Been so flat out writing this test plan haven't had time to add anything...now it seems to be taking forever for each save, at least I have some time in between to add something...anything, so in the best tradition of "Wot I did in the weekend'
Had a lovely weekend up in Grand Geneva, glad we had the night as a gift as it was a trifle overpriced..though a grand place indeedy.
Did some spa stuff including a duo massage. Seemed very odd to get naked in a room with my husband and then coverup and have two complete strangers come and pound on us. Though the moment they started i virtually dropped off to la-la land I was so tired.
I can't quite get the hang of spa etiquette here, perhaps it had something to do with the fact we had gone over the border to Wisconsin away from Illinois.
In the whirlpool and sauna in the ladies section of the gym at home people quite often go nekkid...something I've finally got used to after Europe (outside of England I mean...English girls would probably run shrieking if you stood there starkers)But here they were, all wearing their togs/swimmers/bathingsuits/swimming costumes...and me without one.
I'm bold, but not bold enough to leap into a pool and be the only one nekkid...so I contented myself with a carefully draped towel (damn those things are short)and sat in the sauna for a bit.
We pottered around the next morning and then went of to Lake Geneva, the nearby town. It used to (and somewhat still is) the holiday home for the rich robber barons and their families fleeing the sticky heat (and for a time, the great fire) of Chicago. All around the lake are wonderful holiday home, ranging from the sublime(size of a normal house) to the ridiculous. It's also home to one of the US's first golf courses. The town is a mecca for day trippers, gawkers and us (oh ok - we fall into both categories)...and definitely a destination for that hidden subculture...the weekend Harley rider. So families, couples, large biker dudes (with even larger biker dudesses) and the odd harried looking resident.
They weren't quite selling sticks of rock...but pretty close.
We took the boat ride around the lake (2 hours) to gawk at the lifestyles of the rich and famous and it was pretty good, very much a potted history of Chicago aristocracy.
It was freezing when the boat got going so we huddled together like limpets...but at least I wasn't wearing a boob tube and miniskirt like one poor girl...you could ski down her goose bumps.
We managed to sit behind the worlds most boring guy...and by the time we finished we had learnt more about his parents lavishing too much money on his brother, her parents lavishing too much money on her sisters grandkids, his taste in houses, her taste in jewelry 'I got the diamond set down so it would sparkle more'...til I wanted to turn around and say in my loudest most English voice 'Would you please be quiet'...but I didn't...and still wish I had.
We toodled home the long way, had Gordy and Lorraine over for a nice long BBQ lunch in the sun on Sunday...did way more laundry than I thought we had clothes and here we are and it's Tuesday already.
May 24, 2005
May 20, 2005
You know you need a break when...
you go to make yourself a cup of tea and find yourself pouring hot coffee on the teabag!
Would that make it a cup of cea or toffee? either way the result looks far to disgusting to drink, regardless of how much caffeine it might indicate I need.
Would that make it a cup of cea or toffee? either way the result looks far to disgusting to drink, regardless of how much caffeine it might indicate I need.
Can I borrow your cat?...
cats
Originally uploaded by zela.
Occasionally I click the 'view next blog' button to see whose moved in next door...last time it was someone in Prague! Now its someone in Hong Kong who has the cutest (if somewhat owllike) cat pictures...with very smooshed in faces, poor things
Take a look at the other pictures on Cecilia sites...I'm cracking up cos those cats look very confused about the whole photoblogging business.
Hmmnnnn...maybe I'll just have to catblog someone else cats until I get my own.
Always listen to your sister…
We went to Merrill last weekend to visit with MIL and FIL and soak up some home cooking and riverside ambience…hoping that it would be warmer than Chicago (not sure why cos we were heading north…my internal compass is still set to NZ…where north is warm and cold is south). It was as cold and miserable as Chicago…but at least we have the river rushing by and no real reason to do much but stay warm.
On Saturday we went to put the pontoon boat in, basically a floating deck with comfy squishy sofa that doubles as MIL/FIL’s outdoor room. It’s a monster and goes into storage over winter due to the river freezing. FIL had it out and on the trailer. They usually put it in up river but that’s steep and tricky so this year they decided to go to the council grounds (like a bush reserve) and so off we went…veeeeerrrry wiiiide turns and all.
The council grounds are a big piece of forest as a spit into the river, boat ramps on one side and walking paths all over. MIL and her gaggle of gals go walking there most days, and once the boat went in with the hearty sailors to take it all of 15 mins cross river to their dock, we would do the walk and haul the trailer home.
As we slowly drove through the woods I said to MIL did they have Deer, no she said, I’ve never seen them and we all burst into laughter as 3 deer bounded across the road a little way in front.
So have you ever seen a bear I asked, no she said and whilst she was saying it and I was looking into the forest I saw a bear…I pointed it out, and I’m sure they thought I was joking…but sure enough , on all four paws (and then it stood up), looking for all the world like it had stepped out of the wonderful world of Disney was a bear….M’s never seen one, MIL’s has only every seen a couple. The bear stared at us, we stared at the bear and slowly kept driving……and we sure as hell weren’t walking in the woods that day.
We talked to the ranger when we left the grounds, and he said that there was a mother and two cubs about, so we must have seen the mother. It’s 6 days later and I’m still excited about my first live wild in the woods bear.
And the moral of the story is…don’t pooh pooh your kiwi sister when she says look out for bears when you go into the woods…she might just know what she’s talking about.
On Saturday we went to put the pontoon boat in, basically a floating deck with comfy squishy sofa that doubles as MIL/FIL’s outdoor room. It’s a monster and goes into storage over winter due to the river freezing. FIL had it out and on the trailer. They usually put it in up river but that’s steep and tricky so this year they decided to go to the council grounds (like a bush reserve) and so off we went…veeeeerrrry wiiiide turns and all.
The council grounds are a big piece of forest as a spit into the river, boat ramps on one side and walking paths all over. MIL and her gaggle of gals go walking there most days, and once the boat went in with the hearty sailors to take it all of 15 mins cross river to their dock, we would do the walk and haul the trailer home.
As we slowly drove through the woods I said to MIL did they have Deer, no she said, I’ve never seen them and we all burst into laughter as 3 deer bounded across the road a little way in front.
So have you ever seen a bear I asked, no she said and whilst she was saying it and I was looking into the forest I saw a bear…I pointed it out, and I’m sure they thought I was joking…but sure enough , on all four paws (and then it stood up), looking for all the world like it had stepped out of the wonderful world of Disney was a bear….M’s never seen one, MIL’s has only every seen a couple. The bear stared at us, we stared at the bear and slowly kept driving……and we sure as hell weren’t walking in the woods that day.
We talked to the ranger when we left the grounds, and he said that there was a mother and two cubs about, so we must have seen the mother. It’s 6 days later and I’m still excited about my first live wild in the woods bear.
And the moral of the story is…don’t pooh pooh your kiwi sister when she says look out for bears when you go into the woods…she might just know what she’s talking about.
May 17, 2005
Trying to figure out trackbacks
The bonfire of the vanites is over at the ever so georgious Ferdy at the Conservative Cat
Not sure I like the content this week...but at least everyone can poke fun at themselves.
Not sure I like the content this week...but at least everyone can poke fun at themselves.
Note to self, things to remember about being a lady
Don't open the foil top of a yoghurt after shaking it...Especially if you're wearing a black top
Remember Kris/Kross and to 'Jump Jump' when climbing into your SUV with a short skirt on, try to act nochalent when you fall off the seat cos you can't swing your legs up
Remember Diana when you climb out...swivel and slide out gracefully, not slither and laugh hysterically.
Please feel free to add your own.
Remember Kris/Kross and to 'Jump Jump' when climbing into your SUV with a short skirt on, try to act nochalent when you fall off the seat cos you can't swing your legs up
Remember Diana when you climb out...swivel and slide out gracefully, not slither and laugh hysterically.
Please feel free to add your own.
May 12, 2005
http://complimenter.blogspot.com/
Compli-meme
Here is my new meme. It's a compli-meme. Go out and spread the news.
Finish these sentences in a complimentary fashion. Copy, paste, finish and leave them in someone's comment box. Then post them on your own site and pass the word.
1. WOW! Your site is
2. That post was very
3. You're
YOU'VE BEEN COMPLI-MEME'D. GO OUT AND DO LIKEWISE.
An extra smile goes to those who participate.
Here is my new meme. It's a compli-meme. Go out and spread the news.
Finish these sentences in a complimentary fashion. Copy, paste, finish and leave them in someone's comment box. Then post them on your own site and pass the word.
1. WOW! Your site is
2. That post was very
3. You're
YOU'VE BEEN COMPLI-MEME'D. GO OUT AND DO LIKEWISE.
An extra smile goes to those who participate.
Been a bit flat out for the last couple of days...
so here's a few links to my favorite blogs...enjoy:
Elisson's blog always cracks me up, even when he was going through his poetry month...and offers very interesting insights to being Jewish in the modern world...plus his cats are the cutest things
and speaking of cats...for those of us (me) who are waiting to move before getting a CAT (M finally agreed in a moment of weakness, though he's now trying to renege on the deal)...Carnival of the cats goes to a different website each week to offer a spot for the tradition of cat blogging...mecca for those of us feline deprived, don't forget to read the FAQ's...and for you other poor souls...Carnival of the dogs will have to do.
I'm not sure what Green Tuna does in the outside world, but etiquette says its not polite to ask...I'm pretty sure her name is a pun, and TunaNews is always fun.
Gordy and Lorraine recently moved to Chicago from the UK...so apart from them being friends (well they have some of our furniture so I think that means we like each other), they are both new and doing pretty damn good at blogging...his and hers.
Bonfire of the vanities are always a good way to read some interesting writing and find other blogs you'd like to come back to....so I'll leave you with this weeks version, posted here (one day I'll work up enough courage to submit)...enjoy
Elisson's blog always cracks me up, even when he was going through his poetry month...and offers very interesting insights to being Jewish in the modern world...plus his cats are the cutest things
and speaking of cats...for those of us (me) who are waiting to move before getting a CAT (M finally agreed in a moment of weakness, though he's now trying to renege on the deal)...Carnival of the cats goes to a different website each week to offer a spot for the tradition of cat blogging...mecca for those of us feline deprived, don't forget to read the FAQ's...and for you other poor souls...Carnival of the dogs will have to do.
I'm not sure what Green Tuna does in the outside world, but etiquette says its not polite to ask...I'm pretty sure her name is a pun, and TunaNews is always fun.
