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October 6th, 2009
06:44 pm - Babblesome Update, with House Squee attached!
Squeeing about House can be found
Under the ( Spoiler Cut )
my cup, it overfloweth. I just hope more watch soon so I may have someone who UNDERSTANDS how awesome that line is, instead of my mother who just cackles at me.
She did so this morning too, because whether the lemonade-and-lime I bought from St Bede's Club last night at the Young People's Social Evening (pleasantly suprised at how good it was. And there were FOURTEEN or so of us! Shock!) was as dodgy as it was overpriced, or whether I am just developing diverse and interesting diseases I awoke with a strange under-the-skin rash, noticable around my eyes. Had to set the greasepaint on it in order to leave the house. I showed mum of course in my vaguely melodramatic way
"I'M DYING! IT COULD BE LEPROSY! MEASLES! MENINGITIS! BUBONIC PLAGUE!.....MUM....I'M HAVING A HYPOCHONDRIAC MOMENT HERE, WILL YOU STOP LAUGHING AT ME"
Mother: *CACKLES BEHIND HAIRBRUSH*
it probably was the lemonade and lime really
The church social evening was surprisingly good, despite the fondness for Christian pop and taize chants (yes they may sound pretty but one can't really BELT THEM TO THE HEAVENS in the same way) and I knew very few of the people there. Most of them were a few years above me in school, even if they went to the same schools. One lad and I got to talking quite a lot and he was very nice and gave me a lift home. He pointed out that the pretty bright star I'd being admiring was infact jupiter. Which has some moons apparently (yes....physics was my worst subject, why do you ask? lol) and I knew his younger sister who was two years above me and played opposite me in one of our school productions. She looks astonishingly unlike him so it took me quite some time to connect the dots!
The course has been somewhat awful, mostly because of the sheer tedium, but tomorrow I get to go 'on placement' and that's at HH- the charity shop I already work at! So that's great because I know everyone and they like me and it'll be shiny and such.
*gallops off into the night*
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October 5th, 2009
07:03 pm
First day:
Boring, silent, stuffy, headachey, noisy, THEYMADEMEDOMATHS *howls at the indignity*, horrendously carsick and when I got home an inbox full of people asking me complicated things.
And now I have to get ready to go out of the young people's church meeting thing. If anyone besides me and Fr James show up at all. Hmph. (I'm only going because he'll be sad if I don't.)
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October 4th, 2009
09:21 pm
Hiding in my little corner humming Isn't It Grand Boys? and quietly detesting the world and life and why mine happens to be particularly shitty at present.
So. Very amused by a scene on todays Antiques Roadshow in which two cousins brought their recently-deceased uncle's portrait in. The portrait, which he had sat for a friend as a young man, showed a young, clean-shaven lad with a green tie and a particular....look...on his face. My suspicions raised, my radar heightened. Then I saw it- on the man's little finger, very prominently shown in the picture, smiled a fat green ring.
Why...HELLO says I.
Then had the pleasure of the valuer, who blatenly knew just as well as I did, pussyfooting around about the picture so as not to become too personal or give the cousins any Suprise Revelations. At least one of the cousins, probably knew, but equally wasn't Verbalising That Particular Thing so there was a lot of,
"The ring shows he was a man of ...artistic taste perhaps."
"Oh, yes, yes, he was very artistic. He was a flower arranger- owned a shop on .....street"
"And the expression is one that seems to show great depth of emotion, contemplative, refined, with perhaps a hint of fragility..."
I burst out shouting at the TV: "WHAT HE MEANS TO SAY IS THAT IT IS BLATANTLY OBVIOUS THAT THIS GENTLEMAN WAS A HAPPY SNIFFER OF THE GREEN CARNATION."
In some ways this entire scene was Utterly Hilarious. I suppose in other ways it's a little sad how natural it was for both parties to Not Talk About It, but in other ways it is very reflective on that particular brand of culture in which Things Are Said without Things Being Said.
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October 2nd, 2009
09:26 pm
So, starting Monday I will be at TNG until the New Year unless I'm lucky enough to get a job. So long Time and Joys. (And playing with Betty for most days of the week it seems :()
The Epic Posts in honour of the 1000th secrets submission over at fandom secrets was definitely what I needed to make the evening okay.
