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May
26
2015

New computer contemplation - specs and dilemmas

My iMac is about three years old.  It's kicking along fine, as long as I don't do anything too hardcore in the 3d department.  We're having slight issues there, as in Blender starts lagging and acting strangely (like failing to realise that I've "released" when the pen is off the tablet) when it has to deal with over 2M polys.

This is the machine I want to get:

Mac Pro

May
25
2015

Hailing from Satan

6yo: Daddy you're from Satan!
JJ (laughing): How'd you work that one out?
6yo: Coz you're a DEMON!
 

May
13
2015

Surveillance is creepy even in kids books

Me (reading Dr Seuss' Sleep Book to 6yo): On a mountain halfway between Reno and Rome, we have a machine in a plexiglass dome which listens and looks into everyone's home...
10yo (interrupting): That's...really creepy.

Yep.

May
10
2015

Talking like a Protoss

Me (to 6yo who fell asleep in the car): You're a knackered tacker aren't you.
10yo: As am I.
Me: Go jump in the shower then so you can rest up after.
10yo: I do not think the occasional cleansing is necessary at this point.

Apr
27
2015

Coconuts and carrots

<p>[At Aunty&#39;s house]</p>

<p>8yo: I was a Freo supporter when I was in Mum&#39;s belly! I was a Freo supporter before humans came to Earth!<br />
me: Before humans came to Earth? Did they come in a spaceship?<br />
8yo: Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum [exasperated sigh] they were born from coconuts!</p>

<p>[in car about to leave Aunty&#39;s house]</p>

<p>me [readjusting car controls]: Jeez [JJ] you drive like you have a carrot up your arse.<br />
8yo: Yeah Daddy don&#39;t drive a carrot up your arse.</p>

Apr
13
2015

I want to see your horrendous mistake!

I had spent a decent amount of time regaling 10yo with hilarious episodes of my 3d experimentations revolving around the shenanigans that can happen when one doesn't parent controllers properly or grabs bones instead of controllers by accident and stuff like that.  Then to prove that parents don't know everything I showed him that I was researching some way to use a complete dynatopo sculpt rather than finishing off the multires one I was working on.  While talking to him I started fixing up some errors I hadn't noticed in the dynatopo sculpt at the time and zoomed out a bit too far, causing a brush stroke to remove too much detail over the bit I brushed over.  I cried out "OH CRAP" and promptly hit the undo combo.  10yo came scurrying into the room crying "WAIT I WANT TO SEE YOUR HORRENDOUS MISTAKE!"

Mar
22
2015

Twins in the lower room

Seems the house gets populated by more coporeal people as I get older.

Last time I recall being there when there were people there, there was some kind of masquerade ball going on.  This time there was just people going about their daily business, and one of the rooms I'd been too scared to enter previously just felt a bit creepy this time round, which has been happening with more and more of the rooms in the middle section.  The "open bathroom" (an alcove which has bathroom stuff in it but no outer walls) is still there and as far as I can tell still doesn't get used.  I had to take the kids "home" (thought towards the beginning I was living in the house as I do sometimes but not this time apparently), the kids and I were getting ready to leave out the front door, 8yo initially didn't want to leave but then remembered she hadn't had dinner.

Mar
16
2015

One decade!

"He's f***in' TEN!" JJ announced, stabbing an accusatory finger at our still sleeping birthday boy when he walked into my room on Christmas Island and noticed that I was awake.

I did not star the word because I'm prudish (I generally try to tone down a bit in the blog just to be polite), JJ did actually mute the middle part as he spoke.  He had expressed an unsurprising surprise, a thing that just happens but is somehow astonishing when it does.  Our oldest is 10, which means we've been parents for ten years, together for twelve, which means we're OLD :) (okay maybe not that old)

Triptych of 10yo at 3 months old

10yo at 2-3 months old

10yo at 5 years

10yo aged 5

Mar
13
2015

Cleaning kids

quadrapop: As you don't have a dish washer I'd be bleaching or boiling the kids at least once a week
fyn: why would i want to bleach and boil the kids? :)
quadrapop: Our kids go through dishwasher several times a week
quadrapop: Lids ffs automangle
fyn: XD

 

Feb
06
2015

Massive Christmas Island Photopost 2014-15

Minimal text, many photos, some videos.  Mishmash of scenic, happysnaps and homeschooling stuff coz that's how we roll.  Grab a drink and a snack before commencing.

First couple of weeks...

Waiting for plane at Perth International Airport, Western Australia

The airport wait wasn't terribly exciting but at least there were planes to watch being loaded, taking off and landing.

View from my bedroom window

Big asam tree across the road as seen from my bed.  It's always good to be home.