Looking good Cap!

Have you been pregnant?

My hubby was surfing for a "surprise" for me, and BOY did he surprise me.. he bought me a lingerie/toy business!!! :)

I guess we both have a second job now"!! ROFL

When you say "toy" business ... we're not talking building blocks and barbie dolls, are we?

I will pick up my bike this afternoon from the shop. They're mounting new saddle bags for me.

At least I can be happy about it all day..... until I write the check. OUCH!

ETA: All links are to the Cellar.

Got my pottery yesterday. Here and here.

And found out Timothy Dalton will be in Dr Who. Here.

My (chilli) peppers are finally blooming. Here.

Sorry for the self-referencing.
Okay, not really sorry ;)

But these are all reasons to be cheerful, and I wanted to share them with you.
I've been having a shitty time of it recently.
My own fault - but of course that's why it's made me even more miserable.
But it looks like it's turning round, and if I can love life again - or tbh, even be on nodding terms with it - it's a vast improvement.

I LOVE the pottery!!!!! I think that bowl is absolutely stunning and I covet it!! goody goody! A real "forever" piece.

Yay for Dr. Who and yay on your chili peppers! Beautiful containers and may I congratulate you on growing them in a temperate zone! You are doing very well, sweetie. I can't even get off my own ass and I've no excuse except Extreme Laziness. All these things are good-good-good. All very life-affirming stuff.

Now excuse me while I go lie on the couch. For the next 24 hours. I'll be reading and eating.

It's only been a month since my car was slammed into (yes, I'm being sarcastic) but finally the other ins comp has accepted liability. My attorney is calling them then letting me know the details. This should avoid me paying the deductible and waiting for reimbursement. If they go just a little faster then I might still be able to find a car almost like the one I bought (don't remember if I mentioned they totalled it out.)

Baby steps to the light at the end of the funnel. I know it's supposed to be tunnel but I feel as if I've been shoved through a funnel.

MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...funnel cake....Mmmmmmmmmmmm....

That is so funny...I walked into the quad at lunch and I SWEAR I smelled sugar waffles or funnel cakes or some such confection. Man that sounds good! :)

Good luck with the car Shawnee... These things never move forward at more than a crawl :(

Happy today because it's butterfly season!
I've seen so many Cabbage Whites in the last three weeks I was beginning to believe they were the only butterflies left in this country. But the last few days I've seen Tortoiseshells, Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and Peacocks too (listed in order of my preference!). Still more Cabbage Whites than anything though - and they all seem to be mating above the 'rents' garden. Maybe that's why there's so many of them?!

It's lovely though - a constant movement above the garden.

It sounds very lovely. Maybe I'll get off my butt next spring and plant a butterfly-attracting garden...and put out some hummingbird feeders. :)

We have three buddlia - aka butterfly bushes - in the vicinity. One in our garden and another one each in the neighbours' gardens to the left and right. Also we have roses and dog roses along each side.

Oh and the dense whirring of wings comes from the fact my Dad spends a fortune on birdseed. I didn't realise (and I bet Mum doesn't) until the prodigious amount he left out/ filled up was gone five days after they left. Okay, it's pretty cheap by the sack, but they get through one a fortnight! I've refilled the grain feeders, but they've had to do without the fat balls. Then again, they've been getting Grandad's leftover bread, and Diz's leftover chicken... Although I can't guarantee a local cat hasn't snarfed that.

How I'd love to be able to get hummingbirds!

:eek: She said "fat balls" (snigger) :D

Me too. :D

My skimming resulted in me reading this as " . . . a butterfly-attacking garden."

:smack: That's what I meant! Ooops.

;)

Our spear pump has water again, so I can water my other plants as well as my veges! :)

I'm planning the trip on 14 September for Mum and me.
That's the date we're seeing John Barrowman on his opening night in La Cage Aux Folles in the West End.
In case you missed the other times I mentioned it.

I've accepted I will not get to Amsterdam this year.
Much as I planned it, I know I can't cope with it. And I'd probably royally screw myself up right now if I went.

SOME of my savings are being directed to this date.
Hang on - Monster's on holiday, right? :)
No, seriously - Mum is happy with what I pay her in housekeeping, and also appreciates the need for me to have things to look forward to. She isn't quite as excited about the performance as I am - she loves musicals the same, but is not as struck by the Barrowman.

SO.
NOT spending all my savings. Just enough to make it a super-special day.

Plan so far.
11.30 - London Walk. Darkest Victorian London ("peeling forbidden fruit") Cheaper than a film, but much MUCH more engaging.
13.00 - Lunch at Yo Sushi! Probably in Selfridges. There's about 4 in Central London that offer a Blue Plate Special on Mondays. Mum has never eaten sushi, but she'll love it.
14.30ish - haircut for Cherry! Yay! Off to Hair by Fairy, who did my hair beautifully when I first went short (when it was lilac). £13.50 - cheaper than the butchered job I got from the home hairdresser here.
16.00ish (after wandering round Covent Garden) cocktails at Harvey Nichols. The one expensive part of the day (they are £10.95-£15.00 each! We'll only have one! And mine will be alcohol free) Thing is, Mum has never been to Harvey Nicks, has always wanted to, but no-one else had the front to take her. I don't need designer clothes to hold my own. And bloody hell - Mum has put with me for 9 months.
17.00 - Dinner at a J D Wetherspoons just off Trafalgar Square. Two meals for under a tenner.
18.00 - Start walking down to the Embankment, to arrive nice and early (as taught by Mum) at the theatre, put a card in at the Stage Door, order interval drinks (a treat Mum will consider even more outrageous than Harvey Nicks!) and settle down with a programme between us for the performance.