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October 1st, 2009
07:52 pm - mind is like a compass I'm stopping at nothing
Took Betty out for her first spin today. Well...in truth it was more a tootle than a spin. Had a (in hindsight, hilarious) moment of LIFE FAAAAIIILL when I screwed up my courage to take her out, sorted out all the mirrors and P-plates and paraphanalia and then couldn't get the handbrake off. My little wimpy hands were too wimpy and thumbs too week evidently. *SHAME*
Then Nanny showed up, leaned in and did it immediately with no trouble. Gah!
But yes, I took Mum who did what I predicted she would do all along and backseat drove ALL THE WAY to St Bede's and then went to Nanny's for a cuppa and sat with the dog on my legs and read a book, until Mum was finished and then I drove us home. It'll take some getting used to- Betty feels very different to the car I learnt in. Her gearbox feels different, the biting point is different but the biggest one of all is her speed. Whoah! One zippy little car.
She is petrol, and lightweight, of which the Corsa was neither. I drove down one road at 30mph and I didn't have my foot on the accelerator and it held at 30 O.o. A bit scary really. lol.
When we were setting out to go the embarrasment struck again because JUST as I was pulling out of the parking space Vi, one of the nice ladies (and just as much a curtain twitcher as my mum IF NOT MORESO) stepped out and stood watching arms wide, mouth gaping open and then gave me a big thumbs up.
It was nice but I was mostly just going "STOP WAAAATCHING!"
lol. Exhasperating people!
I got A MOUNTAIN of post today. A MOUNTAIN. A Dear John, a letter from the Car Insurance, a letter from a bank telling me about "changes to your school account" which I closed WHEN I WAS TWELVE O.o, a letter from my other bank making me freak out by summarising the last twelve months of spending including things bought LAST NOVEMBER making me go "WHO IS THIS COMPANY AND WHAT IS THIS MONEY AND WHAAAAT?", my birthday present from Claire (^^) and a letter from the police.
Yes. THE FUZZ. Saying that the lost property had been given a bank wallet containing a library card. This is mine- I hadn't noticed I'd lost it! The library card is my Uni one, in my defence. I used to use the wallet to store my provisional license in when I had a driving lesson but of course the license went with my examiner after my test and now I have a new (hideous) pink one. So. Yes. I have to go down to the police station, probably tomorrow as I'll be in the area. Eep!
I wish I could work out where I lost it. I mean, I had it on my birthday (obv) but if I'd dropped it at the driving instructor place then they would surely have given it my instructor...so either it fell out of the car when she dropped me off at my Nan's or....some time between then and Friday morning because then I went on holiday. I can't for the life of me remember what I did (if anything) on Thursday.
*ponders*
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September 29th, 2009
06:13 pm - If you love it I can do it again.
Quiet day mostly. Walked to St Raphael's for Mass (feast of the Archangels) which was somewhat disappointing as Fr Tony (who is new and lovely) had arrived to do it and then Ole Punch showed up so they said Mass together. Worse luck- Fr Tony read the Gospel and Ole Punch did the homily :(. I said my prayers feverently throughout because when he started going on about things like "We are blessed with many good Saints in our five churches...St Raphael...St Bede etc" (*cough* YES AND YOUR GOING TO KILL HALF OF THEM*cough*) and then about St Raphael being the Healer and "People who hurt others, who cause upset, who cause discord and unhappiness...." (*cough* YOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU*cough*) were decidedly....non-conducive to the right mindset in which to recieve the Sacraments.
It took us ages to get on with things, Nanny and I, too, as people kept stopping us and asking for things and telling us stories as we were locking up the church and collecting the cassocks for washing and such. We finally went into town for Nanny to get her pension and do a bit of shopping and then Nanny gave me a lift home, where I provided her with a video for Auntie Irene and half of the banana-sticky-toffee-croissant-pudding thing I made yesterday (recipe courtesy of Anthony Worrall Thompson and the kind people at ITV who sent it to me when I emailed asking about it) because though the recipe had said "serves four" I had mistakenly believed it meant "serves four PEOPLE" when in fact it seems to have meant "serves four Elephants, if they are particularly hungry and haven't eaten anything for several days" :P
I then pottered around a bit watching episodes of House, reading fic and.....er....stuff.
Oh! And I finally sorted out my Insurance! So from 00.01am on Thursday I AM ENSURED AND BETTY WILL BE MINE. (Betty is the name of my new car :D) I got a special sticker from Whitby of a Vampire Bat to put in her and Mrs M said she's removed all the girly fairy-sparkle bits and the "Mum's Taxi" signs all ready for me and Mr M has been made to clean it where it has been gathering dust for a few months in storage so it's all ready for me.
