Let me introduce you to BOB

Last night we went to the local camping store for a few select items. I ended up getting an emergency poncho, some waterproof matches and a whistle.

Are we perhaps preparing to go bush on some sort of boot camp training exercise? Making a home version of Man vs Wild? No. We were stocking my Bug-Out Bag (BOB).

What is a BOB? The BOB is something that C has been talking about for months now. Even before all the natural disasters that occurred at the beginning of this year in Australia, he has been banging on about putting together a bag that in an emergency you can just grab and go, and know you’re prepared for the worst. C jokes that my handbag is already a fairly good example but there are some things that a woman just doesn’t carry around all the time!

I know this sounds a bit nutty. But stay with me here. C’s careful explanations and advocacy, in conjunction with the recent state of the world, have convinced me it’s an idea with merit. It’s actually something that military people and survivalists always have. Some people have what they call a “go-bag” which is more a bag full of clothes they can grab and take with them if they have to travel at short notice. They use these on “Criminal Minds”, I notice. The BOB is a little more hardcore than that – the idea is you should be able to survive for a few days without power if you have to leave your home. And it should be light enough to carry on your back.

Now, I know we are not the only people that have a Zombie Apocalypse Plan. I know for a fact that some of my friends and internet tweeps have discussed what they’d do in the event of a “Day of the Dead” (or even “Shaun of the Dead”) –style zombie outbreak. The BOB is something that would be extremely useful for that, in that I could take it and make my way to our planned rendezvous point on foot if required...

But seriously – if there’s one thing that recent flash floods, cyclones, earthquakes and bushfires have taught me, it’s that sometimes you don’t have time to put the photo albums in the car... you just got to get out.

The BOB is designed for emergencies like natural disasters, but also circumstances like a sudden widespread power blackout (Eastern Seaboard US outage anyone?) or an unprecedented foreign military incursion (think “Tomorrow When the War Began”). Unlikely, yes, but wouldn’t you like to have a working radio and matches ready for when the world goes dark and you can’t charge your iPhone? Mine is going to be pretty basic, but C is determined to make his more comprehensive – stocked with long-term survival stuff like a kinetic-motion power charger, emergency blanket and a tarp.

In my BOB so far are things like: battery-powered FM radio, cigarette lighter, small screwdriver, cord, nail file, paw paw ointment, bandaids and nail scissors. I’ve added last night’s purchases but still have a few more things to add like MREs (meal-ready-to-eat), a multitool, hand sanitiser, a pillbox with paracetamol and water purification tablets, a compass/mirror and underwear for 2 days.

So are we paranoid? Crazily too prepared for disaster? I don’t know, but having a BOB even half-assembled seems like a logical thing to me. During the floods, when we lost power and the water was rising, I know I would have loved a bag ready and packed, sitting by the door that contained everything I needed if I had to evacuate suddenly.

Do you have an emergency evacuation plan? Or a BOB?

*After reading this post pre-publishing, C insisted on pulling out his BOB and showing me all the things he has in there. Frankly I was astonished. A few things I haven't yet mentioned that are in his BOB: a wire saw, water bottles, a filtered water bottle, fishing line, duct tape, insect repellent, plastic zip-lock bags, chem-lights and a small two-way radio. Not a word of a lie.

Supanova Brisbane 2011

Supanova is a large pop culture convention that has been going in Australia for a number of years now. In the past, my friend and I have been about 3 or 4 times. The last, however was over 3 years ago. That was when it got bigger and more expensive. Additionally, the guests hadn't been enough enticement for us to brave the heat, the crowds and the general unpleasantness of a large congregation of, well, nerds.

I use the term affectionately, believe me. Because I am one! But nerds in great density are a special kind of difficult - you get obnoxiousness, one-up-manship and snobbery combined with the challenge of pungent body odour. The latter isn't really anyone's fault I guess, as there's not much else you can do in a full superhero costume on a hot March day in Brisbane except sweat.

This year, however, I decided to go due to the lure of some Battlestar Galactica actors - namely Katee Sackoff ('Starbuck') and Tahmoh Penikett ('Helo'). I loved this show with all my heart and wanted to hear them speak, answer fan questions and maybe get an autograph. My usual con collegue being overseas, I convinced my darling other half to accompany me. Him being a bit of a BSG fan himself, this wasn't too hard.

I warned him there would be crowds and lining up. But neither of us was prepared for what faced us there yesterday morning.