Gordy and Lorraine recently moved to Chicago from the UK...so apart from them being friends (well they have some of our furniture so I think that means we like each other), they are both new and doing pretty damn good at blogging...his and hers.
Bonfire of the vanities are always a good way to read some interesting writing and find other blogs you'd like to come back to....so I'll leave you with this weeks version, posted here (one day I'll work up enough courage to submit)...enjoy
May 10, 2005
You know you're assimilating when:
You start to take your coffee to work in a insulated cup (thanks Geoff and Amy for giving us these for Christmas)
At first I though people did it cos their journeys were long...but now I realize it's because the coffee at work is crap
Stopping at Dunkin Donut's on the way to work is no longer a novelty
in my defense it was cos I had to get some little donut holes for the kids in my JA class since we are studying donut production today
You find yourself asking for the 'gas' station, coffee with 'cream', 'jelly' for your toast and eggs 'over hard' - though I still throw in the words 'make them bounce like rubber'..hate the funny runny stuff
At first I though people did it cos their journeys were long...but now I realize it's because the coffee at work is crap
Stopping at Dunkin Donut's on the way to work is no longer a novelty
in my defense it was cos I had to get some little donut holes for the kids in my JA class since we are studying donut production today
You find yourself asking for the 'gas' station, coffee with 'cream', 'jelly' for your toast and eggs 'over hard' - though I still throw in the words 'make them bounce like rubber'..hate the funny runny stuff
May 09, 2005
for those of you wondering what i said
rude comments about mumbling and dodgy accents aside.
here's a great Kiwi to English dictionary I've just found.
I was attempting to translate togs.
I shall now endeavour to teach 1 word a fortnight (another handy word not used by USians)...a couple of weeks ago i said 'jiggery-pokery' in a meeting and they loved it...makes me laugh everytime i hear it get used now.
Tell me your favourite new expressions (I've been watching Bro-town and shall have a few new ones soon I think)
cheers mate
here's a great Kiwi to English dictionary I've just found.
I was attempting to translate togs.
I shall now endeavour to teach 1 word a fortnight (another handy word not used by USians)...a couple of weeks ago i said 'jiggery-pokery' in a meeting and they loved it...makes me laugh everytime i hear it get used now.
Tell me your favourite new expressions (I've been watching Bro-town and shall have a few new ones soon I think)
cheers mate
May 06, 2005
random airport thoughts
today the trees are just packed with pink and white blossoms, none of the long flowering springtime here...seems to come in a rush as if the blossoms are so eager to be out they all burst out at once. I almost smacked into the back of a car i was so distracted by what was going on, on the tree's. Probabely would have been a bit hard to explain to the person I hit...'well I was looking and the blossom and didn't see you in that enormous truck in front of me'
It was a little odd going through the Cincinnati airport this week, I've not been back since Feb when it was so cold and here were the Avis guys walking around in shorts and polo's, as opposed to the sub zero ski suits and miserable faces i saw in the brief time it took me to exit the car and run to the warmth of the airport bus. They looked positively nekkid. Must be a damn miserable job in winter.
Trundled through the 'remove all your clothing and give me the name of your first born child' Homeland Security palaver and managed to insult the Zimbabwean boarding pass checker by asking if she was south african...never a good thing and she punished me by making me show my passport. I usually use my drivers licence going through US airport internally as it has my married name.
Down the hall way and onto the 'business plane'...seems to be mostly everyone is on this flight to get back to Chicago from whatever work they have been doing in Cincinnati...everyone has a rolling bag and/or briefcase/backpack. The men are wearing white or chambray shirts or some sort of polo straining over the beer gut if they have business casual. The women are mostly in black/navy/khaki/beige, and the odd casual traveller (usually retired) looks most bemused when we all line up the moment the desk boarder approaches the door. Seating area 1 is ready to go.
I've finished my porridge and am almost through my raisins, so it;s time to post this get a cup of mediocre coffee and get back to work.
Have a fab weekend all of you.
It was a little odd going through the Cincinnati airport this week, I've not been back since Feb when it was so cold and here were the Avis guys walking around in shorts and polo's, as opposed to the sub zero ski suits and miserable faces i saw in the brief time it took me to exit the car and run to the warmth of the airport bus. They looked positively nekkid. Must be a damn miserable job in winter.
Trundled through the 'remove all your clothing and give me the name of your first born child' Homeland Security palaver and managed to insult the Zimbabwean boarding pass checker by asking if she was south african...never a good thing and she punished me by making me show my passport. I usually use my drivers licence going through US airport internally as it has my married name.
Down the hall way and onto the 'business plane'...seems to be mostly everyone is on this flight to get back to Chicago from whatever work they have been doing in Cincinnati...everyone has a rolling bag and/or briefcase/backpack. The men are wearing white or chambray shirts or some sort of polo straining over the beer gut if they have business casual. The women are mostly in black/navy/khaki/beige, and the odd casual traveller (usually retired) looks most bemused when we all line up the moment the desk boarder approaches the door. Seating area 1 is ready to go.
I've finished my porridge and am almost through my raisins, so it;s time to post this get a cup of mediocre coffee and get back to work.
Have a fab weekend all of you.
May 04, 2005
most of the time
you never want to hear someone's train of thought when they go to the loo...or at least you don't say so in polite company...but anyways...just went to the loo and undid my trousers and:
my tights are tighter, my butt is bigger...
whaaaat, how can that be?...
I've been doing my physio exercises...
OK they are for bursitis in my hip but it's still exercise damnit...
and I'm playing volleyball (badly) for a work team...
and I didn't eat anything with wheat for lunch...
though peanut butter cookies for dinner cos M is out of town prob didn't help...
but my tights aren't constricting my tummy???
which usually bloats up first...
what the @#$%...
oh yeah...
my tights are on backwards...
duh...
mustn't laugh out loud in the loos at work...
they'll think I;m mad!
my tights are tighter, my butt is bigger...
whaaaat, how can that be?...
I've been doing my physio exercises...
OK they are for bursitis in my hip but it's still exercise damnit...
and I'm playing volleyball (badly) for a work team...
and I didn't eat anything with wheat for lunch...
though peanut butter cookies for dinner cos M is out of town prob didn't help...
but my tights aren't constricting my tummy???
which usually bloats up first...
what the @#$%...
oh yeah...
my tights are on backwards...
duh...
mustn't laugh out loud in the loos at work...
they'll think I;m mad!
wed-ned-day
a couple of strange things I've noticed/heard:
the walking men on the crossing signs have no feet or hands so they look like amputees crossing a creek...how strange
the Illinois chamber of commerce running an advert asking people to stop suing and 'trial shopping' (ie finding a friendly court)cos it's pushing costs up high, professions are leaving (ie doctors) and new business doesn't want to move here. Apparently our state does the most suing.
Imagine that...I can feel a slip and fall coming on :>)
the walking men on the crossing signs have no feet or hands so they look like amputees crossing a creek...how strange
the Illinois chamber of commerce running an advert asking people to stop suing and 'trial shopping' (ie finding a friendly court)cos it's pushing costs up high, professions are leaving (ie doctors) and new business doesn't want to move here. Apparently our state does the most suing.
Imagine that...I can feel a slip and fall coming on :>)
May 03, 2005
it's may - hooray
but it's still a little bit freezy around the fanny...had to bring the hanging baskets in last night so they didn't get frost bite and had a few snow flakes around yesterday morning...aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh, when will this winter be OVER.
MIL and FIL came back from Florida in the weekend...not happy campers with the cold, think they have definately turned into snowbirds
Apparently a week or two of spring then winter then straight into summer is quite common. looking forward to the 'into summer' bit, yes indeedy.
Got the news from the lawyer today, the new owners have signed on the bottom line and we are officially sold.
very happy bout that
We did another driveby this weekend with MIL and FIL, had to change car's so they wouln't know it was us...though they might have figured it out after we drove around the block for the 3rd time.
MIL and FIL made polite noises about how much work it looked like it needed, but I think they liked it and most of all...they like that we love it. Can't wait to show them the inside, FIL likes fireplaces a lot (i think this might be his BBQ subsitute for winter) and ours is a doozy...made of great big stones and accessed through both sides.
Now we have to work out when we are actually going to move in, when we get the architects to have a look, how much work can we schedule before we move in..the list goes on.
At least I don't have to be a tidy around the house now that it's sold...that was damn near killing me!
Off to Cincinnati, Ohio for work tommorrow night...and then back to dayton Ohio for the weekend for a wedding.
MIL and FIL came back from Florida in the weekend...not happy campers with the cold, think they have definately turned into snowbirds
Apparently a week or two of spring then winter then straight into summer is quite common. looking forward to the 'into summer' bit, yes indeedy.
Got the news from the lawyer today, the new owners have signed on the bottom line and we are officially sold.
very happy bout that
We did another driveby this weekend with MIL and FIL, had to change car's so they wouln't know it was us...though they might have figured it out after we drove around the block for the 3rd time.
MIL and FIL made polite noises about how much work it looked like it needed, but I think they liked it and most of all...they like that we love it. Can't wait to show them the inside, FIL likes fireplaces a lot (i think this might be his BBQ subsitute for winter) and ours is a doozy...made of great big stones and accessed through both sides.
Now we have to work out when we are actually going to move in, when we get the architects to have a look, how much work can we schedule before we move in..the list goes on.
At least I don't have to be a tidy around the house now that it's sold...that was damn near killing me!
Off to Cincinnati, Ohio for work tommorrow night...and then back to dayton Ohio for the weekend for a wedding.
April 29, 2005
Toronto in a nutshell
Toronto in a nutshell
Friday
too early
cheese criossant
roaring water
chicken quesadeia
sweet wine
zzzzzzzzzz
Rogan Josh and poppadoms
boomboomboombbom
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Saturday
mmmmnnnnnnsleeeeep
mmmmmmnnnnbaaacon
slooshslooshsloosh
brrrrrrrhhhh
kaching, kaching
brrrrrrrhhhh
tea/oysters/tea/beef/tea/fish/tea/rice/duck/taro/rice/tea/greens/rice/beef/rice/soy/tea
hmmmmn...so that's how you eat a fish head!
aaaaaahhhhhh
port
zzzzzzzzzzzz
Sunday
brrrrrrrhhh
trudge trudge trudge
aaaaahhhh coffee
shoes...purty shoes...
brrrrrhhhhhh
trudge trudge trudge
Tom Yum Kai
Lights/camera/action
trudge trudge trudge
it's a long way dooooowwwwn
Taxeeeeee!