*nervous glee*
I'm really excited. I'm also really scared about driving it- what if the indicators are in the wrong place? The biting point? And I still need to go to the shop in Frodsham to get myself some little Blind Spot mirrors because, despite my driving instructor's efforts, I would be FAR happier reversing around objects with them there! On the bright side, I do hope the lights will be in a better place. The car I learnt to drive in (a vauxhall corsa) had the lights seperate from the levers on the wheel towards my right knee on the dash which I found particularly worrisome as to even bend to twist the knob without looking would substantially decrease my ability to SEE WHERE I WAS GOING.
Auntie Irene has been giving me a million tips about care and maintainance. Mostly the kind none of my Mum's cars have ever had because Auntie Irene inherited, at least mildly, the hereditary bug from her Father's side of being car mad (along with his side's temper, which the vast majority of the family posess-except for me). I daresay I'll have to go on a splurge and buy the things she insists are needed like special cleaner for the wheels, and special wash and waxes for the body and a little hoover for the nooks and crannies. I am mostly concerned with the fact the car has a CD player and when, exactly, I will consider myself good enough to allow myself music in the car, and when that happens if there is any gadget I can buy to hook up my mp3 player etc ;)
So...yes. WHEEE! CAR WILL SOON BE MINE. WATCH OUT WORLD! :D
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September 28th, 2009
08:06 pm
My holiday, btw, was lovely. We stayed in this beautiful cottage in Yorkshire- by far the most beautiful we've ever stayed in. The weather was good, if cold, and in the garden there was an eating-apple tree, a baking apple tree and a pear tree so you could just go out and pick an apple for a snack any time you liked because the fruit trees were all Abundant.We went to some brilliant places, Burton Agnes Hall and Sledmere House are both to be HIGHLY recommended and I befriended a Baby Hedgehog which showed utterly no fear of anything or anyone. Which perhaps isn't just a good thing but I got some AMAZING photographs. A lot of my CUs of flowers turned out really well too, although some of my landscapes....not so good. Ah well.
We went to Beverley Minster which is DEFINITELY worth a visit for the gargoyles alone.
SO CUTE.
*ahem* and we went on a wooden ship designed as a model of Captain Cook's at Whitby and I got DRACULA rock. Which is like normal rock except it is BLACK and awesomely still tastes of mint rather than licorice or something horrible like that.
We went on the Goathland Rail Trail walking to Grosmont then picking up the steamtrain again back to Pickering.
We picked blackberries and made a blackberry and apple ....Experiment with yum-yums and custard.
We did a tour of the charity shops. There was much book buying. I finished two books I'd brought and I discovered a hitherto unknown love of the artwork of Anton Pieck.
Very good holiday. Wish I lived there. Or, you know, somewhere with Views rather than grey stone and red brick and sandstone. Ah well
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September 25th, 2009
08:15 pm - Oh HEAVEN.
I had a wonderful holiday. I'll tell you about it sometime. I came home to a pile of depression and life and feeling sorry for myself and then the phone rang and it heralded the news:
Baby Jack is dead.
He wasn't even fully seven years old. I don't know how, or why, although he was ill not long ago and the vets couldn't work out with what- but he improved with antibiotics. He was our baby and we loved him.
I want to say 'Rest In Peace' but I can't...it hasn't sunk in yet that he has gone.
Baby Jack! Oh, Lord, why him?
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September 17th, 2009
08:07 pm
^^. Still really happy about my birthday and everything. MASSIVE thank you-s to everyone who was kind and luverly to me. :)
Today I went to the dole (blah) paid my bills and also went to see about getting a usb internet wotsit for whilst I'm away (because....HOUSE!)and...emails yes, but this failed on both counts- the former because even the best value stick would probably not have been able to cope with a double-parter properly and the latter -and internet in general- because when I asked people for the different companies to check the connection ability in the area both went "ITS A DEADZONEOFDOOM. It isn't even on the EDGE of a zone there's just NOTHING." So that was...erm...good of them to be so honest. lol.
Ergo. Whilst I am away (and I leave tomorrow) I will have no internets. I will be taking my magic box, but even if we do find somewhere with wifi its capabilities are humble and the only thing I'd be doing, no doubt, is emptying my inbox once to make sure it doesn't explode.
