gothwalk | (no subject)

I am currently engaged in the subtle art of candle trimming. This consists of tracking down a number of candles which are too wide (so that the wick develops a pit for itself, into which it vanishes, rather than burning evenly down) and trimming away with a knife the walls of the pit. Evidently, there is an optimum width for candles; I'm amazed that candle makers have not yet realised this.

The party was great, really really good. The food was, as previously mentioned, divine, the company good, the presents good, and the atmosphere, that undefinable something that either works or doesn't in a party, was great. I played with sparklers, had people sing happy birthday to me - something I'm so not used to, and discussed various things I like to discuss with people.

Presents:

inannajones gave me a great big more-than-A1 portfolio in which to hold my maps and mapping paper, along with a fantastic compass set (capable of drawing circles up to about two feet in diameter, with perfect accuracy, masking tape to hold down the paper, and a scale ruler, which implement is a miracle in plastic. She knows me so well :) .

puritybrown gave me a book of Japanese proverbs, titled "Even Monkeys Fall From Trees".

metalrabbit &

mr_wombat presented me with a packet of five good cheeses, and crackers to go with them.

wyvernfriend gave me a portable combined cafetiere/coffee mug/thermos widget, and some coffee to go in it (Gloria Jean's Black Gold blend). And a non-lj friend (although I sent her an LJ code ten minutes ago) gave me a book by Tibor Fischer called Don't read this book if you're stupid, William S. Burroughs' Junk, and a widget containing a small drawer and six coasters, all disguised as books, which is very cool.

And by the time we got up this morning,

puritybrown had done all the necessary post-party cleaning and tidying, which is very much appreciated.

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Very good point, another non-lj friend gave me 5 vouchers for Forbidden Planet (scifi and comic shop). Missed them in the pile. :)

Candle makers *have* realised about the wick thing - supposedly. If you make your own, the wick comes in sizes according to the diameter of candle you're making. Of course, the cheaper makes of candle tend to ignore this...
And Tibor Fischer rocks! The one you've got is my least favourite though - have you read his novels? If not, do...

I've never read anything by him before, but the giver-of-the-book says he's very good. As soon as I get through Listening People, Speaking Earth, it's next on the list.

'Under The Frog' is probably the most standard of the novels (in a Communist-Hungary-with-basketball kinda way); I think The Thought Gang is my favourite though. The one you've got pretty much avoids his wordplay obsession (which is either great, or really irritating depending on pov - I *just* fall on the 'great' side of that fence, but it's a very tenuous thing, it wouldn't take much to tip me over. But really, a book obsessed with totally obscure words starting with z can only be good, especially when it encourages you to use 'zetetic' in everyday conversation...)

So have you tried the coffee thing yet - I'm gagging to see if it works okay - I may have to invest!!

Oh and all together

Happy Birthday to Drew
Happy Birthday to Drew...

More singing moment!!