Hello 
I'm Siobhan Curran/Kisa Naumova, and this is my weblog. I tend to write about stuff like crossdressing, Macs, code, cats, wine and Second Life, but in general it's just an ongoing conversation about all sorts of stuff. If you'd like to know a little bit more about what this all is, I recommend starting on this page which has a little bit of info on who I am, and what I'm trying to do — or you could dive into my five years worth of archives if you like.
Otherwise, feel free to close this box and explore...
Home
You'd be surprised, I feel, to know how many songs have this as their title...
Yes, OK, total DRM violation. But 
I'm not sure how I feel about Belfast. It's not a city that I ever really got to know — despite living there for 18 years. It's a place I'm one the one hand distictly proud of, yet on the other, utterly ashamed. And that fracas last week doesn't really help 
THe problem I have with the place this year is that it really is alien to me. Despite my grumblings about Christmas and all that, at least I had the opportunity to go back home. I could stand in the room I first tried on a skirt in, and feelm somehow, that I was reconnecting with what makes me as a person.
Now, obviously, that my parents have moved, and our old house is on the list for demolition (apparently), "home" has gone. So the next few days are just about being with my family.
(People who know me, and my relationship with my family are no shuddering in fear at that thought)
...
Actually, that's unfair of me. I love my brother and sister. OK, so my brother earns more money in NYC than is humanly decent, and my sister is the one person alive who can get drunker than I can — but I still love them.
They both know BTW.
...
I had a brlliant idea earlier, as it happens. Every year, in a kinda of festive disguide, my mother gets me to update her Mac. And it occurred to me, earlier, that I could use that opportunity to make sure she and Dad never find this website.
I've already blocked their ISP from seeing this, and I've blocked Dad's work too. But what if they change ISP?
I'm going to configure Mum's firewall to not allow outgoings on port 80 to this IP address 
That'll sort it...
...
Going back to Belfast though, I like to think, sometimes, that there was a bunch of us — a bunch of us who grew up there from the Seventies onwards — who left in total disgust at the place, and that one day maybe some of us will go back.
Me? Nah. Belfast really doesn't have anything for me, to be honest. Not any more.
Lancaster is my home — for my sins.
it could have been Galgate
Or Morecambe *shudder*
Morecambe? Morecombe I've always thought was a great place to see what it would be like to be dead. Nothing seems to change, and whenever I've gone there it's damp. overcast and bleak.
Though for REAL bleak you can't beat Dungeness Spit down my way. Mile upon mile of absolutely bloody nothing.
Merry Christmas 
I like Dungeness! It's quiet and peaceful, and the area's beautiful, in a lonely sort of way. It's... nice. i find it quite romantic in an odd sort of way.
Merry Christmas!!
Beki
Chapter House
(via flickr.com/people/si08han) 
I had some time to kill on the way to the ferry, so I stopped to visit Glenluce Abbey
Ferry
(via flickr.com/people/si08han)
Which has a quiet cabin No kids
I've always wanted to go to Dungeness — those bleak places really appeal to me. Of course, there's Derek Jarman's house as well, but that whole bit of sticky-out Kent would be great for cycling round.
The problem is that Morecambe can't compete with Blackpool for the lowest common denominator crowd any more. 25 years ago it was full of Scousers and Glaswegians who came here to vomit, swear and fight. Now, they realise they can go 30 miles further down the coast and vomit and swear till later in the night.
There was a glimmer of hope a few years ago when the Punk Festival and WOMAD were held there, but the council stopped the Punk Festival because a market trader complained that they were losing business.
My Wishlist for 2006: that Siobhan's blog can remember my details between sessions Happy Christmas to you Siobhan, and all the commenters. It's been really interesting, one of my best new finds of 2005.
Hollywood
(via flickr.com/people/si08han)
Actually, it might only have one L in it. Maybe I should have just pretended it was Bangor
Wish I Had My SLR
Because the view from the front of the ship as we're coming into Belfast harbour is absolutly stunning. There's a deep pink mist everywhere, and poking up from it are the two massive yellow cranes that make the cityscape unique.
I moan too much about this city. Despite all its faults, it is truly beautiful.
All Homes Should Have...
(via flickr.com/people/si08han)
...a great big window with an engraved dear on it. My parents and I do not seem to share the same notions of taste.
SLR — self-loading rifle? Ferry journey THAT bad?
Halfa
Siobhan, as for keeping your parents from ever finding this site, you could map your domain name to their loopback interface in their hosts file (or to any other website for that matter!)
I don't know much about mac's, but I will have to assume that mac's also have some sort of 'hosts' file or the equivalent. If you do this, and they ever try to access your website, their computer will actually be trying to connect to port 80 on their own computer.
I.E.,
tranniefesto.co.uk 127.0.0.1
Retro
(via flickr.com/people/si08han)
This is my Dad. Watching Pan's People on Top of The Pops. I am 7 again...
Poetic
(via flickr.com/people/si08han)
I like this
Best Before End
(via flickr.com/people/si08han)
My sister and I are on a mission to find the most out of date food in our parents' new house. So far, this packet of ground ginger from 1995 is winning.
Woops! Siobhan, in case you are really going to do this, I gave this to you in the wrong format! So I thought that I better correct myself, just in case! The following is what you put in the hosts file
127.0.0.1 www.trannifesto.co.uk
127.0.0.1 www.tranniefesto.co.uk
I think you will need to close all browser windows and restart for the change to take effect.
Well, I am outta here, have a great holiday everyone! Merry Christmas!
Oh, one more thing!
Siobhan, here is a great little article for you to read titled 'he Mac is a Harsh Mistress'!
http://fishbowl.pastiche.org/2004/05/25/themacisaharsh_mistress
Siobhan that is just not trying it's only 10 years ago. When my Mum moved 11 years ago I found Worcester Sauce that still had the price sticker on it. It was priced in Shillings.
Have a good Christmas Hon. xx
Oh no! I've missed Pan's People!
looby
and that's a new house?
so they packed the ginger and moved it, rather than binning it?
When Alan and I first moved into his great aunt's house last year, we went through the pantry and the annex throwing away half of the food in each. She had an alarming number of jars of lemon curd from 1980. :/
Lindsay
When my Mum moved 11 years ago I found Worcester Sauce that still had the price sticker on it. It was priced in Shillings.
By all accounts Worcestershire sauce improves considerably with age.
I'm sure there are Worcestershire sauce aficionados who would have paid good money for a bottle of sauce that mature. If she's still got it perhaps you should try your luck on eBay
We used to play the "date-of-date" food game too. It was 1982 and we found, lurking in the back of our parents cupboard a catering size tin of Colman's mustard powder — pre-decimilisation price tag — eek!
Never go back. Re-visit by all means. But never go back.
And Lancaster's not too bad. After all, it could have been Galgate.