So yes. I love you dearly, but not too many comments or emails plz. I don't want my inbox to start bouncing mail.
^^
Arrivederci!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://piktures.deadjournal.com/mood/charitycam/goth_boy/happy.gif) good
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September 16th, 2009
07:58 pm - WHAT A BIRTHDAY!
*diez*
Okay so this morning was setting up for a quite quiet birthday. I got a couple of cards and a Wolverine book I don't own from Cliff (it rocks) and an mp4 player that sadly has turned out to be faulty and has to go back. In truth the giver was probably more upset by me because hey it was an Awesome gift and completely not their fault it didn't work- how were they to know?
Anyway then I sat quietly in my whole watching episodes of Peter Pan and the Pirates and worrying because today
I HAD MY DRIVING TEST.
And what a day to have it! It was all I could do not to die in horror when I booked it months ago but out of the days free my birthday was going to be the best option unless I wanted to wait till October (which I most emphatically didn't) so here I was. On my birthday. With a driving test. My third, in fact.
My examiner was quite a lot more intimidating than last time, I felt. I was terribly nervous and got a fault for control on my reverse round a corner because I accidentally steered the wrong way (I haven't done that FOR MONTHS) and then had to fix it and when we got to the end I was a wreck and she had this po-face on and turned to me and I was waiting for the words: "I'm very sorry but on this occasion..."
She looked at me. I looked at my knees. "Congratulations. You have PASSED."
Me: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! OH WOW!
Her: BUT- (I stop screaming) I want to go over the minors you had first and the mistakes you made.
Me: Oh *tucks hands between knees* of course. Erm....*SERIOUSFACESERIOUSFACEHOWCANIBESERIOUSWHENI'VEPASSED!!!*
Cue frantic ringing of mother, presenting driving instructor with flowers and arrival at my Nan's to find happy presents and cards and spread the good news. I got some rather brilliant things from family and friends including a cross stich chart of doggies and an embroidery kit with everything I need in it, a box of after eights (nom!), a Nessie money box, and a pair of fluffy stripy bedsocks which are definitely coming on holiday with me along with the mini crossword books!
THOROUGHLY SPOILED Mum and I headed for home. "We'll go the pretty way," said Mum, implying to avoid the school run so I thought nothing of it. We stopped off at Mrs M's- well, I knew she'd phoned earlier whilst i was on the phone to Auntie Nicola so I didn't really think about it.
"LOCALFREAK- come in here, Mrs M has some paperwork she wants you to fill out."
Me: *bewildered* Okay...*starts to fill it out. Something to do with cars. Maybe Mrs M's husband (who is a mechanic) was helping mum about setting up insurance for me...but wait this wasn't....mum's car mentioned. *looks up* WHAT IS THIS FOR????
*all heads turn to the Red Car Named Betty that is sitting out the front, which Mrs M (or so I thought) sold a month or so ago.
Me *COLLAPSES IN STATE OF NERVOUS SHOCK*
So yes. For my birthday I passed my driving test. I also got a car. Now I just have to empty my savings (and some other funds) to pay for the insurance (I'm a new driver and I'm under 25. It's a big bill. BIIIG as in 'half of what was paid for the car and then some' big.) and then.
Dear Heaven Help Us All.
Who decided I was responsible enough not only to DRIVE but to HAVE MY OWN CAR.
lol. My first question was WHERE WILL WE PUT IT? O.o Apparently Mrs M and MUm have been in cahoots and NO ONE KNEW so I had to phone Nanny who was completely silent and then "FLIPPIN ECK. .....FLIPPING ECK.....we shall have to think about this." Which pretty much covered my response too really.
DEAR HEAVEN.
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September 15th, 2009
05:34 pm - ^^
I always think I know when I'm being a tit about posting when I have to actually check to remember what I last wrote about so I don't repeat myself too much. Whoops. In truth, mostly if I've been online I've been looking for jobs and mucking about on friv.com before fleeing into the other room to watch telly. It's quite a novel experience for me.
So on Monday I had possibly the best day in the office ever. And no one was in but me and a new girl who I had not been informed was coming and one of the bosses is out of the country and the other is ill and was at home in bed. This was actually okay because I got to chat to her a lot and show her the ropes and how to do all sorts of different things without anyone mithering me to make them tea or run to the post office now with this letter or anything like that. So I showed her some scripts and how to write reports whilst I send off my 'I'm leaving, I'm sorry' emails and tried to get in contact with the bosses for outstanding things that need doing. And then I went and got some envelopes and we started making up packs and labels for them and then putting them all together until we ran out of envelopes and I didn't want to go and buy more from town- an order with the stationers would be better but I didn't have the authority to do that so I showed her the outstanding scripts pile and then sorted out some enquiries and stuff until it was time to go.
