The Saga of the Premolar

Doing: Suffering with sore face - ow, my toof!!
Reading: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (it's getting juicy now!)
Watching: Nodame Cantabile (adorable anime about a music conservatory in Tokyo - it's me all over!)

Move over Spanish Inquisition - here come the dentists.

Well, here I sit propped up in bed, suffering in my jocks after a horrible day of dental torture yesterday. After years of avoiding the dentist (cost being the biggest deterrent) I finally went along last year, only to discover two cavities. The first one was easily filled and happily done, but the second one (my sad little upper right second premolar) was very angry indeed, and refused to be drilled or filled without excruciating pain. My lovely dentist (whom, though I've just likened members of his profession to 15th century torture-mongers, is a splendid, gentle chap) told me to go away for a while and "hope the tooth dies". I should be so lucky.

Cut to six months later, and my angry little tooth is now irate, barking at me constantly to "Get thee to a dentist!" (quite the eloquent Shakespearean, despite his shonky dentine). I acquiesced, and took myself along to the doc, who assured me he could numb the tooth no matter what so he could "go in there" and perform a root canal, which apparently is the only course of action for such a cantankerous beast.

So in I go, bolstered by my well-wishing friends and family, sucking up my bravery to endure it with an iron stomach and a bare minimum of girlish weeping. The doc proceeds to put four or five healthy needles full of local anaesthetic in and around my upper jaw (including right into the roof of my mouth. That one tickled. *sobs*). The drilling commences, only to be interrupted by an enormous yelp of pain as they hit the "hot zone". It seems my tooth, much like Ozzy Osbourne, cannot be killed by conventional weapons.

So I after further (unbelievably painful) prodding and patching I am send off to see a specialist in Fullarton. It seems this is only the third time in his career my dentist has encountered a tooth he just couldn't numb enough to work on. Lucky me!! The specialist is a grand fellow and, after a cursory poke-around and xray, tells me I have two options - an attempt to work on the tooth with lots more needles and still a fair amount of pain, or a serious all-in-one-hit operation with an anaesthetist and everything. Suffice to say I chose the latter. So I'm all booked in for next week, and though they say the whole "twilight drug" thing is well fun I'm still a little scared...

Anyway, the point of this whole post is two fold - a big vent to the universe cursing my angry little toofypeg, and an even bigger shout-out to all you candy-munchers... GET THEE TO A DENTIST!!!

*hugs and ouches*

Buggs x

Getting stuff done

Doing: Sewing and practicing Japanese
Reading: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Watching: Gokusen (anime about female yakuza boss/schoolteacher. Kickass!)

In a typically wanky Livejournal-esque turn, I've decided to keep track of what I've been watching/reading/doing in my blog posts. I figure it'll make me get on with the stuff I've been putting off (like finishing books) and keep me honest about how much bloody time it takes me to get stuff done. Now, I am fully aware noone reads this stupid thing but me, so what does it matter if I've become a navel-gazing tosspot in the blogosphere (yes, I used the word 'blogosphere' to reinforce the 'wanker' motif. Ph33r my irony, Myspace!!)? I care not, internets. Do your worst! *shakes fist*

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Ahem. That may well be the nerdiest outburst I've ever had. And that's against some pretty stiff competition. Sorry, all.

In other news, I've been putting together my new crafting/sewing/costuming blog Crafty Buggles. After going through my stuffed-to-bursting suitcases full of once-loved costumes I started wondering what the point of it all was. I mean, I loved making them, but after a brief wear they are consigned to the suitcase, never to be seen again. So I decided to keep a record of all the costumes, crafty bits, sewing projects and cooking triumphs (and failures!) for posterity - really, just for my own interest. It makes me feel like I'm actually achieving something. Weird, huh? Anyway, it's just for me. If someone else reads it, then woo. :)

The weekend is in 31 minutes

facebook status: Kate is at work for another hour and a half and is BURSTING for the weekend. Oh god, I think the clock in here just ticked backwards.

I have a fun weekend planned. And this whole work thing is totally ruining my buzz! Today is one of (not 'the', but definitely up there) the slowest days since I started here - and the worst thing about it is the place has been full of people, so even though I have nothing to do I have to LOOK busy, which is infinitely worse than just being bored. Luckily I have a tried-and-true technique for just such an occasion: Having a pen in your hand at all times makes you look busier. It's true! Just pick up a pen and walk around the office with it. Feel busier? You bet! I picked this little gem up while I was working at one of Sydney's busiest inner-city record stores. I could walk around the store all day, browsing CDs, picking out stuff to buy, flipping through poster racks, and while I had that pen in my hand everyone assumed I was hard at work. Sweet.