Brooooom broooom
up up away
zzzzzzzzzz
brooooom brooooom
home sweet home
zzzzzzzzzz
Friday
too early
cheese criossant
roaring water
chicken quesadeia
sweet wine
zzzzzzzzzz
Rogan Josh and poppadoms
boomboomboombbom
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Saturday
mmmmnnnnnnsleeeeep
mmmmmmnnnnbaaacon
slooshslooshsloosh
brrrrrrrhhhh
kaching, kaching
brrrrrrrhhhh
tea/oysters/tea/beef/tea/fish/tea/rice/duck/taro/rice/tea/greens/rice/beef/rice/soy/tea
hmmmmn...so that's how you eat a fish head!
aaaaaahhhhhh
port
zzzzzzzzzzzz
Sunday
brrrrrrrhhh
trudge trudge trudge
aaaaahhhh coffee
shoes...purty shoes...
brrrrrhhhhhh
trudge trudge trudge
Tom Yum Kai
Lights/camera/action
trudge trudge trudge
it's a long way dooooowwwwn
Taxeeeeee!
Brooooom broooom
up up away
zzzzzzzzzz
brooooom brooooom
home sweet home
zzzzzzzzzz
April 28, 2005
birthday present
Sent this clock to Vanessa's Tim for his birthday...got the following email back.
Beep beep ... beep beep
Flash flash flash
Beep flash beep ... flash beep flash
Beep kiss thankyou flash smile beep
Flash flash flash
Beep beep ... beep beep
xxxx
I think that means he likes it!
Beep beep ... beep beep
Flash flash flash
Beep flash beep ... flash beep flash
Beep kiss thankyou flash smile beep
Flash flash flash
Beep beep ... beep beep
xxxx
I think that means he likes it!
April 21, 2005
Moose time
we're off to Toronto this evening to hang with assorted whanau, my brother, cousin, his wife and what ever you call your cousins wife's brother and his girlfreind. Looking forward to seeeing them all especially my brother, who is the baby of the family (though not sized that way anymore)
M's taking his laptop, so if if all goes well, there will be maple blog for you all.
M's taking his laptop, so if if all goes well, there will be maple blog for you all.
April 20, 2005
A cautionary tale from the tooth fairy...
dental surgery...such joy to be had from this...
I needed a root canal done...somehow this relatively simple procedure has turned into 5 visits, 2 dentists, 1 periodontist, 3600mg of ibuprofen and I still have no idea what a periodontist actually is!
so it sorta goes like this
i visit dentist number one (now known as 'bad dentist' cos he whinged so much he put me off going back) who tells me that tooth 20 (which he later writes down as tooth 21 - strike 2) needs to have infected roots removed, filled up and crown placed on top. And by the way "get this done now as you'll need to get an incisor removed completely after this" - Visit 1
Dentists in the US don't dig out the roots, you need a specialist of course (funny how the rest of the world copes with having it all done under one roof) so he refers me to a specialist, but he has left me doubting his abilities, so for first time in my life I seek a second opinion (how Hollywood of me!)
I go to M's dentist who is kind and patient to a patient, and will now become 'Good Dentist'. He agrees that this is correct but I must seek out a periodontist to do this. - Visit 2 is complete
I find a periodontist in my healthplan (based on the thought her last name 'Summercorn' sounded like someone who would not hurt me too much) and ring the surgery to make an appointment to get the root canal done...but no...I must have a consultation first, before they can schedule the root canal and next one is not until 3 weeks. At which point I lose the will to live and agree to the appointment...i have no energy to try and find another surgery at this point.
I visit the periodontist who takes more x-rays despite Bad Dentist giving me an x-ray to show them and Good Dentist agreeing that the X-ray was ok...tooth 20 probabley glows in the dark now from all the X-rays it has had. Surprising enough (take a moment to grimace ironically please) she agrees that it does require a root canal and luck is on my side (this is Friday), they've had a cancellation and on Monday at 9:00 the inside of tooth 20 will now be removed - Visit 3 ends
Visit 4 involves lots of injections, jaw wrenching, slurpee suction sounds and moments of comedy when they couldn't get the clamp that goes around the tooth off, and i might have to walk out wearing it. She also stuffed a bit of cotton and lightweight cover and told me that my dentist would fit the crown...whaaaaa the ??? I had some stupid notion that she would finish of the job then and there...oh and I had to have it done in the next 10 days...hmmmm
So back at work I ring Good Dentist (who's office does not open until noon) and tell the receptionist that i need an appointment and guess what..."you need a full consultation first and the next one is in may...did I want to take that appointment?"...uh yes, but i need a crown in the next 10 days too please. She went off and talked to 'Good Dentist"...who lived up to his name and managed to see me at 8:00am on Tuesday.
Visit 5 got off to a bad start when the nurse realized I had only had the surgery the day before...a bit of consultation and the large quantity of ibuprofen already taken helped and 'Good Dentist' got underway. Visit 5 involved more injections (a wee bit painful on top of an already injected site), not so much jaw wrenching, just as much slurpee suction and the exciting addition of a mouth guard full of squishy pink stuff that sets like wax to take a mold to fix the permanent crown....yes folks, he was just fitting a temp crown cos they have to send away for a permanent one to be carved somewhere (no doubt by a specialist). On the bright side he did allow me to watch TV for 10 minutes while the squishy pink stuff set and I got to see just how young Ted Danson and Shelly Long looked in the early 'Cheers' episode. Definitely the high point of my day.
So now I have a mouth that can only eat mushy food despite the 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours for the last 2 days...$500 less due to co-payments and i still have 1 more appointment to fit the crown when it finally comes in.
Oh yes...and the prospect of an extraction involving an oral surgeon, titanium post insertion and wearing something called a 'flipper' for 6 months so I don't look like a hillbilly is all there to look forward to...you have been warned.
I needed a root canal done...somehow this relatively simple procedure has turned into 5 visits, 2 dentists, 1 periodontist, 3600mg of ibuprofen and I still have no idea what a periodontist actually is!
so it sorta goes like this
i visit dentist number one (now known as 'bad dentist' cos he whinged so much he put me off going back) who tells me that tooth 20 (which he later writes down as tooth 21 - strike 2) needs to have infected roots removed, filled up and crown placed on top. And by the way "get this done now as you'll need to get an incisor removed completely after this" - Visit 1
Dentists in the US don't dig out the roots, you need a specialist of course (funny how the rest of the world copes with having it all done under one roof) so he refers me to a specialist, but he has left me doubting his abilities, so for first time in my life I seek a second opinion (how Hollywood of me!)
I go to M's dentist who is kind and patient to a patient, and will now become 'Good Dentist'. He agrees that this is correct but I must seek out a periodontist to do this. - Visit 2 is complete
I find a periodontist in my healthplan (based on the thought her last name 'Summercorn' sounded like someone who would not hurt me too much) and ring the surgery to make an appointment to get the root canal done...but no...I must have a consultation first, before they can schedule the root canal and next one is not until 3 weeks. At which point I lose the will to live and agree to the appointment...i have no energy to try and find another surgery at this point.
I visit the periodontist who takes more x-rays despite Bad Dentist giving me an x-ray to show them and Good Dentist agreeing that the X-ray was ok...tooth 20 probabley glows in the dark now from all the X-rays it has had. Surprising enough (take a moment to grimace ironically please) she agrees that it does require a root canal and luck is on my side (this is Friday), they've had a cancellation and on Monday at 9:00 the inside of tooth 20 will now be removed - Visit 3 ends
Visit 4 involves lots of injections, jaw wrenching, slurpee suction sounds and moments of comedy when they couldn't get the clamp that goes around the tooth off, and i might have to walk out wearing it. She also stuffed a bit of cotton and lightweight cover and told me that my dentist would fit the crown...whaaaaa the ??? I had some stupid notion that she would finish of the job then and there...oh and I had to have it done in the next 10 days...hmmmm
So back at work I ring Good Dentist (who's office does not open until noon) and tell the receptionist that i need an appointment and guess what..."you need a full consultation first and the next one is in may...did I want to take that appointment?"...uh yes, but i need a crown in the next 10 days too please. She went off and talked to 'Good Dentist"...who lived up to his name and managed to see me at 8:00am on Tuesday.
Visit 5 got off to a bad start when the nurse realized I had only had the surgery the day before...a bit of consultation and the large quantity of ibuprofen already taken helped and 'Good Dentist' got underway. Visit 5 involved more injections (a wee bit painful on top of an already injected site), not so much jaw wrenching, just as much slurpee suction and the exciting addition of a mouth guard full of squishy pink stuff that sets like wax to take a mold to fix the permanent crown....yes folks, he was just fitting a temp crown cos they have to send away for a permanent one to be carved somewhere (no doubt by a specialist). On the bright side he did allow me to watch TV for 10 minutes while the squishy pink stuff set and I got to see just how young Ted Danson and Shelly Long looked in the early 'Cheers' episode. Definitely the high point of my day.
So now I have a mouth that can only eat mushy food despite the 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours for the last 2 days...$500 less due to co-payments and i still have 1 more appointment to fit the crown when it finally comes in.
Oh yes...and the prospect of an extraction involving an oral surgeon, titanium post insertion and wearing something called a 'flipper' for 6 months so I don't look like a hillbilly is all there to look forward to...you have been warned.
for anyone who wonders what sorts of emails I get in a day
note...spelling and grammer is senders own and names XXX to protect the guilty
XXX/XXX-
Please confirm this the data that we were looking for from last week's internal meetings:
XXX- educational institutions for the conversion effort (these are just the ones that (deleted client name) is currently using in staffing system 4/1)
XXX- locations - I believe this was the followup to verify valid values for locations with XXX. (not sure if this is the correct dump)
Thanks,
XXX
and
the document is upto date as its what we presented to the client last week, and Jim's captured all there feedback. The document does not indicate (atleast not clearly) approval level, just the primary/ secondary initiator for the processes.
and the sort of stuff I send looks like...
Hi XXX, any update on this?
XXX indicated today that we could view anything that did not exist on R2 or R3 as a customization (unless all three clients wanted it, then it might turn into base), but we could still do with some sort of estimate for the requirements consultants.
and
Hi XXX,
We would like to explore a couple of potential customizations (they might be configurations if we're real lucky but we're not holding our breath).
In the termination processes we currently plan on using 37 separation reasons for Client, of which 6 are base.