I haven't been very well last night and today so I've been a bit grumpy and narky. I got some job applications off though which is good and now it's all planning for me going on holiday (end of the week) of course, HOUSE starts next week so it may kill me unless we find a way to see it. I may be without internet access, however, so if you hear little from me then this is why. If I am with internet access expect squeeing about house at any rate.
Tomorrow is my birthday, but I've got a lot of stuff to do so I don't think I'll be properly celebrating until the afternoon with the family and that. Still it's quite exciting. TWO CARDS have arrived already, and a present probably from Cliff (I recognise the wrapping paper and it feels Comic-Book-Annual-y shaped :D Whee!)
*chokes on tea*
URGH tea up nose :S
I also love the fact that,for the month of September, my Wind in the Willows calender above my computer and below my bat clock shows the illustration of the beginning of Toad's craze on cars. Toad is sitting staring fixedly into space as the "common, canary coloured cart" is in the ditch and Albert (the horse) is bucking as Mole holds the reins and Ratty waves a fist in the background. I can still hear it after all these years
Rat:"You scoundrels! You villains! You highwaymen! You ROAD HOGS! I'll have the law on you, I'll report you just see if I don't!"
Toad: "POOP POOP"
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September 11th, 2009
08:54 pm
Finished watching the BBC mini-drama Land Girls. On the whole I really liked it, the characters were compelling (even if a couple of them were purposefully compelling me to anger all the time) and I did learn some things about the Land Girls, a subject I didn't know a lot about at all, and also about Trekkers and suchlike. However, I did find it a rather melodramatic melodrama, and additionally protest agains the STUPID timeslot it was given. I missed it every day, because who notices programmes at 5.15? It was a really rubbish timeslot, especially since so much crap gets more prime-time slots for drama.*cough thetudors *cough*
Today was quite peaceful. I had a driving lesson, and then went to Nanny's and looked after the dog, who was richly rewarded for scaring the living daylights out of a strange weedy-looking young man who was delivering bumf. (His own fault for opening the gate when there was a dog in the front, I'm just relieved she didn't get out as he left it open) She ran around his legs barking and 'view halloooo' ing to let me know that someone was coming up the path who we didn't know, whilst I was on the phone to one of my Uncles. ^^
Auntie I got to come home early from work as the computer system went down, so I could go home rather earlier than expected. I also read The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts. I can't say I'd recommend it. It's very weird and....drifts quite a bit. I got it out of the library the day the dole had just made me cry, so it was very much randomly chosen in a rush because I liked the title. Ah well. I hope the other one I picked up is a bit better, although I have a sneaking suspicion it's the one someone told me I wouldn't like because it's full of lots of graphic sapphic relations. I might still like the plot...if there is one after I skim the sauce ;).
Tomorrow I'm at HH, when I get to break the news to them that I can't do next week because I'm away and then after the week after I may disappear for some time as the dole are putting me in for a place on TNG, which is the course that Mr N described as 'for the slow ones' who work at our place. Oh, the shame, I assure you, is great. However I was given a choice between TNG or A4e and I'm more terrified of the latter, as not only has it a worse reputation of being mean, useless and full of drug addicts but when I was at Scallyland I was on the bus home and a group of people, all in their late 40s or 50s were at the back of the bus and had just come from A4e and they swore loudly and talked loudly and were generally quite terrifying to me as I sat near the front clutching my rosary. So, TNG it is. On Monday I have to break it to Hurricane, which isn't going to be pretty because unlike HH I doubt the 'I might not be here for about 13 weeks' will be terribly accepted and most probably I'll basically have to pack it in and give them my keys and my apologies.
Unless of course I get a job before all this happens!
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September 9th, 2009
07:22 pm - when the wind and the weather blow your dreams sky high, Sail Away! Sail Away! Sail Away!
The dole was shit. Lots of shit. Really shit. They're sending me on this thing where they send the "slow" ones and I'm scared and horrified at the thought and don't...I'm having enough problems at the moment anyway (cue: careers crisis, cue: RL family issues including two members being made redundant within the next two months).