My original plan was to get there about half an hour after the doors opened. I had my comfy sneakers on and a backpack with two bottles of water. I knew that at 10am, people would have begun lining up a few hours beforehand, and was hoping that the doors would have had a chance to clear. This turned out to be a complete fantasy. We walked from the Valley train station towards the RNA Showgrounds, where the event was behind held - only to spot a line outside the Jubilee Hotel. C freaked out. "Is that the goddamn line??" "Can't be," was my insistence - but lo and behold, it was. It was at least a kilometre long, stretching from the entrance on the corner of Gregory Tce down Constance St around the corner of St Paul's Tce, and into a small lane behind the hotel.

While we were standing there bewildered (at this point too overwhelmed to take much notice of costumes) a guy dressed as an Umbrella Corporation goon from Resident Evil came along and told us all that this was the prepaid ticket line. Was he kidding?? He told us to go around the block the other way (ie. down Alexandria St) and find the end of the purchase tickets line. So off we trotted - only to find that the line extended all the way down Gregory Tce, and couldn't see the end of it because it wrapped around the corner into Brookes St. CRAZY. By this time it was nearly 11am and the BSG seminar with Katee and Tahmoh was about to start. There were still hundreds, possibly a thousand people lined up outside. What the heck was going on? I really didn't want to stand in that hot sun for long.




At this point C suggested we go sit down, get something to drink and eat, and reassess. I made him a bargain - I'd buy him some brunch and we'd come back at 12pm to see how the lines were. We walked back to the valley and went for breakfast at a lovely place in the mall called Cosmo's. I'm sure it's a local institution because the food was amazing.

Back to the RNA Showgrounds again and this time the line wasn't too bad. I was about to faint in the hot sun after 20 mins, but luckily a savvy ice cream truck vendor had set up shop right next to us so C went and got us ice blocks, and we chatted with the kids in front of us in line.

I'm not sure what time we managed to get in, but it was crazy packed. So packed that I said to C just to go and make a path, and I would put my hand on his back and I would follow. C is over 6 ft and built like a brick wall so he managed to push his way through the throng and we made our way through to the other building, where the signings and seminars were. Unfortunately, I realised I'd nearly run out of cash (what with breakfast, ice creams and entrance fees) and I was pretty sure the autographs were cash only. So I lined up for the ATM. Then the autograph tickets. And finally for Katee Sackoff. It was a lot of lining up, and whilst I was doing this C went around the stalls in both buildings and poked about. We'd missed the only talk I did want to see, although I would have liked to hear Charisma Carpenter and Clare Grant (Buffy peeps) their seminar was starting whilst I was in the autograph ticket line.







Then the strangest thing happened - I ran into a friend of a friend who was just leaving Tahmoh Penikett's table. He actually ended up getting in line behind me for Katee's autograph too. We had a chat, he introduced me to his baby boy (who brings a baby to a con? what a nightmare) and told me how much he hates Supanova. I could only concur at that point. It had been a long day of standing and waiting, without even the highlight of being able to hear the invited celebs talk. It was at this point a volunteer came down the line and said that Katee had gone to meet her obligations for fan photos (you could pay $40 to have your pic taken, posed, with a star), and would be back in half an hour. Swallowing a groan, I resigned myself to more waiting, because at that point I couldn't bail - ticket and glossy photo in hand, I couldn't go home without that signature!

And then there was the other reason - the autograph was really for my con friend, who loves BSG (and Starbuck) as much as me. She suggested it as the perfect birthday present and I had to agree. C was getting quite cranky at me by now, as his nerd-tolerance level was nearly breached. He cheered up though when he noticed the girl in front of us had a Richard Castle ("Castle") tote bag, and then I told him about the guy I'd seen dressed as Jayne from "Firefly" earlier.

So we waited, and then Katee was back! Another 10 mins and we were at the front of the line. Whilst creeping closer however I managed to take a few sneaky pics of her and the other actors nearby. Poor Clare Grant was sitting there for quite a while with nobody asking for autographs, as was Colin Baker. The biggest line by far was for Tom Felton. He seemed nice, chatting to people and smiling, but he really wasn't close enough for me to take a pic. I wasn't sure what the policy on photos was when getting autographs, but as I didn't see anyone else in front of me ask for one, I was content with my sneaky pics.









It is worth noting at this point I wasn't nervous. Not even one little bit. The first time I'd properly met a celebrity was Sean Astin at the same con a few years ago, and I remember feeling like I was about to be executed, I was that nervous. I have no idea what has changed since then, but I was totally relaxed about it. Have I matured? Maybe. But then again at the time I met Sean I was a complete and total Lord of the Rings obsessed fangirl. The year after that we met Summer Glau, and I was similarly about to lose my shit when we got her autograph.