We've checked with XXX and we understand that the base functionality (only filters on Involuntary Severance and LOA as Termination reasons when the Contingent Worker Controller selects Termination as the reason for change.
In the event that the client may require either a sub-set or none of the 37 reason when they chose Termination, what are our options?
Can we filter and only use a subset, and how big a customization will this be?
Can we somehow turn off all the Termination reason list and only allow eligible, ineligible and ineligible with override, so that this status can still be attached?
Please give me a call if my questions are not clear.
so now you know...and oddly enough, most days i like my job too!
XXX/XXX-
Please confirm this the data that we were looking for from last week's internal meetings:
XXX- educational institutions for the conversion effort (these are just the ones that (deleted client name) is currently using in staffing system 4/1)
XXX- locations - I believe this was the followup to verify valid values for locations with XXX. (not sure if this is the correct dump)
Thanks,
XXX
and
the document is upto date as its what we presented to the client last week, and Jim's captured all there feedback. The document does not indicate (atleast not clearly) approval level, just the primary/ secondary initiator for the processes.
and the sort of stuff I send looks like...
Hi XXX, any update on this?
XXX indicated today that we could view anything that did not exist on R2 or R3 as a customization (unless all three clients wanted it, then it might turn into base), but we could still do with some sort of estimate for the requirements consultants.
and
Hi XXX,
We would like to explore a couple of potential customizations (they might be configurations if we're real lucky but we're not holding our breath).
In the termination processes we currently plan on using 37 separation reasons for Client, of which 6 are base.
We've checked with XXX and we understand that the base functionality (only filters on Involuntary Severance and LOA as Termination reasons when the Contingent Worker Controller selects Termination as the reason for change.
In the event that the client may require either a sub-set or none of the 37 reason when they chose Termination, what are our options?
Can we filter and only use a subset, and how big a customization will this be?
Can we somehow turn off all the Termination reason list and only allow eligible, ineligible and ineligible with override, so that this status can still be attached?
Please give me a call if my questions are not clear.
so now you know...and oddly enough, most days i like my job too!
April 19, 2005
Cherry pie
mmmmmnnn cherry pie for breakfast, although eaten carefully in the side of the mouth not brutalized by the root canal yesterday.
I'm developing a real love affair for cherry pie. The client I have been working on sells the best cherry pie in their lunchroom, the crust is flaky and the fruit is sour and sweet with just the right amount of juice. I've been attempting to replicate this masterpiece ever since. I think I've finally got the pastry just right...and almost up to my mothers/aunts/sister/Nana standard...must have been cos I was adopted and didn't have the special 'really cold hands' gene that runs in the Scott women...allowing them to produce the bestest pastry around...my mother used to say 'hot hands cook pastry', but I'm still not sure poor circulation is actually a benefit no matter how good the pastry is.
anyhoo. Still working on the filling. The first one I used the sour tinned cherries but the recipe wasn't explicit about draining the juice so I went with adding it. The whole thing looked a bit gory by the end (I gotta stop watching CSI, puts me right of red colored food) but tasted ok, though still a bit sweet.
This time I went with the frozen cherries. Not sour and I used less sugar (only 1 cup! - this is not a low cal exercise), but not sour at all and the lack of juice made it a bit gluey. So the insides of 1 and the pastry of two and I'm almost there
still...nice having a piece of cherry pie for breakfast.
I'm developing a real love affair for cherry pie. The client I have been working on sells the best cherry pie in their lunchroom, the crust is flaky and the fruit is sour and sweet with just the right amount of juice. I've been attempting to replicate this masterpiece ever since. I think I've finally got the pastry just right...and almost up to my mothers/aunts/sister/Nana standard...must have been cos I was adopted and didn't have the special 'really cold hands' gene that runs in the Scott women...allowing them to produce the bestest pastry around...my mother used to say 'hot hands cook pastry', but I'm still not sure poor circulation is actually a benefit no matter how good the pastry is.
anyhoo. Still working on the filling. The first one I used the sour tinned cherries but the recipe wasn't explicit about draining the juice so I went with adding it. The whole thing looked a bit gory by the end (I gotta stop watching CSI, puts me right of red colored food) but tasted ok, though still a bit sweet.
This time I went with the frozen cherries. Not sour and I used less sugar (only 1 cup! - this is not a low cal exercise), but not sour at all and the lack of juice made it a bit gluey. So the insides of 1 and the pastry of two and I'm almost there
still...nice having a piece of cherry pie for breakfast.
April 17, 2005
1 year anniversary
Hard to believe I've been married one whole year...harder to beleive M has survived being married to me one hold year and has not reached for the restaining jacket, or mailorder valium from canada.
We celebrated by having a lazy day around the house and reminding ourselves (not that it was to hard) that we didn't have any chores.
I got M an Ipod and he had a great morning working out how to get the tunes in it...score one for me, it's always so hard to buy him gifts.
Promised myself i would bundle up the unused winter clothing so I had more room in my wardrobe...not really a chore, more, allowing more space in the universe for new clothes to get into my house. Also feels like a good thing to do in spring.
We celebrated by having a lazy day around the house and reminding ourselves (not that it was to hard) that we didn't have any chores.
I got M an Ipod and he had a great morning working out how to get the tunes in it...score one for me, it's always so hard to buy him gifts.
Promised myself i would bundle up the unused winter clothing so I had more room in my wardrobe...not really a chore, more, allowing more space in the universe for new clothes to get into my house. Also feels like a good thing to do in spring.
April 16, 2005
measured cleaning
has gone on since we finished breakfast (mnnn cold pizza...almost better than the hot stuff)and we are now up to phase 1 of the 'Saturday we get all the jobs done to sell the house so we can celebrate our wedding anniversary on sunday' project. I've slipped away to blog, though technically I'm finding out when the DMV is open (gotta get the liscense changed) and print out a photo we are going to put on the wall (long story)
shhhh...don't tell M (he's in the shower)
ok...back later after I've sanded/plastered/painted the last bits of the kitchen and guest bathroom, picked up various bits, dropped off various bit, made various appointments and returned home with bbq stuff.
laters
and Linda...you rock!
shhhh...don't tell M (he's in the shower)
ok...back later after I've sanded/plastered/painted the last bits of the kitchen and guest bathroom, picked up various bits, dropped off various bit, made various appointments and returned home with bbq stuff.
laters
and Linda...you rock!
April 15, 2005
Heather reminded me the other day
by sending me . So no matter how trivial it seems...gotta get out there and do it.
Been sidetracked by reading some great stuff from carnival of the vanities, particularily Chris's faboulous peice
Gotta figure out how to do proper linkbacks.
House should properly go through today...so will be celebrating that, surviving (i mean enjoying) 1 year of marriage and looking forward to a root canal(ohmygodihatethedentist) on monday
and will post the pics of the girlies and i taking NY by storm when i find the cable that lets me download the piccies from the phone.
Gotta dash and do phone interview dashit!
Been sidetracked by reading some great stuff from carnival of the vanities, particularily Chris's faboulous peice
Gotta figure out how to do proper linkbacks.
House should properly go through today...so will be celebrating that, surviving (i mean enjoying) 1 year of marriage and looking forward to a root canal(ohmygodihatethedentist) on monday
and will post the pics of the girlies and i taking NY by storm when i find the cable that lets me download the piccies from the phone.
Gotta dash and do phone interview dashit!
April 07, 2005
April 01, 2005
Wednedsday weather watch
5:37am - Birds tweeting, husband snoring, sun starting to get through the blinds
8:31am - Meeting going well, sunlight glinting of the pond seen through the window
11:31am - Strange flavoured chicken thing for lunch, wind making the wavelets on the pond dance and sparkle
2:45pm - Admin Assistant comes to tell us we're on tornado watch, assured by locals that tornado's have not been seen for years
5:02pm - Dark, stormy, wind lashing heavy rain on the windows, animals in twos heading for a large wooden boat (OK - kidding about the animals bit)
6:00pm - Darker, rumbles of thunder every few seconds, lightning flashes distracting me from spreadsheet
6:18pm - Lighter outside like normal evening again, head off to have margarita's with workmates
9:32pm - Rain spatters on car on way home, not cold though (might be wearing a margarita overcoat)
2:37am - Wind sounds like sirens, can't get back to sleep
5:42am - Strong winds, floods and tornado damage elsewhere - spring has been cancelled for today
8:31am - Meeting going well, sunlight glinting of the pond seen through the window
11:31am - Strange flavoured chicken thing for lunch, wind making the wavelets on the pond dance and sparkle
2:45pm - Admin Assistant comes to tell us we're on tornado watch, assured by locals that tornado's have not been seen for years
5:02pm - Dark, stormy, wind lashing heavy rain on the windows, animals in twos heading for a large wooden boat (OK - kidding about the animals bit)
6:00pm - Darker, rumbles of thunder every few seconds, lightning flashes distracting me from spreadsheet
6:18pm - Lighter outside like normal evening again, head off to have margarita's with workmates
9:32pm - Rain spatters on car on way home, not cold though (might be wearing a margarita overcoat)
2:37am - Wind sounds like sirens, can't get back to sleep
5:42am - Strong winds, floods and tornado damage elsewhere - spring has been cancelled for today
March 30, 2005
puff puff stairs...puff dammnit puff
Today I have a new fitness goal, to see if I can walk up the 5 flight of steps on the inside of the building without huffing and puffing at the top...with a secondary goal of not having legs that feel like concrete as well.
I swear I thought I had climbed Everest this morning and was looking for a sherpa with an oxygen tank by the time I got to the top. No sherpa, no oxygen mask, not even a friendly St Bernard with a wee barrel of brandy, so I just hauled ass to the office and collapsed in my chair to type this post.
I know for sure that I lost the use of my legs the moment I set foot on this soil, and have sat in a car for the last 5 months. I don't even have the weather to blame anymore, it's a gloriously sunny day today and birdies were singing outside the bedroom window before.
M pointed out a robin red breast on Sunday. It's breast was the darker orange shade of red so they shall be robin rust breasts from now on.
anyhoo, time to get to the gym we have joined tonight and get that aerobic fitness level up, so I can take on the great stair challenge everyday. I have a vague recollection Allison induced me to sign up for a volleyball team made up from the tech team soon as well...eeek.
There's a step class at 5:30 and yoga at 6.30 and a whole slew of machine exercises they gave me the other day...if I can just remember what to do on each machine I should be home and hosed. Sooooo looking forward to it.