Agnus Dei, Miserere Mei!
So. I am not talking about it. Friends, I know you mean well, but right now I can't talk about it, it's just fucking with my head too much, so, er...I'm going to talk about good things about today.
My parcel came! A shiny new book!
I went to the Flea Market and bought a birthday present for someone (and by being vague NO ONE can get excited as in the next few months there are SEVERAL birthdays), some craft-stuff for mum including christmas ribbons and card stamps and a sealed copy of a Noel Coward album, for myself (huzzah!).
I also bought my writing magazine, and some scallions, a nice looking cabbage and some broccoli (the latter of which has been eaten for tea with roast chicken and spuds :))
And then I worked out my profits from my ebay buyings and bought three songs from Seize the Day's website so now THEY LEGITIMATELY MIIIINE and I shall put them on my mp3 player when I update it.
Current Music: Noel Coward- Sail Away
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September 7th, 2009
09:02 pm - pondering
Just finished watching The Boy Who Was Born A Girl, the new Channel 4 documentary. It is at least on par with Make Me A Man in my opinion, and very well presented.
It does, however, make me brood a little about the things I gave up on. I mean, I never said "no, I will never transition" because I don't know what the future will bring, I might change my mind. My reasons for being non-transition FtM genderqueer are many, some personal and others more practical (if often a little odd).
When I saw Make Me A Man all those years ago, it was as if every word was confirming to me yes, this is me, this is it, the whole transition process was to be coveted and longed for and aimed for. And then I did nothing. Because there were a million reasons not to, and some of them not very good but each one was there and, when the creeping depression eased a little, I realised that I could actually be happy- and allow myself to be happy- regardless of what others' perception of my gender was compared to my own.
Now, especially when I go to work, I wear women's clothes more than men's (according to the labels, at any rate. As far as I'm concerned clothes can be free for all) although I continually battle with my mother for my right to wear men's trousers, despite the fact that they actually fit (women's produce a strange saddle-bag look on the tops of the legs. No idea why, but distinctly weird looking). I can wear either gender clothes, I can express an interest in snooker as equally as I can in theatre, my pursuits aren't ....gender-limited: I collect Marvel comics, I like Black Books and House and comedy and Radio 4 satire, I'm mad on homosexual cultural history, particularly in the British Isles although with some interest in further afield, I'm mad on all things Kenneth Williams, I love singing, acting, writing, reading, dogs, film, soundtracks to movies, folk songs-. I'm just me, and, in general life, the fact that I perceive myself as male and the rest of the world sees me as female is no longer The definitative problem which controls my reactions.
But sometimes, I do think on what I might be giving up, even if it isn't 'never': the masectomy, the ability to pass, the T, the ability to admire a pretty young man or woman without immediately checking myself with the fact that I would never approach them, or be able to accept an approach based in their ignorance.
Sometimes, I pass without trying to, like when I was waiting for the secratary of some place to look up at me and away from his work and he saw maybe my boots and my HH t-shirt and went "Just a minute, mate." and then had to double take when I spoke. (Men get called 'Mate', women are always 'Luv').
I don't regret not pursuing my transition the way I felt I had to/needed to/would die to when I was sixteen or so, but sometimes things can take me aback- admiration mostly for the people who are so sure and strong and uncowardly to take those kind of risks needed to transition. To stand up and go 'yeah, I'm a male and if you don't like it well sod off then. And I'm going to to Everything I have to, jump through the hoops if I need to, to get the result I want'.
</babble>
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September 5th, 2009
05:54 pm
Typing to keep myself awake, as otherwise I fear I might slump into a sleepy heap and die. Today, I worked bloody hard.
I hoovered the shop (harder than it sounds) and spent an hour or so sorting out the curtains and bedding section. This took so long as no sooner had I refolded everything and put it out, someone bought half of it and more had to be found and rearranged. Then I asked to work in the sorting cupboard as it was in a dreadful state (not unusual).
And so the day found me surrounding myself with bin bags (autumn wear-to kee, rags-clothes, rags-toys, rags-shoes and bags, to go upstairs shoes,bags and toys and Tip.)