It might not all come off like that.
But you can so see I am my Mum's daughter. The planning is such a part of the fun.
That's why Ste and I scrapped the idea of a surprise party for her 3 years ago - she loves that side of things and has passed it on to me. Which is why I'm happy to amend these plans if she wants.

Double post, but this one is much shorter.
I've just found that there's an album of Neil & Tim Finn's songs, sung by female artists.

Despite adoring their voices, I know the reinterpretation will be fascinating.
Just have to wait for a cheapo copy... But now I know it's out there, I'm prepared to wait.

SG that day out sounds absolutely fabulous! I love planning stuff too, especially when you know someone really well and can jam in all sorts of wee treats that are spot on for your "victim". Well done - I hope you have a truly marvellous time.

Tomorrow is the first "official" day of my new job as a high school English teacher.

Go you!

Congrats!

Just remember you can't be everybody's friend. Establish your authority early.

Wow. You go girl! :)

oh yay for you! How fun. Working in schools is the best. imo

What Merc said.

What is your school's discipline procedure? Detention?

Get some detention slips, have them piled on the desk so everyone can see, and have the top one filled out with today's class and date and everything. Do not hesitate. The sooner you get a reputation for being strict, the less trouble you will have.

I actually learned this working in a late night petrol (gas) station before I did any teaching, but it applies in both cases.

They have detention at petrol stations?! ! :3_eyes:

I'm on vacation. Ahhhh.....

Not there yet. Pack Sat. We start ours next Sunday. Off to the Carribbean for the week.

I'm just staying home this time and getting some much needed rest.

Enjoy, Merc!

Discipline procedure is more like:
-Speak to the student one on one
-Conference with the student's parents
-Write a referral for the student to speak to an assistant principal

I don't actually have the power to assign detentions or anything like it, but I don't really need it. Having a brisk, business-like and friendly demeanor actually gets you a pretty far way. Students will be coming back next Tuesday, so I'll let you all know how it turned out.

Hanging out with MB, while he works manager shift at the nice, cool restaurant.

pssst Hey, look at the tits on that.

Cool it, man... that's the manager's chick.

Mum is downstairs yapping to the hairdresser.
Same hairdresser that gave me the latest line in prison-dyke-chic last month.
And I'm in hiding (well, okay - I went down to say hello and all) and SHE IS NOT CUTTING MY HAIR TODAY!

I'm in the Cellar instead.
That's happiness.

I get to leave early today!

I might go swimming. Or car shopping (though I want to give Saturn one last chance to lower the price.)

Yay! :)

It's the little things, ya know?

A reasonably civil conversation with Merc. We can have one, I don't need to flip out.

I agree with you. I plan on trying to make it the start of a better more respectfull relationship on my part as well. I know I have been an ass to you in the past, I will try to make ammends where possible. I hope you can do the same and we can work out a mutual ground to agree to disagree where we need to.

:grouphug:

As for me, I can't promise anything! :p

I can't say I will be perfect and not slip up on issues I feel strongly about but I will try to do better by Griff.

I moved to a different office in the building today. This one is right around the corner from my boss. The old one was actually in a different department because there was no space anywhere else.

In some ways, it had been nice being hidden off in that other department, but I felt like it wasn't doing my career any good to go a week or two at a time without having face time with my boss. I'm her assistant, so that wasn't so good.

I've been in her office like 5 times today already and half those times it was just chatting about Netflix. She's trying it out for the first time.

It's a decent office in a great location. I'm happy.

Glatt, did they take your stapler, too?

Fuckers tried. But I put a sticker on it and wrote "glatt's" in a blue sharpie.

Defacing company property. They're gonna need you to go ahead and move your desk to the basement.

They got the roof on, skylights installed and the exposed sheathing tyvek'd 5 minutes before the rain started! :jig:

I still think Tyvek® would be a great name for a Vulcan.

Soccer!!! We only have 3 more games this season, and my boys have only had 2 losses for the season.

First step - under 6 Knight's coach

Next - Socceroooooooooos

My new pumpkin bars recipe was a huge success! Both kids liked them, and even I found them to be better-than-palatable.

So long Cellar. Off to vacation for a week in the am. I may check in if I get the chance.

Have a good time!

What's making me happy: my new Eee PC (courtesy of Woot)!

It's actually cool in my office today. I don't think I've been cold since April. Feels sooooo good!

I just boughts me a Sousaphone!!!!!!!!!!!!

No effin way! Really? Brass or fibreglass?

In the last 24 hours:
* an object of personal sentimental value was found after long searching
* some friends who I have not seen in ages told me they will be visiting in 2 weeks time
* I taught a class using a section of a text book I wrote to help international students learn how to use "only", and at least one of the students really got it.

Only three things?

Sorry.

We just found out construction on our addition is finally starting, with delivery of a dumpster tomorrow and teardown of our back porch Wednesday. This could be filed under happy, or scared to death.

:) I just bought this: (not this exact one, I found this pic through google. But it's exactly the same. It drives awesome, and I drove around with the top down this evening and it was so great!

AWESOME!!!11!111!

:driving: :D

Congrats Shaw, it's adorable!

I think it should have a smiling sunflower painted on one side and a skull and crossbones on the other.

monkeys and typewriters...



....and sharks and bacon....