Ciao for now
I swear I thought I had climbed Everest this morning and was looking for a sherpa with an oxygen tank by the time I got to the top. No sherpa, no oxygen mask, not even a friendly St Bernard with a wee barrel of brandy, so I just hauled ass to the office and collapsed in my chair to type this post.
I know for sure that I lost the use of my legs the moment I set foot on this soil, and have sat in a car for the last 5 months. I don't even have the weather to blame anymore, it's a gloriously sunny day today and birdies were singing outside the bedroom window before.
M pointed out a robin red breast on Sunday. It's breast was the darker orange shade of red so they shall be robin rust breasts from now on.
anyhoo, time to get to the gym we have joined tonight and get that aerobic fitness level up, so I can take on the great stair challenge everyday. I have a vague recollection Allison induced me to sign up for a volleyball team made up from the tech team soon as well...eeek.
There's a step class at 5:30 and yoga at 6.30 and a whole slew of machine exercises they gave me the other day...if I can just remember what to do on each machine I should be home and hosed. Sooooo looking forward to it.
Ciao for now
March 29, 2005
I'll have a nice cup of tea please
I like a nice cup of tea or 'cup of taaaay' as people think i say it. I've always liked it, ever since i was a nipper...in our house no ill short of death couldn't be cured with a nice cup of tea and then if someone died, that's what you've have to recover from it.
Growing up we had two sorts of tea, our tea and Thompsett Tea. Mum was English, but had acclimatized or was strange enough not to really like very strong tea, so we tended to have weak (relatively) milky tea. No sugar of course cos that would rot your teeth...and then you'd have to go to the murder house (school dental clinic)...but that's a whole nother blog!
Tompsett tea was what you drank when you went to stay at Auntie Yvonne's place. Strong enough to stand the spoon up in apparently...and they were allowed sugar in their tea too, the lucky sods. Being a curious kid, I once tried to pour enough sugar in to work out how much you needed to stand the spoon up and got smacked for it too i think. When going to the Tompsetts, you always had a cup of tea when you got there after the long (3 to 4 hour) car ride with your sloooow driving mother and tea with every meal and in-between if needed....she was my mothers sister after all. Tea cooled you down if it was hot (and we're not talking fancy iced stuff here) and warmed you up if you were cold. Forever more Thompsett Tea is what our family calls very strong tea. From the industrial stuff they give you in motorway cafes to accidentally leaving the bag in too long in your own cup, anything a darker brown than milk chocolate is Tompsett tea.
Now whenever I make it back to NZ one of the first things I do is go visit the Tompsetts 'Tea rooms' as we jokingly call them and have a cup of tea with Yvonne and Allen. Whenever my baby brother and i or my cousin Geoff (who's a Tompsett of course) get together one of us will suggest putting the jug on (electric kettle to those you non Kiwi) for a cup of tea, to which the other will reply...'ohhh, that would be nice, nothing like a nice cup of tea' Tea ( and bad puns) may well be one of the few things that actually binds our loose knit family together. We all drank it at Nana's and we all have it in a cupboard at home. We've might have strayed into herbal tea territory, but will always drink the real thing as comfort and companionship. Bell if you're in NZ and Tetleys if you are in the UK
I was quite surprised to find the MIL didn't own a jug and quietly horrified to find she made it in the microwave (sorry MIL, it still doesn't taste the same) I do quite like iced tea when made from real tea without heaps of artificial flavors and Snapple is not too bad at a pinch. Green tea or jasmine tea is great with Japanese and Chinese food but when you really need it, you can't beat a nice cup of tea.
In the global scale of things I guess I'm not a big tea drinker...don't usually have it in the morning (that's what a coffee kickstart is for) and not late at night (I'm either partaking in 'adult beverages' or attacking my hoarded stash of imported Milo...but I do like a nice cup of tea in the afternoon. I'm not sure what they put in the tea-bags here in the office...think it might be the leftovers from what they put in tea bags for the rest of the world. It's dusty and anaemic and I have to put 2 bags in at once to get to normal strength. I think I'm pretty safe from Tompsetts tea at work.
Girls - Don't forget to bring those Tetley tea bags over next week, I really miss the good stuff !
Growing up we had two sorts of tea, our tea and Thompsett Tea. Mum was English, but had acclimatized or was strange enough not to really like very strong tea, so we tended to have weak (relatively) milky tea. No sugar of course cos that would rot your teeth...and then you'd have to go to the murder house (school dental clinic)...but that's a whole nother blog!
Tompsett tea was what you drank when you went to stay at Auntie Yvonne's place. Strong enough to stand the spoon up in apparently...and they were allowed sugar in their tea too, the lucky sods. Being a curious kid, I once tried to pour enough sugar in to work out how much you needed to stand the spoon up and got smacked for it too i think. When going to the Tompsetts, you always had a cup of tea when you got there after the long (3 to 4 hour) car ride with your sloooow driving mother and tea with every meal and in-between if needed....she was my mothers sister after all. Tea cooled you down if it was hot (and we're not talking fancy iced stuff here) and warmed you up if you were cold. Forever more Thompsett Tea is what our family calls very strong tea. From the industrial stuff they give you in motorway cafes to accidentally leaving the bag in too long in your own cup, anything a darker brown than milk chocolate is Tompsett tea.
Now whenever I make it back to NZ one of the first things I do is go visit the Tompsetts 'Tea rooms' as we jokingly call them and have a cup of tea with Yvonne and Allen. Whenever my baby brother and i or my cousin Geoff (who's a Tompsett of course) get together one of us will suggest putting the jug on (electric kettle to those you non Kiwi) for a cup of tea, to which the other will reply...'ohhh, that would be nice, nothing like a nice cup of tea' Tea ( and bad puns) may well be one of the few things that actually binds our loose knit family together. We all drank it at Nana's and we all have it in a cupboard at home. We've might have strayed into herbal tea territory, but will always drink the real thing as comfort and companionship. Bell if you're in NZ and Tetleys if you are in the UK
I was quite surprised to find the MIL didn't own a jug and quietly horrified to find she made it in the microwave (sorry MIL, it still doesn't taste the same) I do quite like iced tea when made from real tea without heaps of artificial flavors and Snapple is not too bad at a pinch. Green tea or jasmine tea is great with Japanese and Chinese food but when you really need it, you can't beat a nice cup of tea.
In the global scale of things I guess I'm not a big tea drinker...don't usually have it in the morning (that's what a coffee kickstart is for) and not late at night (I'm either partaking in 'adult beverages' or attacking my hoarded stash of imported Milo...but I do like a nice cup of tea in the afternoon. I'm not sure what they put in the tea-bags here in the office...think it might be the leftovers from what they put in tea bags for the rest of the world. It's dusty and anaemic and I have to put 2 bags in at once to get to normal strength. I think I'm pretty safe from Tompsetts tea at work.
Girls - Don't forget to bring those Tetley tea bags over next week, I really miss the good stuff !
March 27, 2005
Dylan at easter
eastercat
Originally uploaded by zela.
well not really, M gave me this card for easter and I'm still laughing. It's just the espression on the cats face...and the fact that he looks a lot like Dylan, Vanessa's cat (who's having a long holiday at her parents place at the moment)
We've had anice quiet Easter today, though I'm still in shock for the first time in my entire life I haven't had Friday and Monday off as a public holiday. After church went to have brunch at The Cuneo Museum, not really having any idea what kind of museum it was. Very surprised to find an Italianate villa in the middle of the burbs.
Now it's Sunday afternoon and we're in domestic mode so I'd better get off the PC and back to the putting away stuff...sigh
thought you'd all love the cat :>)
March 25, 2005
if I was an obsolete skill I'd be Latin apparently!
You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.
You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.
What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
so it's good Friday and it snowing again
Don't think it will stick (she says optimistically) and we're supposed to get rain as well (oh joy) and it's good Friday...and to make it worse, USians don't get this as a public holiday (or Easter Monday) unless you work for the NYSE.
Never like to say happy Easter...technically (thinking back to all those years of Sunday school) it's not really a celebration until Monday when the stone gets rolled and way and Jesus lives. Don't seem right to be saying happy in the context of a man getting killed, even it is was for a good reason(sins)
anyway..we just get the weekend off, so to speak, and haven't really got much planned. I'm hiving off to the city to get my hair cut, gotta look good when I see the girls in New York in a couple of week(can'twaitcan'twait)and then we're booked to go to brunch after church at the Cuneo Museum. Not sure what brunch at a museum will involve? Dinosaur eggs and woolly mammoth steaks perhaps.
I heard on the news this morning that they have managed to get soft tissue like stuff with possible cells from a t-rex somewhere, so maybe Jurassic park is just around the corner afterall.
that might be the next cool pet. Move over labradoodles, cockapoos and schnoodles...I want a dinosaur!
Never like to say happy Easter...technically (thinking back to all those years of Sunday school) it's not really a celebration until Monday when the stone gets rolled and way and Jesus lives. Don't seem right to be saying happy in the context of a man getting killed, even it is was for a good reason(sins)
anyway..we just get the weekend off, so to speak, and haven't really got much planned. I'm hiving off to the city to get my hair cut, gotta look good when I see the girls in New York in a couple of week(can'twaitcan'twait)and then we're booked to go to brunch after church at the Cuneo Museum. Not sure what brunch at a museum will involve? Dinosaur eggs and woolly mammoth steaks perhaps.
I heard on the news this morning that they have managed to get soft tissue like stuff with possible cells from a t-rex somewhere, so maybe Jurassic park is just around the corner afterall.
that might be the next cool pet. Move over labradoodles, cockapoos and schnoodles...I want a dinosaur!
March 23, 2005
snow!
snow!
Originally uploaded by zela.
It's snowing again today, seems to be sticking to the grass, had about 1 inch i think?
Not quite as mush as in the picture, that was from the big on at the start of the year (I've been saving this pic to sen d to my sister in sunny NZ)
Think we had a couple of feet (we all have a couple of feet but you know!) and then the snow plow came along and smushed it all up against the tree outside the front of the house.
Note my winter 'duvet' aka a lovely feather coat the MIL gave me. Might have to drag it out today again as I've got to load some chair to squeeeeeeze into the storage area, before M gets back. They are his favourite leather chairs and pretty nice, but wrong colour (black)and there is no room in the inn...no matter how many times he moves them around the living room.
He sounded really tired on the phone last night...although he did try and convince me that the offices were awful, the weather was bad and the people unfriendly in our texas office...in a vain attempt to convince me that we shouldn't have moved to there in stead of chicago when we had the oppotunity.