Some things I found (and tipped):
A wool basket that didn't open,
Three broken tennis rackets
a faded plastic object one uses to play indoor golf with
(used) knickers and underwear
A pair of trousers full of moth holes at the crutch (o.O)
a rusted faux-brass onamental teapot
a broken hedgehog statuette
an empy packet of chewing gum
a glass bottle with a lid, filled with Mysterious White Powder
photographs of the interior of a car
not to mention greasy pillowslips, tatty jumpers and t-shirts and one bag which kept making me sneeze and cough until I discovered it was full of cat hair at the bototm. This is not an unusual occurance.
The definite worst was a bag full of tatty clothes that I literally looked into, attempted to lift out a jumper and physically retched at the smell of fags and wee. Ugh!
It is the consistant complaint of any charity shop- heaven knows what people expect us to do with their shit a times- and yet there is a recyling bin for rags and one for cds and books along with the other standard recycling bins in Morrisons' car park!
But I spent all day at: opening, examining, deciding what to keep and what to go, more stuff pouring in all the while the moment I got pause but with ten minutes before the end of day I DID IT. I cleared the entire cupboard. It may not sound like much an achievement but there was general rejoicing from all the staff who know quite how impossible that cupboard is.
The downside of having completed this herculean task is that I now appear to be unable to move, I ache so much! Spine, bum, legs, feet- everything has seized up and I'm hobbling about on a stick like a little old man.
But still! I am quite proud. And there was some lovely stuff to counteract the masses of crap. I picked up two Next tops for next door's granddaughter- one of which mum likes so much she says she's almost tempted to keep it and cut the designs out for use on a bag or something! (It is lovely).
One of these days I will take a proper camera in. I'd prefer a camcorder of some sort but, although my camera can record video the format isn't one that is easy to ...do anything with.
Aaaache. And tomorrow I'm serving and the day after I'm working at TheJobThatFellThroughAndIsNowJustVoluntary (I shall have to come up with a decent name as no doubt it will obtain regular mention) all day. I had planned a day of applying for things and suchlike on Tuesday but my Nanny has demanded my presence to help her reinventorise and display the new stock for the church shop.
No rest for the wicked!
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September 2nd, 2009
09:04 am
So...I'd be on the train to work at this time had yesterday not ruined everything...huh.
Time for fic, methinks.
Also: Britpick- peanut-butter and jelly. How many times? This makes UTTERLY NO SENSE to us. For a start, what you, author, call 'Jelly', we call 'jam' but just...nobody eats peanut-butter and jam butties. If someone did develop a taste for them, the people around them would make horrified exclamations of how can you eat that???. Someone once gave an equivalent of...baked beans on toast? which is something that people in the UK eat quite often. (Heinz, is of course more reknowned though I'm generally not too fussy when it comes to tins of baked beans in tomatoey sauces) ...or maybe it was the concept of having them for breakfast as part of a fry? Anyway it only served to highlight the point. Some things, one country will eat that the other will go O.o, and it is easy to make mistakes. I always try to overlook the copious references to 'oatmeal' over 'porridge' in HP fics, because it's at least in the right area. But it really isn't hard to research- or indeed to be told- that peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches are not common food over here. If you're having a character eat a butty- a JAM butty- yes, a crisp butty- yes, a cheese butty, a cheese and piccalili, cheese and tomato, cheese and Branston pickle- yes. A bacon butty, a ploughman's (cheese, lettuce, tomatos, salad-things, onions, pickle etc), a ham butty, egg and cress, chicken and lettuce and tomatoes, turkey, salmon spread, tuna paste...etc. There are a lot you could choose from!
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September 1st, 2009
08:21 pm - Poor once More
So today my job-thingy fell through, just on the cusp of being an agreed 7 month contract. And it's all the dole's fault, unsuprisingly.
Life; it is made of Fail.
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August 31st, 2009
02:45 pm
Disney BUYS MARVEL
*deep breath* NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo!
Not good. I mean, I like some of Disney stuff, and I'm not vehemently Disney-hating or anything but...they already own so much. And they just shouldn't own Wolverine. It's just not right. Marvel have always teetered on the edge of a precipice in my mind: they redeem the occasional Nauseating-Soppiness-and-Moralism with really cool stuff, and cool moral stances too (read Northstar's I! Am! A! HOMOSEXUAL! and the whole AIDs awareness issues, or earlier still Ororo Munroe- the first non-white female superhero who blatently isn't just eyecandy [she did actually lead the X-Men at some points) and also Marvel's propensity for Aweseome Angst (some of it even too much for me- e.g. 'The Death of Wolverine') and gore (the one where Wolverine guts the kidnappers and hangs their entrails around like streamers...or the one whose second-part I am waiting in which Wolverine gets a bomb in the stomach and then hides out at Spiderman's house whilst his body knits itself back together and Spiderman is sooooo sooooo ill at the sight. *sporfle*).
