. I wasn't thinking of doing a workshop, but Jarrad suggested doing one together, so maybe? But I hate the thought of doing a workshop or something and noone being interested. So: is there anything I know about that you guys would like to know about? Or that you think other people may find interesting?

1) Is anyone who is upright and responsible and capable of repeatedly not killing a small dog interested in house-sitting in Wembley from 6th to 18th July? You may get paid a few hundred monies for it.
2) If I was going to buy a second-hand ASUS S5200N from a friend, what would be a fair price to give them?

* I am going to be in Sydney between 18th and 24th of February. Actually, I will mostly be in Armidale or doing a workshop during that time, but I will be free the evening of the 20th, I think. Does anyone want to have dinner/put me up? (Also: are any of you guys in Sydney?)
* My brother is quite wonderful. He told me a story about his mice: his house has lots of mice. They like to hide behind the microwave, and poop. So, one day they used the microwave, and a poor little mouse came staggering out and died a dramatic death. Very upsetting! After considering the problem carefully, they got rid of the microwave, because who wants such a terrible killer in the house? Now the mouse hang out somewhere different, and more hidden, and everyone's happy. For some reason I find this story very cheering. It reminds me that people are not so bad, after all.
* My family is pretty excellent, did I mention? I like Παπού playing tavli with Ms N and debating, Γιαγιά's stories and her popping some dessert into Ms N's mouth mid-sentence, Byron's attempts to lure Brotherdear or J into playing with him, Strati's standard response to Relationship News ("well, when are you bringing them around?"), Lorraine's quiet strength, GirlCousins' willingness to debate ethics and morality, Motherdear's automatic carbon-neutralling of my flights, Fatherdear's continual attempts to work out where he is and where he wants to be. I am very lucky!
* Ms L came around the other night to work on my story. It's quite wonderful to write with/for someone who's that expressive - I am usually so nervous when someone reads my work with me near, but I really enjoy all of her laughing and approval-faces and questions. Also, it is fun to make demands like, "draw a thing here that is like a rubbish bin crossed with a cloud, but sparkly".
* A couple of nights ago I had a dream that my first complete thesis-draft was finished. It still had lots of 'insert research here' bits, but it felt so amazingly good. Like a dream about flying, where you're simultaneously surprising that you can do and at how wonderful it is.
* A couple of nights ago I had a dream about

One of the reasons that yesterday was Not Awesome was that J's ipod broke. It now just entirely fails to turn on. I was using it because my music player broke. This means: no podcasts for me! (*gasp* *shock* *horror*) I really don't want to buy a new one, because there is so much Electronic Stuff floating around the world from when everybody upgraded their Thing. So, what I am saying is:

a) does anyone have a music player of some sort sitting in a drawer that they're willing to sell/give me? Or
b) can anyone recommend a good place to buy second-hand music players, or alternatively a model that I should look for on Ebay or something?

Also: Ms S from work who has a SmallChild who has developed a deep ambivalence about computers. She watches the other children play, but is too scared to play herself because she's not allowed to touch computers. So Ms S would like to get her a play-computer. Does anyone have an old laptop lying around the place that they're willing to sacrifice?

Yesterday I went to the beach with Miss C and Klaus. It was windy, and I spent most of the time trying hard not to drown. My favourite part was when about forty teenagers ran past us into the waves, lemming-like, and starting swimming through the enormous waves towards Somewhere. I imagine by now that some of them have reached Antarctica. Miss C suggests that perhaps they curl up, pod-like, and float on to colonise new continents. I had the best sleep I've had in days last night - perhaps going to the beach should be a more regular feature?

Today has been a busy family day, mostly, with some Talks in and also some eating. Some of the Talking was exhausting, but it's also good to see people and be in family spaces. Other things I did in family spaces today include:
* having a nap,
* losing at tavli,
* having my first accordion lesson (my arms hurt!),
* explaining about my new think tank (BEFORE I FORGET: where is a good place to host a website? It will need space for a few documents, nothing too crazy...),
* listening to my grandparents swear in arabic.

Now I am going to go to bed under about 6 blankets, wearing two pairs of socks, pajamas, and extra shirts, in the hope of being warm enough to sleep.

So, there are some things that I Want, right now. I though I might tell the interweb, because perhaps some bits of it have advice for me or might want to go thing-getting with me. Here is my list of demands:

1) A new water bottle, preferably one that won't give me cancer or be too heavy.
2) A kite, preferably one that is easy and light enough to be flown by a small child.
3) Some pretty summer dresses, preferably fair trade, locally made, or second hand.
4) A new copy or three of Flora Segunda. (Also I would like Madame Wilce to write some more books, write now, please. And also Doctorow's Little Brother. But I will settle for demands that can be met without a warping of the space-time continuum!)

I think that's it. It felt like there were more.

So, I'm sitting around in my office right now, wondering where all the people have gone. Kate's moved out of the office, so everything is looking rather bare, and all the staff seem to be on holidays. A bit of a pity, since I think I'm still in adventuring-mode, wanting people to see and things to do.

Which leads me to my next subject:
a) Are you a People?
b) Are you in Perth?
c) Are you my friend, or would you like to my friend?
d) Do you like to do Fun Things?
If you answered yes to all of the above, perhaps we should catch up sometime soon? I have been missing you guys.

Also: does anyone have a bicycle pump that they have no further need for? I would like a smallish handpump, something that I can attach to my bicycle. I rode in this morning, and it was wonderful to cycle again, but my back tire is kind of squishy...I suspect that it will not be in a fit state for the cycle home. (sadface)

Maybe instead of more voluminous posting I will stop here and save up my words for when I see people? (But I might need some punching, when I go on about India. I have put all my stories on here! I want to hear your stories now!)

[hmm...my throat is kind of...uncomfortable... and my housemate has the dreaded lurgy... I hope this isn't a sign of upcoming Doom.]