This Week
2 December , 2007
Books: I finished (hurrah!) and thoroughly enjoyed Nicki Gemmell’s Love Song. She writes so poetically and her stories are so sad; about isolation and betrayal. Snip and Lillie (from Cleave and Love Song respectively) are amazingly resiliant yet fiercely independent women. Recommend both books. It’s good to find a modern Australlian female writer who has some substance.
Writing: I had a brainwave that using the dictation mode on my computer would speed up the word processing process… Phfffffffthbbbt! (snort with derisive laughter). After half an hour of ‘training’ my computer, which involved the very surreal process of reading an excerpt of Poe’s The Fall of The House of Usher, I began reading my story to my computer. Either the computer had a major problem interpreting my form of Strine or I hadn’t rewarded it enough during the training process. In half an hour I had only processed one page of my story. Plus a conversation I had with the Milkman…which was faithfully transcibed into gobbledygook until I remembered to turn off the microphone. I can see this being (once I have trained the computer and fed it treats for being good) a very useful tool. At the moment it is a source of laughs as I read back the computer’s interpretation of my dictation. I may have to post an excerpt of what the computer decided my story was about!
Stuff and Things: Baby is definitely kicking! It’s starting to be more of a reality now. The exciting news is we find out this Wednesday what flavour baby we have….pink or blue! Having 2 boys already a girl would be lovely but I really don’t mind. Watch this space! I think it’s the 3D scan this time as well.
Sounds: Sadly I cannot access the big computer and listen to itunes as I have cleverly drowned my remote keyboard with a glass of water. I am hoping it will dry out and work ….but I have a feeling I will be forking out for a new keyboard. Doh!
Hugs to all
Please do post the computer’s version of your story – I’ll bet it will be good for a few laughs! Sounds like an interesting electronic week at your house.
Wow! You have a whole new look now Cle. Very sophisicated!
I do like the new look of your blog and it’s much easier (for me) to read
Sounds like you’ve had a week of mishaps — how much longer before the baby arrives? Are your other children excited?
I can’t believe this: just this week I also discovered the dictation feature on my word processing program (MS Word). Actually, after I trained it, I dictated a couple of short pieces. Of course I had to go back and edit and format, but it wasn’t so bad.
I certainly won’t be dictating a novel though. I agree, phthtthththt to that!