We stepped up and said hello. Katee was looking gorgeous in a simple black top, and her smile is just amazing. I remember that her American accent really stood out and I honestly can't even remember much of what was said but I did ask her to make the autograph out to my friend's name, and to put Happy Birthday on it. She had done this, then had just written the "K" in her signature when she stopped. Tahmoh was getting up from the seat next to her. She grabbed her water bottle lid and threw it at him hard. It hit him in the back, and he immediately turned around and ran over. "Stop writing! Stop signing that now!" he ordered her, then proceeded to tickle her in the ribs. She laughed mischievously, then he let her go and walked away. Meanwhile, I'm standing there with my jaw on the floor. Did that really just happen? And how freaking cute was that? C mentioned to me later he thinks that they're in LUUURRRVVE, but to me it seemed more like sibling pranks.

Anyway, Katee then signed the rest of her name, handed me the photo and we wished her the best. I think I said something about enjoying the rest of her time in Australia.

Then, clutching the precious glossy photo, we made our way back to the main building and had a glance around the stalls. C showed me some cool Predator stuff he had his eye on, and I just wished for the 50th time that day that I understood comics and anime. We ended up at Kings Comics, and I bought Serenity: Better Days, whilst he bought Predators (movie tie-in comic).



And then we went home. My feet hurt a lot. I am not sorry we went, because I achieved my goals, but I have agreed with my other half that any future trips to this event will have to be planned with military precision. And I think if we are going to be bothered to go again, it would have to be to see someone amazing that we both love - like Nathan Fillion (omg can you imagine?) and we would line up early.

I would also like to make a note about the costumes. I have to give cosplayers some props. These guys do amazing things. The outfits are just fantastic - and they all look like they are having such a great time. Sure, I have no idea who you're supposed to be, but you all looked amazing!

Polly Dolly: LBD Challenge

My first Polly Dolly. Very interesting - and fun. I aimed for simplicity and a few sparkles - I would totally wear this outfit "out". Doesn't matter where. Just "out".

LBD by surelysarah featuring beading jewelry

Want to join the Polly Dolly challenge? Visit Danimezza

The Motion of the Ocean

This week, I was tweeting about my water bed and found out some very interesting things.
1. People think water-beds are either "so 70s" or "so 90s"
2. NOBODY else has one

The reason for my tweeting was simple - ours sprung a leak. At 6am. On my day off. As my day off had included some Big Plans for Sleeping In, I was not impressed.

Tell you what though, I am damn glad my fiancée noticed it when he did, because that water was pissing out. It was basically streaming out of one corner of the wooden frame at an alarming rate.

C knew just what to do. Whilst I stood about, bleary-eyed and stupid, he leapt into action. He grabbed my nail file, and inexplicably stabbed a hole in the window fly-screen. Then he told me to go grab a bucket, which I fetched from the laundry. Whilst I wedged this under the leak, he ran outside, grabbed the garden hose, unhooked it from the tap and fed one end through the newly-vented window mesh. He then proceeded to insert it into the water bed before dashing outside again. I don't know what he did, but within a minute the water was flowing out the hose, instead of onto my bedroom floor.



To the next problem, then. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, we noticed that EVERYTHING that had been on the floor was soaked. In our bedroom, this means clothes and magazines. Lots of clothes, and lots of magazines.

Perhaps I should explain about the latter. No, it will take too long. Let me sum up. C had stacks of car mags on the floor at the end of the bed - and he will be throwing more than half of them out.

So we cleared away everything we could and then started putting towels down to try to soak up the water from the carpet. Luckily it was only into a few small patches around the bed. Carting piles of wet clothes and bedsheets into the laundry though, I wondered when we got such a heavy wardrobe.

At this point, I decided there was nothing more to be done for the present, went and lay down in the spare room and promptly fell asleep again for 2 hours. I think C got a little shitty with me about that. He stayed up and started putting on loads of washing and researching water bed repairers out of the Yellow Pages. He's so goddamn helpful in a crisis, it kills me.

Anyway, the water bed man (yes, Virginia, The Water bed Man does exist) came very late in the evening and assessed the damage. Nothing for it but to put in a new bladder, he pronounced. So out came the old one, to be unceremoniously gutted with the kitchen scissors in the ensuite shower -



- and in went a new one. $240 and an hour's worth of water later, we had a new water bed. Pity they take 24hrs to heat up enough to sleep on. Spare bed it was again for me - and C this time - that night.