Think the picture says it all matey!
March 22, 2005
been a few days
and you should all be tired of the house pictures by now. Not really been up to much, the realtor came round to look at our house before taking us to see more (one possible - others no) and pronounced it all good.
Though we have to clean the front, which we knew, just waiting for a nice day (might be a while)
M is off in sunny Houston today and tomorrow for work of course...there better be a bit of sunshine leaking out of his suitcase when he gets back.
Finally went to get the health assessment done at the gym and found out I have relatively high cholesterol...so lets do a tally
I'm 37
I need 2 root canals, one to be replaced by a crown and the other by a titanium post and fake tooth once the artificial bone has grown in
I have bursitis in my hip, currently treated by cortisone injection and exercises
I wear orthotics in my shoes, glasses on my head and drink aloe vera juice for IBS
How the hell am I going to make it past 40!
oh well, just reminded myself why i have to get serious about exercise again...sigh
need that flexibility to get me past 50
and on that cheery note: back to work.
Though we have to clean the front, which we knew, just waiting for a nice day (might be a while)
M is off in sunny Houston today and tomorrow for work of course...there better be a bit of sunshine leaking out of his suitcase when he gets back.
Finally went to get the health assessment done at the gym and found out I have relatively high cholesterol...so lets do a tally
I'm 37
I need 2 root canals, one to be replaced by a crown and the other by a titanium post and fake tooth once the artificial bone has grown in
I have bursitis in my hip, currently treated by cortisone injection and exercises
I wear orthotics in my shoes, glasses on my head and drink aloe vera juice for IBS
How the hell am I going to make it past 40!
oh well, just reminded myself why i have to get serious about exercise again...sigh
need that flexibility to get me past 50
and on that cheery note: back to work.
March 16, 2005
Guest Room
Guest Room
Originally uploaded by zela.
The flash has bleached the soft green cover to blue...but I'm sitting on the brown chair typing away!
well i would be if i wasn't taking the photo
Guest Bath
Guest Bath
Originally uploaded by zela.
Lovely shot of the guest bath with its little bit of bright orange to cheer us up...no ones said the words 'Hari Krishna'yet, but I'm waiting
Big Bedroom
Big Bedroom
Originally uploaded by zela.
hmmmnnn duvet doesn't look so shiny in real life...gotta work on the flash technique
Big Bedroom
Big Bedroom
Originally uploaded by zela.
hmmmnnn duvet doesn't look so shiny in real life...gotta work on the flash technique
Hallway to bedrooms
Hallway to bedrooms
Originally uploaded by zela.
note pile of stuff STILL to go into storage!
and we still haven't hung up the mongolian ger cloth yet
Dehumidifer
Dehumidifer
Originally uploaded by zela.
sorry, Dining area. French doors obscured by badly pulled curtains lead out to little balcony.
Mrs Weaver goes to school
A while ago in a moment of rash altruism I signed up for Junior Achievement. This notable cause teaches children of all ages how business works and offers the opportunity for business people to work in schools.
I think I did it for a few (mostly good) reasons: I loved school - it was a safe and ordered world away from the emotional chaos we called home, I like the idea of business giving something back (using my powers for good not evil) and it might stretch my boundaries a little...ohmylord, what was I thinking?
Today i discovered two things...1)I'm quite happy to stand up in front of a global CEO and his/her many minions and tell them how we're going to do something but commanding a bunch of 7 year olds is a whole new level of terror and 2)I suddenly have a completely different level of understanding and respect for I know teachers - no wonder they think they are underpaid!....Frances, Brenda, Judi, Katie, Connie and Karina, how do you do it and why don't don't you collapse in a small screaming heap at the end of each day?
These were all nice kids and pretty well behaved, but it was like taking 7 cats for a walk trying to keep their attention.
Today was only observation, I was looking and helping to get a feel for how the class works, we wrote some stuff about the local tribe in the area and did a science experiment with bubbles. In April I actually have to stand up in front of them and get them to listen to me, though I learnt two new phases today that might help 'All eyes on me' and 'sit down and put your hands on the desk' I'm thinking of testing them out next time I'm stuck in a directionless meeting that's droning on and on and on and on..
Luckily all the materials are prepared, you have to follow through on the activity book and work through the activities (2nd grade is around 'Community') so the prep part should be easy....and Mrs T has done this lots of time, so should be pretty good at not letting me get into trouble.
So how was going back to school....apart from feeling like a giant, I can tell you kids still get very excited when it's break/recess time and the little girl from Brazil can spell better than me!
The weirdest thing is being called 'Mrs Weaver'...I kept looking around for the MIL, who actually was a teacher before retiring. The school is in my neighborhood, so I'm prob going to freak out when someone calls out 'Mrs Weaver' in the supermarket! They probabley won't recognize me in my weekend slob clothes...or worse still they will...and as for the boundaries...I can feel a whole loooooooot of stretch coming up!
I think I did it for a few (mostly good) reasons: I loved school - it was a safe and ordered world away from the emotional chaos we called home, I like the idea of business giving something back (using my powers for good not evil) and it might stretch my boundaries a little...ohmylord, what was I thinking?
Today i discovered two things...1)I'm quite happy to stand up in front of a global CEO and his/her many minions and tell them how we're going to do something but commanding a bunch of 7 year olds is a whole new level of terror and 2)I suddenly have a completely different level of understanding and respect for I know teachers - no wonder they think they are underpaid!....Frances, Brenda, Judi, Katie, Connie and Karina, how do you do it and why don't don't you collapse in a small screaming heap at the end of each day?
These were all nice kids and pretty well behaved, but it was like taking 7 cats for a walk trying to keep their attention.
Today was only observation, I was looking and helping to get a feel for how the class works, we wrote some stuff about the local tribe in the area and did a science experiment with bubbles. In April I actually have to stand up in front of them and get them to listen to me, though I learnt two new phases today that might help 'All eyes on me' and 'sit down and put your hands on the desk' I'm thinking of testing them out next time I'm stuck in a directionless meeting that's droning on and on and on and on..
Luckily all the materials are prepared, you have to follow through on the activity book and work through the activities (2nd grade is around 'Community') so the prep part should be easy....and Mrs T has done this lots of time, so should be pretty good at not letting me get into trouble.
So how was going back to school....apart from feeling like a giant, I can tell you kids still get very excited when it's break/recess time and the little girl from Brazil can spell better than me!
The weirdest thing is being called 'Mrs Weaver'...I kept looking around for the MIL, who actually was a teacher before retiring. The school is in my neighborhood, so I'm prob going to freak out when someone calls out 'Mrs Weaver' in the supermarket! They probabley won't recognize me in my weekend slob clothes...or worse still they will...and as for the boundaries...I can feel a whole loooooooot of stretch coming up!
Was in the lift/elevator today
and complimented the woman traveling with me on her bright and cheery scarf...to which she responded 'you have to bring your own sunshine with you'
Nice thought I thought I'd share:>)
Nice thought I thought I'd share:>)
March 13, 2005
The worlds f@#$%&g scariest cablecar
The worlds f@#$%&g scariest cablecar
Originally uploaded by zela.
hopefully the picture says it all..two trips (so long they made us get off and get onto another one) in the middle. M's not good with heights, and neither was I at the end of this.
Christmas 020
Christmas 020
Originally uploaded by zela.
ok, maybe this will work
Hooray, finally figured out how to do this...expect some photo madness.
and by the way, those are flamigos we saw in a bird park in Malaysia.
March 12, 2005
testing testing 1-2-3
Need to see if I can post a picture 
.
That would be a no then...might need to try something else Click this link and it should take you to a lovely picture of my hand in the new scanner/printer/fax thingy...but still can't get the pictures to insert.
Ok, Heather from Halifax gave me some ideas on how to do this...lets see how it goes
.That would be a no then...might need to try something else Click this link and it should take you to a lovely picture of my hand in the new scanner/printer/fax thingy...but still can't get the pictures to insert.
Ok, Heather from Halifax gave me some ideas on how to do this...lets see how it goes
ahhhh classic fm and a new PC
Got the new PC up and running...has a whizzy printer/scanner/photo thingy so my mission this afternoon is to figure out how to post pictures...then I shall run around the house taking photo's of the good bits for all you have asked to see.
You won't be seeing the towel rail that fell of the wall or the misc scatter of tools across the shelves downstairs...but maybe if you are good then I'll show you the tower of appliances including the infamous pizza oven.
M kept raving about this whilst we were in the UK. Seems that his parents gave this to him when he was in college, long before the days of picking them up for a tenner at Walmart and it was a genuine 'behind the bar' industrial job. He's had it in storage all this time, and was eagerly awaiting the day he could drag it out.
Well its here and it's the size of an old hard drive. Its not that ugly (gen-u-ine stainless steel)but our kitchen is not big, galley in a very small ship kinda thing. So where do we put this monster, and the microwave and the knife block and everything else you need to have in a kitchen. Our solution is to buy a wine fridge!
Without sounding like fish (yeah right...shut up Dave), in our little family wine is often the solution to many difficult design challenges, well at least pausing to have a drinkypoo puts the problem to one side sort of solution.
Anyway, this makes more sense than you think, solves the wine cellar problem, makes the house look more funky modern, and provides an extension of the benchtop to put the microwave on...which is a perfect place to put the pizza oven. Dadaaah!
So now we have the tower of appliances. And while it's true that the pizza oven is the perfect thing for cooking pizza, and more than 2 muffins at a time, it's gonna go when we start showing the house. I haven't put all those hours in watching 'selling houses' programmes where people with no idea of selling are slagged mercilessly, no sirree, all those hours on the couch are not in vain.
Pizza oven out, glamorous wine fridge in the spotlight.
and besides...people might think we only ate pizza!
This blog is brought to you by our lovely new PC and classic FM, a UK classical station I can finally hear again over the internet...what will they think of next?
You won't be seeing the towel rail that fell of the wall or the misc scatter of tools across the shelves downstairs...but maybe if you are good then I'll show you the tower of appliances including the infamous pizza oven.
M kept raving about this whilst we were in the UK. Seems that his parents gave this to him when he was in college, long before the days of picking them up for a tenner at Walmart and it was a genuine 'behind the bar' industrial job. He's had it in storage all this time, and was eagerly awaiting the day he could drag it out.
Well its here and it's the size of an old hard drive. Its not that ugly (gen-u-ine stainless steel)but our kitchen is not big, galley in a very small ship kinda thing. So where do we put this monster, and the microwave and the knife block and everything else you need to have in a kitchen. Our solution is to buy a wine fridge!