I don't aspire to so flagrantly flaunt the system these days, but when your job is boring and you've run out of things to do, this little tip can help while away the mind-numbing hours. Do itashimashite! :)

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Addendum: Just found this link - more great tips for looking like you are really on the job!

omgbloglol

It really is quite ridiculous. I go to all the trouble of setting up a blog and then I never write in it. Sure, I get sporadic nags from friends, asking for the veritable smorgasbord of awesomeness that is my blog (*plughshh* Sorry. Milk came out of my nose just then.) and it fills me with good intentions, but then I go back into hibernation until the next onslought of hassles. Not to say I mind - it's nice that some poor chump actually wants to read anything I'd write.

And on that note, my big news is that I have just been given an Internship at a local magazine/newspaper. It's a pretty big coup for a journalism student (I got some sweet props from my fellow postgrads, which made me think it's a bigger deal than I originally though!). I had a meeting with my editor last week and was given my first story - a 1500-2000 word piece on Adelaide's pagan community. I interviewed three lovely lovely women (who also happen to be witches!) on Saturday and they gave me some great material. Now I just have to make a decent story out of it! There was a suggestion that this might be a cover piece (gulp!!) so I'm feeling the pressure to make this a real crackerjack of an article. Will post when I get published / fail miserably.

It's been a weird couple of weeks. Just when I thought I'd be totally poor forever I got this fabulous three-month contract at Oxfam Australia, doing office support/dogsbody stuff three days a week until just before Christmas. I absolutely LOVE it there - there are five of us in the office (an advocacy exec, two campaign managers, the office and volunteer coordinator and me) and it is the nicest and most supportive work environment I've ever been in. The other four (all ladies) are gorgeous people and I'm totally happy there! Now to make myself completely indispensible so they can't bear to let me go and beg me to stay permanently! *crosses fingers*

So the other things that are packing my life out at the moment are uni (I only have 2 weeks of this semester left, but have 13,000 words to write in that time. That's right, you heard it, I am going to FAIL!! :D) and the Adelaide swing dance performance team (more on that later). That leaves me with a sum total of 15 minutes in the week to scratch myself and/or see my boyfriend, friends and family. Fun times. Well, it's better than being bored and directionless. Slightly.

Back in the saddle again

It's been a long time between drinks, but it looks like I might actually be able to call myself a musician again. I've had a recent explosion of work that has really inspired me to get back into my old form. And, quelle surprise, it's not going too badly.

I started in late March with a performance of the Faure Requiem at St Peter's Cathedral in North Adelaide - four horns (Mez, Katie, Anna and myself), strings (mostly ASO) and a big fark-orf choir. The soprano (Emma Horwood) was utterly gorgeous and the atmos was great. A sweet gig.

Next up was a pretty big one - I played two shows in Adelaide with Australian singer Sarah Blasko. I'd not heard much of her stuff before I was booked for the gig, but they sent me her two CDs (The Overture and the Underscore, and What the Sea Wants the Sea Will Have) for research. Not my usual style of music, but it really grew on me. Although I should clarify that it look me a good month before I could listen to it without wanting to throw myself off a bridge. Yeah, it's pretty dark stuff (listen to the track 'Showstopper' if you don't believe me. It's depressing).

Anyway, the gig came upon me before I knew it, and there we were - five instrumentalists, Sarah's band, and the girl herself. Let me at this point add that apart from the Faure requiem (which I must admit was a pretty low stress affair), I haven't had a gig since December, and before that not one since Montreal, so I was pretty damn nervous (especially as Tom and Sunni were in the audience, and neither of them had seen me play before. It was scary.). So there was a little freaking out done in the opening numbers, but we settled in ok and did a pretty reasonable job. The second show on the Sunday was infinitely better, and I was totally stoked at how I played - just wish someone of mine was there to hear it! Always the bloody way. :D My musical highlights were Always On This Line and Planet New Year - they closed the show and were just wicked fun to play. The band and crew were utterly lovely and Miss Sarah was a sweet delight. Her voice is even better live than on the recordings, and if you ever get a chance to see her in person, take it. Amazing musician, that one.

So we come to this past weekend, where I travelled up to Waikerie with the Adelaide Art Orchestra to play at Music on the Murray, an annual concert usually set up on a huge floating stage moored on the Murray river. I was able to coerce my ever-patient Tom to drive up, and we took Enken and Chris along with promises of clifftop jaunts and other flaming capers. In the end the kybosh was put on the whole affair by way of the weather, which, though awesome for the farmers, made the whole trip a somewhat soggy affair. We got up there safely, just in time for my soundcheck, and while I was rehearsing Chris, Enk and Tom were off to explore the bustling metroplis that is Waikerie (Enken's pics). The gig went off without a hitch (apart from having to be moved to a huge marquee on the football oval thanks to the bad weather) and we rocked on home, tired but sated, having had just enough country to last us for the rest of our natural lives.

So I'm hoping this happy spate of gigs will continue, because my playing's getting back on track. And, between you and me, I've missed it horribly. It feels good to be back. :)

~ Photo of Sarah Blasko by Daniel Boud (www.boudist.com)