Disney have always been arguably conservative. Marvel has not. I am worried. And I sincerely hope visions of a moralised Wolverine who gives up killing and finds the love of his life in a non-taken woman and such is just a nightmare.
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August 30th, 2009
08:10 pm
So we coped with the party okay, and I did get to dance, briefly and was promptly captured by a very enthusastic lady which was, on the one hand, great because I didn't know anyone other than the couple and the bride's parents and so company on the dancefloor was sparse, on the otherhand this lady was very determined that I should not lead and we should take turns- but I kept forgetting and trying to lead and skip out on my own twirls and that because I'm just used to leading. So...yes...she was stronger than I was so I was forced to obey ;)
Of course, then we left. Ah well. I miss all those eighteenth birthday parties that occured at sixth form- same kind of set up-private space booked and that but at least there I knew enough people to start whining to dance after their first drink. Also there was a lot less cheesy-dancing music, at least, until we left. I could've just done with a rousing round of the Macarena, Build Me Up Buttercup, Brown Eyed Girl, Saturday Night, Living on A Prayer etc. Even 5,6,7,8- when's the last time you heard that played?
Today we went to the tatton show, so I'm full of sawdust from watching the wood-carvers. So awesome. And I got a few odds-and-sods although I was restrained from my aquiring a large wooden dragon winchime with a moveable head. Just because it would have no where to go! Hmph!
We were KNACKERED when we got home so I went upstairs and had a nap whilst mum had one downstairs. This turned out to be a bad idea on my part as I had a bad dream about work. Pooo.
There were SO MANY doggies at the show. SO MANY. And Falconers and stuff. And ferrets,because there are always ferrets. And glass-blowing. And woodowork and loom-work and such. :D ^^
*sighs wistfully*
I really miss being near actual countryside you know. These days the most nature I get is watching it pass by as I speed along in the little metal train to and from work. I miss being in Lancaster when you could just randomly decide to naturewalk and wander through the trees and take pictures of rabbits and birds and stuff, or go and look at the sheep.
Sorry, just been watching countryfile, which makes the yearning for wide, green, townless spaces more palpable.
and also
DESKTOP MEME
( Cut for picture )
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August 29th, 2009
07:29 pm
On Friday Night:
Mum:...so tomorrow we're going to [Next-Door-Neighbour's-Daughter-Who-Just-Got-Married-And-Has-Known-Me-All-My-Life]'s party
Me: What party? Why?
Mum: Well, I only heard about it the other day too.
Me: Oh...okay.
Today, whilst in the shop
Me: Oh, hi. Oh wow you got your hair cut! It looks very good!
Mum: Thanks. Oh and I've bought all this [shows a bag full of 'going out' kit]
Me: I don't...usually make this much of an effort.
Mum: Nonsense. We'll have to make an effort.
Me: Oh well. Okay. At least there'll be food, yes?
Mum: There'd better be.
This evening
Me: So what time to I have to get ready
Mum: *non committal murmurings*
Later
Me: Is it time yet?
Mum: You can make a start if you want to.
Me: Thanks, your hair does look nice, by the way
Mum: I don't like it
Me: GAAAAH YOU DO SAY YOU DO REALLY. YOU ALWAYS SAY YOU HATE IT ANY TIME ANYTHING HAPPENS TO YOUR HAIR
Mum: Well..it is lighter.
Me: It looks good. Here we can use this funky clip
[Aside: Yes, I really am THAT QUEER]
Later:
Me: I'm not sure about the shoes. I won't be able to dance in them.
Mum: We won't be dancing.
Me: WHAT? Of course there'll be dancing. And you have to dance with me because I won't know the other guests
Mum: I won't be dancing. I'll be hiding in a dark corner.
Me: ...why are we going, if you don't want to go
Mum:...it'd be rude not to
Me: Well! Then we shall make the best of it and dance
Mum: NOT DANCING
Me: DANCING
Mum: Do you need help with your going-out-kit
Me: *sulks* I'm not bothering with all that. I've made an effort. I'm dressed up.
Mum: Why aren't you bothering
Me: SULKS
It seems insantiy AND misanthropy are genetic. I'm doomed.
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