Without sounding like fish (yeah right...shut up Dave), in our little family wine is often the solution to many difficult design challenges, well at least pausing to have a drinkypoo puts the problem to one side sort of solution.
Anyway, this makes more sense than you think, solves the wine cellar problem, makes the house look more funky modern, and provides an extension of the benchtop to put the microwave on...which is a perfect place to put the pizza oven. Dadaaah!
So now we have the tower of appliances. And while it's true that the pizza oven is the perfect thing for cooking pizza, and more than 2 muffins at a time, it's gonna go when we start showing the house. I haven't put all those hours in watching 'selling houses' programmes where people with no idea of selling are slagged mercilessly, no sirree, all those hours on the couch are not in vain.
Pizza oven out, glamorous wine fridge in the spotlight.
and besides...people might think we only ate pizza!
This blog is brought to you by our lovely new PC and classic FM, a UK classical station I can finally hear again over the internet...what will they think of next?
March 10, 2005
Clearing out
Vanessa and I usually talk on sametime(a little programme that lets us 'chat' by typing stuff in) each day or so...it's not the same as being there in person, but lets us catch up. Today we were talking about clearing out stuff, something I've had to become much better at over the years...she likes my tips so the rest of you get to have them today as well!
ps:Nessa, I've taken out cat references and the bits no one else needs to know!
Vanessa ... well i hope you have a great day - i'm off home to do tidying and work out how to give my house the 'life laundry treatment'
Hazel /... you really need me today :>)
Hazel /... being bossy and making you throw stuff out and buy storage stuff
Vanessa ... i know - can't you come over???
Hazel /... think about the end result...what do you really want to carry forward into your new life (pictures of Jo, 15 travel treasures etc) and what do you just have around due to habit (gifts from people you love)
Vanessa ... that last one is the tough one
Hazel /... i have no probs with you throwing out stuff that I gave you
Vanessa ... i hate giving things away when friends or family have given them to me
Hazel /... try thinking about it this way...if the house was burning down and you had time to grab a few things...what would you take?
Hazel /... I actually say out loud (to myself and the universe) 'Thank you for giving me this wonderful gift with love, and now I'm going to pass it on for someone else to love' Seems silly but seems to work
Hazel /... try it, you'll feel lots better about putting it into a box. Don't get rid of it immediately, just put the box somewhere and if you don't go and get it out in a couple of weeks, it's good to go
Vanessa ... yeah that's an idea
Vanessa ... ok have a lovely day in the snow
Vanessa ... i'm off outta here!
Hazel /... works for me....and in case you're worrying, i usually keep your gifts!
Vanessa ... ;-)
Vanessa ... of course!
pps: please don't stop giving me stuff...I'll always love it I promise
ps:Nessa, I've taken out cat references and the bits no one else needs to know!
Vanessa ... well i hope you have a great day - i'm off home to do tidying and work out how to give my house the 'life laundry treatment'
Hazel /... you really need me today :>)
Hazel /... being bossy and making you throw stuff out and buy storage stuff
Vanessa ... i know - can't you come over???
Hazel /... think about the end result...what do you really want to carry forward into your new life (pictures of Jo, 15 travel treasures etc) and what do you just have around due to habit (gifts from people you love)
Vanessa ... that last one is the tough one
Hazel /... i have no probs with you throwing out stuff that I gave you
Vanessa ... i hate giving things away when friends or family have given them to me
Hazel /... try thinking about it this way...if the house was burning down and you had time to grab a few things...what would you take?
Hazel /... I actually say out loud (to myself and the universe) 'Thank you for giving me this wonderful gift with love, and now I'm going to pass it on for someone else to love' Seems silly but seems to work
Hazel /... try it, you'll feel lots better about putting it into a box. Don't get rid of it immediately, just put the box somewhere and if you don't go and get it out in a couple of weeks, it's good to go
Vanessa ... yeah that's an idea
Vanessa ... ok have a lovely day in the snow
Vanessa ... i'm off outta here!
Hazel /... works for me....and in case you're worrying, i usually keep your gifts!
Vanessa ... ;-)
Vanessa ... of course!
pps: please don't stop giving me stuff...I'll always love it I promise
March 09, 2005
Craving crumpets
This morning I really missed crumpets for breakfast...I've had longings before but today I could have really really scoffed a crumpet or two. Crisp and hard on the outside and chewy and springy on the inside...with lots of melted butter falling through the holes...I always like to toast them twice to get them the right colour...scuse me a moment whilst I wipe the drool of the PC.
So I'll be adding those to the list of things friends can bring to the US.
It's not that I don't like the crumpet substitutes here. I can finally get a proper chewy bagel, and this weekend we discovered that we had a real Jewish deli (small but perfectly formed) next to the supermarket. Not really surprising find since we live in a Jewish neighborhood, but we'd never ventured in there. HoppelPoppel anyone?
Fabulous bagels and lots of strange(to me) cuts of fish....I'll have a piece of fish belly please?
So bagels are great, 'English' muffins are ok, the dark rye bread and pumpernickel is wonderful and if you stray into the super organic (read very expensive/very delicious) supermarket then you might even find a loaf of Vogels bread, or an adequate substitute.
Then there is the stuff the USians 'invented'...mmmmmmmnnnnn sourdough. If it's made well and/or comes from San Fran it's pretty damn delicious...had some sourdough French bread yesterday...mon dieu! Probable illegal to call it that and the French food police will be down like a tonne of goose lard.
So it's all pretty good except for the regular sandwich loaf. Kinda like eating a bunched up paper towel with sugar on top (not that I've done that yet, but ask anyone with a toddler and they can probably tell you that they've seen it) Even the brown bread tastes white (resisting the urge to have a crack at MJackson)
"It's pap" as Mewett would say.
So anything vaguely 'artisan'...which is a posh way for saying 'doesn't look like it comes out of a machine' tastes ok...otherwise it's back to muffins, bagels, rye and longing for crumpets....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm crumpets!
So I'll be adding those to the list of things friends can bring to the US.
It's not that I don't like the crumpet substitutes here. I can finally get a proper chewy bagel, and this weekend we discovered that we had a real Jewish deli (small but perfectly formed) next to the supermarket. Not really surprising find since we live in a Jewish neighborhood, but we'd never ventured in there. HoppelPoppel anyone?
Fabulous bagels and lots of strange(to me) cuts of fish....I'll have a piece of fish belly please?
So bagels are great, 'English' muffins are ok, the dark rye bread and pumpernickel is wonderful and if you stray into the super organic (read very expensive/very delicious) supermarket then you might even find a loaf of Vogels bread, or an adequate substitute.
Then there is the stuff the USians 'invented'...mmmmmmmnnnnn sourdough. If it's made well and/or comes from San Fran it's pretty damn delicious...had some sourdough French bread yesterday...mon dieu! Probable illegal to call it that and the French food police will be down like a tonne of goose lard.
So it's all pretty good except for the regular sandwich loaf. Kinda like eating a bunched up paper towel with sugar on top (not that I've done that yet, but ask anyone with a toddler and they can probably tell you that they've seen it) Even the brown bread tastes white (resisting the urge to have a crack at MJackson)
"It's pap" as Mewett would say.
So anything vaguely 'artisan'...which is a posh way for saying 'doesn't look like it comes out of a machine' tastes ok...otherwise it's back to muffins, bagels, rye and longing for crumpets....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm crumpets!
March 08, 2005
You know you've married someone from Wisconsin...
If they consider it a sport to gather their food by drilling through 8 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, they might live in Wisconsin.
If their local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, they might live in Wisconsin.
If someone in a store offers they assistance, and they don't work there, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they may not have actually eaten it, but they have heard of Lutefisk, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have either a pet or a child named "Brett", they might live in Wisconsin.
If their town has an equal number of bars and churches, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they know how to say Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Menominee and Manitowoc, they might live in Wisconsin.
their idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
"Vacation" means going up north past Hwy 8 (Tomahawk) for the weekend.
They measure distance in hours.
They know several people who have hit deer more than once.
They often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
their whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
They can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
They see people wearing camouflage at social events...including weddings.
They install security lights on their house and garage and leave both unlocked.
They think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
They carry jumper cables in their car and their girlfriend knows how to use them.
There are 7 empty cars with their engines running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
They design their kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
They refer to the Packers as "we."
They know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
They can identify a southern or eastern accent.
They have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
They consider Minneapolis exotic.
They know how to polka.
their idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to their blue spruce.
They were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
Down South to they means Illinois.
A brat is something they eat.
their neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
They go out to fish fry every Friday.
their 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
They have more miles on their snow blower than their car.
They find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
Thanks to the MIL, who is both proud to be a Georgia peach and a rabid Wisconsin Green Bay Packer fan!
If their local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, they might live in Wisconsin.
If someone in a store offers they assistance, and they don't work there, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they may not have actually eaten it, but they have heard of Lutefisk, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have either a pet or a child named "Brett", they might live in Wisconsin.
If their town has an equal number of bars and churches, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they know how to say Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Menominee and Manitowoc, they might live in Wisconsin.
their idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
"Vacation" means going up north past Hwy 8 (Tomahawk) for the weekend.
They measure distance in hours.
They know several people who have hit deer more than once.
They often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
their whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
They can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
They see people wearing camouflage at social events...including weddings.
They install security lights on their house and garage and leave both unlocked.
They think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
They carry jumper cables in their car and their girlfriend knows how to use them.
There are 7 empty cars with their engines running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
They design their kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
They refer to the Packers as "we."
They know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
They can identify a southern or eastern accent.
They have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
They consider Minneapolis exotic.
They know how to polka.
their idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to their blue spruce.
They were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
Down South to they means Illinois.
A brat is something they eat.
their neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
They go out to fish fry every Friday.
their 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
They have more miles on their snow blower than their car.
They find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
Thanks to the MIL, who is both proud to be a Georgia peach and a rabid Wisconsin Green Bay Packer fan!
March 04, 2005
House's that
Bad title but the best I can do...no good unless you understand cricket so apologies to the USians reading this.
we saw 8 houses last night...from the sublime to the ridiculous...at times I thought I was flashing back to 70's visiting friends grandparents with the way the kitchen and living rooms were set out. Saw many turquoise blue bathroom sets...but best of all, got to see my first 'prom' staircase...a grand curving white wrought iron affair, where the prom princess would make her grand entrance down to meet the date...it's actually called that.
