kathi Archive

  • <p>I’m back with a new look. Like it? Here’s my promise to you who read my ramblings.</p> <ol> <li>I’ll post every Friday at 10.00am AEST (that’s UTC+10:00 for you foreign types) without fail.</li> <li>I’ll try to keep some kind of balance between my various pre-occupations: historical fencing, languages, book and movie reviews and gaming.</li> </ol> <p>This may prove a little tricky in practice as I tend to be fascinated by one bright shiny object at a time to the exclusion of all others.</p> <p>Now, here is what has been occupying my time during the last few post-free weeks.</p> <p>Henry was born earlier […]</p>

    So Much To Do!

    Posted on 2 March, 2011 | 3 Comments

    I’m back with a new look. Like it? Here’s my promise to you who read my ramblings.

    1. I’ll post every Friday at 10.00am AEST (that’s UTC+10:00 for you foreign types) without fail.
    2. I’ll try to keep some kind of balance between my various pre-occupations: historical fencing, languages, book and movie reviews and gaming.

    This may prove a little tricky in practice as I tend to be fascinated by one bright shiny object at a time to the exclusion of all others.

    Now, here is what has been occupying my time during the last few post-free weeks.

    Henry was born earlier […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>Kathi and I are having another baby. The bub is due to arrive around mid-January 2011. It’s too early to know whether it’s a boy or a girl.</p> <p><em>Pauses for audience applause.</em></p> <p>We’re excited and anxious like other expectant parents and, since our twin girls Charlotte and Marianne died 18 months ago, completely terrified. But this post isn’t about our baby, our missing angels or our co-mingled joy and terror. There are other parents in the same situation – having a baby after a stillbirth or neo-natal death – who need to know that they are not alone.</p> <p>We’re having […]</p>

    We’re Having a Baby!

    Posted on 2 July, 2010 | No Comments

    Kathi and I are having another baby. The bub is due to arrive around mid-January 2011. It’s too early to know whether it’s a boy or a girl.

    Pauses for audience applause.

    We’re excited and anxious like other expectant parents and, since our twin girls Charlotte and Marianne died 18 months ago, completely terrified. But this post isn’t about our baby, our missing angels or our co-mingled joy and terror. There are other parents in the same situation – having a baby after a stillbirth or neo-natal death – who need to know that they are not alone.

    We’re having […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>All conflict management theory makes two fatal assumptions, that the other party is:</p> <ol> <li>rational,</li> <li>willing to solve the problem.</li> </ol> <p>There’s a lot of really good information about on how to handle interpersonal or organisational conflict. You should learn at least the fundamentals in order to better succeed at whatever you turn your hand to. But there are certain triggers which should warn you that the other party won’t come to the party, as it were, whether due to entrenched belief, sheer bloody-mindedness or some manner of brain dysfunction, whether organic or drug-induced. In these cases, you will not be able to hold […]</p>

    Appropriate Social Response

    Posted on 21 May, 2010 | 6 Comments

    All conflict management theory makes two fatal assumptions, that the other party is:

    1. rational,
    2. willing to solve the problem.

    There’s a lot of really good information about on how to handle interpersonal or organisational conflict. You should learn at least the fundamentals in order to better succeed at whatever you turn your hand to. But there are certain triggers which should warn you that the other party won’t come to the party, as it were, whether due to entrenched belief, sheer bloody-mindedness or some manner of brain dysfunction, whether organic or drug-induced. In these cases, you will not be able to hold […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>The first week of my four weeks off work is almost done. I’ve gotten all the chores out of the way and from here on in it’s all gravy. Here’s a list of the highlights:</p> <p><strong>Sunday</strong>: At training, I took part in the second in a series of lessons introducing Meyer‘s dussack fighting style. The wooden dussack was used both as a training weapon for single-handed fencing and as a cudgel carried by the town guard, particularly in eastern Europe. The style is very quick and reminds me a lot of sabre fencing.</p> <p><strong>Monday</strong>: Kathi and I were […]</p>

    First Week Down – Damn

    Posted on 6 November, 2009 | No Comments

    The first week of my four weeks off work is almost done. I’ve gotten all the chores out of the way and from here on in it’s all gravy. Here’s a list of the highlights:

    Sunday: At training, I took part in the second in a series of lessons introducing Meyer‘s dussack fighting style. The wooden dussack was used both as a training weapon for single-handed fencing and as a cudgel carried by the town guard, particularly in eastern Europe. The style is very quick and reminds me a lot of sabre fencing.

    Monday: Kathi and I were […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>I’m still in the middle of contract disputes but both my contracting aganecy and the multinational I work at are looking after me. It’s rare to find the opportunity to say “Yay, big business!” but that’s what I’ve been doing this week.</p> <p>I have four weeks off work starting at the end of today and, yes, it was planned. Now I’m starting to think of what to do during this vast amount of time to myself. There will be, of course, celebrations of Charlotte’s and Marianne’s birthday and a memorial something to remember their deaths. I’m coming to terms with this part […]</p>

    Four Weeks Holiday

    Posted on 30 October, 2009 | No Comments

    I’m still in the middle of contract disputes but both my contracting aganecy and the multinational I work at are looking after me. It’s rare to find the opportunity to say “Yay, big business!” but that’s what I’ve been doing this week.

    I have four weeks off work starting at the end of today and, yes, it was planned. Now I’m starting to think of what to do during this vast amount of time to myself. There will be, of course, celebrations of Charlotte’s and Marianne’s birthday and a memorial something to remember their deaths. I’m coming to terms with this part […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>If you’re not interested in very public exposure of the soul, look away now. To help you, here’s some pictures of bacon taped to a cat.</p> <p>It’s been nearly a year since my daughters Charlotte and Marianne were born and died and I’m still living very much day-to-day. I have no plans for the future. I can’t even realistically imagine me in any kind of future and that’s largely what this post is about.</p> <p>Why post publicly? Definitely not as a call for sympathy. Unless you’ve held you children in your arms as they die, you just don’t get it […]</p>

    A Future Without My Girls

    Posted on 9 October, 2009 | 1 Comment

    If you’re not interested in very public exposure of the soul, look away now. To help you, here’s some pictures of bacon taped to a cat.

    It’s been nearly a year since my daughters Charlotte and Marianne were born and died and I’m still living very much day-to-day. I have no plans for the future. I can’t even realistically imagine me in any kind of future and that’s largely what this post is about.

    Why post publicly? Definitely not as a call for sympathy. Unless you’ve held you children in your arms as they die, you just don’t get it […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p><em> </em></p> <p>Last Sunday was the twelfth anniversary of the day we were married. Yay us! After all we’ve been through it was a bit of a shock to realise that we’re still together and that we actually like hanging out with each other. To celebrate, we did two things: dinner at a new (for us) french restaurant called C’est Bon on Saturday night, traipsing around the Glasshouse Mountains looking at rocks and stuff Sunday. Both our Satruday night and our Sunday wanderings were brilliant.</p> <p>C’est Bon has earned itself a good rep both generally and within the french ex-pat community in […]</p>

    C’est Bon and the Glasshouse Mountains

    Posted on 18 September, 2009 | 4 Comments

    Last Sunday was the twelfth anniversary of the day we were married. Yay us! After all we’ve been through it was a bit of a shock to realise that we’re still together and that we actually like hanging out with each other. To celebrate, we did two things: dinner at a new (for us) french restaurant called C’est Bon on Saturday night, traipsing around the Glasshouse Mountains looking at rocks and stuff Sunday. Both our Satruday night and our Sunday wanderings were brilliant.

    C’est Bon has earned itself a good rep both generally and within the french ex-pat community in […]

    Continue Reading...