Since sharing some of my saga on twitter, several people have told me that they get sick on water beds. I say I pity those people. Because they are such fun. To sleep (and do other things) on.

Doctors

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In the past week, I've been to the doctor twice. It's a new medical practice for me, as my usual one couldn't fit me in on Saturday. This new one, it's like a goddamn ghost town. I was the only person in the waiting room today. Think about it - when't the last time that happened to you?

Anyways, I'm quite sure the lovely doctor thinks I'm crazy. On Saturday he checked my temp, looked in my throat and said all's well. Today I went in to get a medical certificate and he did the EXACT SAME THING and said it's just a virus, you'll be fine, take some panadeine for the headache and rest. One final piece of wisdom - he told me to "do right things". I asked him what he meant, he said no alcohol, go to bed early, eat right. Good advice any old time, I reckon.

Sickly Lurgy

I have The Lurgy. That's what my Scottish friend Annie always used to call it. That winter sickness of varying symptoms, that makes you look like a bad, older, more crumpled version of your usual self. The stuffed sinuses, the runny nose, the fever, the coughing...

My own personal symptoms so far are a sore throat. That's it. I'm beginning to think I was a little over-zealous going to the doctor this morning. But I just KNOW it's going to develop into full-blown tonsillitis over the next few days - it always does! I think the doctor was laughing at me quietly. He took my ear temperature, said it was normal. Looked in my throat, announced there was no pus, no swelling. He told me kindly to gargle some paracetamol (a remedy heretofore I had never heard of! good one doc!) and to come back if it got worse.

So I went and bought a few more little sickness-fighting remedies of my own. Lemons, orange juice (pure! pulp and all!), Strepsils, Vapo-drops and Lucozade. My dear fiancee put me onto the healing benefits of Lucozade. I'm fairly sure they are mostly psycological, but hey, always makes me feel better!

Wish me luck in fighting this infection folks.

Recruitment and Ridiculousness

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I had a job interview today. Not sure what to call it as it was my 2nd with the actual company, but the 4th in total that I have done for the position.

Towards the end of my interview this afternoon, I got talking to my prospective boss about the rigours of the recruitment process, as he was curious about current trends in the corporate world. I told him quite honestly that the process that I had been through with their company had been pleasant, easy and amazingly stress-free. Yes, I had been nervous but I had not experienced the sheer battering that a poor applicant can suffer during some job hunt adventures.

This position has so far involved a phone interview with the recruiter (more like a nice chat with a mate, she was so lovely), a coffee date with same to discuss the role, a casual interview with two team managers at the company and lastly an even more casual chat with the big boss and the same two managers. Compared to some interviews I had been to, it has been a pleasure.

There was the time that I applied for a "complex" role in my current employer's technical division. I didn't have any experience but I knew the systems, and hoped they would teach me the rest. I got a phone interview then was asked to go into the offices of the recruiter for some testing.

Well.

After a problem-solving test, a maths test, an lateral-thinking exam and a psychological test I thought perhaps I was nearing the end at the end of a long afternoon shut in a room with 10 other prospects. But no. Next was a 30min paper in which I was asked to design and schedule a project, something I had never done before. I gave it a shot, but wasn't asked back for the next round, surprise surprise!

Another time I went to the office of a recruiter for a "group interview". Sitting in a room with about 15 others, we were told that over 500 people had applied for the 10 roles available, and we were the last in a long line of groups to undergo their "first round". We did the same sorts of tests that I by then had come to expect - maths, problem-solving, psych... but this place had two bonus rounds. One was being asked to stand up in front of everyone and talk about yourself for about 5 mins. Intimidating, but luckily do-able for me. The second was a group problem-solving activity. We got a scenario then were asked to discuss and present the best solution as a group after 30mins. While we did this, three people stood around us with clipboards taking notes. How the hell do you know how to act in that situation? Take charge and boss the others? Wait your turn then present your logical arguments? Critique others' opinions then point out why yours are better? The only thing I knew wouldn't fly was to sit back and say nothing, so I contributed to the conversation as best I could. Didn't get a callback for that one either.

But my most hated form of interview is the one that contains those awful Business Scenario questions. I'm sure they have a more correct name but that's what I call them. If you've done a corporate interview in the last few years you'll know which ones I mean. The ones that go "tell me about a time that an irate customer came to you with a problem, and what steps you took to resolve it". Or "tell me about a time when you showed initiative by putting forward a new idea that was then implemented into the business". My mind always goes blank at these. I think of brilliant answers later, of course.

So now I wait to hear back about this job. They said they will be deciding within the next day, so fingers crossed until then.