The other high point in interior decor was a luxurious chocolate brown shagpile from the 70's....almost looked like it needed whipped cream on top.
The aim of the game was to look at the types of houses in our min and more than max (as any good realtor will do!) in the area's we are interested in. Interestingly enough the two at the upper end were pretty dissimilar...one was really nicely finished and the other had lots of space but needed heaps of work. Makes us happier about buying lower and doing up.
The area's are nice with lots of tree's (this is the substitute for gardens when you don't get much summer), a lot of the smaller houses are slowly getting torn down and replaced with big monsters.
After years of living in little houses, it felt strange to be contemplating a big 'grown-ups' house, even more cos they were all older (60's/70's)
Still, we know more about what we like (open plan, larger b/rooms) and what we don't...gotta get my hands on one with a prom staircase...that was superb!
we saw 8 houses last night...from the sublime to the ridiculous...at times I thought I was flashing back to 70's visiting friends grandparents with the way the kitchen and living rooms were set out. Saw many turquoise blue bathroom sets...but best of all, got to see my first 'prom' staircase...a grand curving white wrought iron affair, where the prom princess would make her grand entrance down to meet the date...it's actually called that.
The other high point in interior decor was a luxurious chocolate brown shagpile from the 70's....almost looked like it needed whipped cream on top.
The aim of the game was to look at the types of houses in our min and more than max (as any good realtor will do!) in the area's we are interested in. Interestingly enough the two at the upper end were pretty dissimilar...one was really nicely finished and the other had lots of space but needed heaps of work. Makes us happier about buying lower and doing up.
The area's are nice with lots of tree's (this is the substitute for gardens when you don't get much summer), a lot of the smaller houses are slowly getting torn down and replaced with big monsters.
After years of living in little houses, it felt strange to be contemplating a big 'grown-ups' house, even more cos they were all older (60's/70's)
Still, we know more about what we like (open plan, larger b/rooms) and what we don't...gotta get my hands on one with a prom staircase...that was superb!
March 03, 2005
Who woulda thunk it?
a couple of things in the 'Only in America' files today..
Meaty sauce in a squirty bottle to put on your dry dog food to 'flavor it up'. Actually a pretty good idea since dried food is cheaper and better for your dog (I think?)
memoriam rear window stickers. Drove behind a car last night that had the following:
In memoriam
Kids Name (Stankel I think)
MM DD 1990 - MM DD 2004
and a hunting shooting fishing graphic
hmmmmmnnnnn, not so sure about that...maybe they didn't want to bury him so have no grave stone and he loved riding in the car...
Who woulda thunk it?
Meaty sauce in a squirty bottle to put on your dry dog food to 'flavor it up'. Actually a pretty good idea since dried food is cheaper and better for your dog (I think?)
memoriam rear window stickers. Drove behind a car last night that had the following:
In memoriam
Kids Name (Stankel I think)
MM DD 1990 - MM DD 2004
and a hunting shooting fishing graphic
hmmmmmnnnnn, not so sure about that...maybe they didn't want to bury him so have no grave stone and he loved riding in the car...
Who woulda thunk it?
March 02, 2005
The past comes in color too
was blogging away(at lunchtime of course) and found my way to this , reminding us that the French invented color photography, so the photo's from WW1 are French...wow...aside from the outfits, moustaches and fresh graves...pretty much all the scenery and building looks as it does today...I swear you could turn the corner and see a sign pointing to 'Carrefor'
And that lead to Russian photos..doesn't seem right that this far back is color, but fascinated nevertheless. Click on the year links to see more.
Oh well, back to work (I mean lunch)
And that lead to Russian photos..doesn't seem right that this far back is color, but fascinated nevertheless. Click on the year links to see more.
Oh well, back to work (I mean lunch)
March 01, 2005
Pie time
Today's it's a recipe...the MIL wants it as I cooked it last time they were all down here(or is that up here as they're in Florida at the moment)
Translations to American words are provided alongside. I haven't used a recipe for this since I was 10...so feel free to experiment until it tastes good to you. I like the meat to taste meaty (It should sort of resemble dog food but I won't suggest using that as a substitute)
I've written it in the order I do things to make it. (if I make this in the Le Crueset then I just put the potatoes on top when I'm finished with the meat, whack the whole thing in the oven, open a bottle of wine and I'm done.
Shepherds/Cottage Pie(If you use lamb mince it;s shepherd and beef mince makes it cottage!)
Work out which dish you are going to finish it all up in. This should make enough for 2-3 hungry people
Cut up and put to boil enough potatoes to fill 1/3 of the dish when mashed (cut up they should fill about half the dish before cooking)
Put a good dollop of olive oil in the bottom of a large frypan or saucepan and tip the mince(ground beef) in and start browning it on a medium heat. Break it up into chunks but don't mush it up to much. While that's cooking chop up a medium onion and put that in to cook, grate 1 carrot and add that as well. I sometimes add a crushed clove of garlic as well) Once the meat is browned, turn onto a low heat and cover.
Turn your oven on if you are dining later and grill (Broiler) if you plan to eat when you have finished cooking.
Add the following in no particular order
about 1 cup of chopped green beans and/or peas (frozen ones are fine but tinned(canned) ones are too mushy)
1 large or 2 small crumbled beef bouillon cubes (I get friends to send me OXO cubes cos they;re the best). If you have the sort that don't crumble then melt them in a little hot water.
Good grind of pepper and salt
big sprinkle of parsley flakes
splash of soy sauce (leave this out if you don't have any)
big squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup to the USians)
Mix it all in and put the lid on.
There should be a little liquid but not heaps of runny at this point, if it seems a little dry add some water from the potatoes(and don't forget to check to the potatoes cos they are usually done at this point)
If the potatoes are done, drain them and put in a dash of milk, hunk of butter (at least 1/2 a stick) and lots of pepper and a good dash of salt. Turn the heat off, put the lid back on and put to one side for the moment (you need the butter to melt before you mash them)
go back to the meat and mix up 2/3 tablespoons of brown (beef) gravy mix with a little bit of hot water and pour in. I have the gravy granules so don't bother premixing, and just keep tossing enough in until it thickens. Turn the heat up to speed up the process if you need to. Taste (should be meaty) and add more salt or any more of the seasonings you think might make it taste better.
It should be thick enough to not slop off the spoon quickly, but not sticking to the pan or as runny as sloppy joes. When you think you've cooked it, turn it down to a low heat and mash the potatoes. I like them mashed with the masher and quite stiff. Add more salt and pepper to taste or more milk if they are too runny.
Spoon the meat into the casserole dish (or clean off the top if you are using the one you cooked in) and carefully pile the mashed potatoes to cover it. Ruffle it up with the fork and sprinkle cheese on top, add a slice of tomato(if you have a husband that eats them) or sprinkle a little paprika. We're big on cheese so we always make it nice and thick...crushed up potato chips are always good as well...this is comfort food, not low calorie!
If you are doing this in advance, bake in a medium over for about 40 minutes or until the cheese has melted, if you are eating immediately then just make sure it is still hot and the cheese is grilled on top.
I usually force a few more vegetables down M's throat by serving this by microwaving whatever is left lurking in the vege crisper...broccoli etc but it's good on it;s own.
Both Nana and Mum used to make this by grinding up leftover roast beef and mutton and adding the gravy. In other variations I've added fresh parsley to mash potatoes and more tomato to the meat.
Let me know how you get on...and enjoy!
Translations to American words are provided alongside. I haven't used a recipe for this since I was 10...so feel free to experiment until it tastes good to you. I like the meat to taste meaty (It should sort of resemble dog food but I won't suggest using that as a substitute)
I've written it in the order I do things to make it. (if I make this in the Le Crueset then I just put the potatoes on top when I'm finished with the meat, whack the whole thing in the oven, open a bottle of wine and I'm done.
Shepherds/Cottage Pie(If you use lamb mince it;s shepherd and beef mince makes it cottage!)
Work out which dish you are going to finish it all up in. This should make enough for 2-3 hungry people
Cut up and put to boil enough potatoes to fill 1/3 of the dish when mashed (cut up they should fill about half the dish before cooking)
Put a good dollop of olive oil in the bottom of a large frypan or saucepan and tip the mince(ground beef) in and start browning it on a medium heat. Break it up into chunks but don't mush it up to much. While that's cooking chop up a medium onion and put that in to cook, grate 1 carrot and add that as well. I sometimes add a crushed clove of garlic as well) Once the meat is browned, turn onto a low heat and cover.
Turn your oven on if you are dining later and grill (Broiler) if you plan to eat when you have finished cooking.
Add the following in no particular order
about 1 cup of chopped green beans and/or peas (frozen ones are fine but tinned(canned) ones are too mushy)
1 large or 2 small crumbled beef bouillon cubes (I get friends to send me OXO cubes cos they;re the best). If you have the sort that don't crumble then melt them in a little hot water.
Good grind of pepper and salt
big sprinkle of parsley flakes
splash of soy sauce (leave this out if you don't have any)
big squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup to the USians)
Mix it all in and put the lid on.
There should be a little liquid but not heaps of runny at this point, if it seems a little dry add some water from the potatoes(and don't forget to check to the potatoes cos they are usually done at this point)
If the potatoes are done, drain them and put in a dash of milk, hunk of butter (at least 1/2 a stick) and lots of pepper and a good dash of salt. Turn the heat off, put the lid back on and put to one side for the moment (you need the butter to melt before you mash them)
go back to the meat and mix up 2/3 tablespoons of brown (beef) gravy mix with a little bit of hot water and pour in. I have the gravy granules so don't bother premixing, and just keep tossing enough in until it thickens. Turn the heat up to speed up the process if you need to. Taste (should be meaty) and add more salt or any more of the seasonings you think might make it taste better.
It should be thick enough to not slop off the spoon quickly, but not sticking to the pan or as runny as sloppy joes. When you think you've cooked it, turn it down to a low heat and mash the potatoes. I like them mashed with the masher and quite stiff. Add more salt and pepper to taste or more milk if they are too runny.
Spoon the meat into the casserole dish (or clean off the top if you are using the one you cooked in) and carefully pile the mashed potatoes to cover it. Ruffle it up with the fork and sprinkle cheese on top, add a slice of tomato(if you have a husband that eats them) or sprinkle a little paprika. We're big on cheese so we always make it nice and thick...crushed up potato chips are always good as well...this is comfort food, not low calorie!
If you are doing this in advance, bake in a medium over for about 40 minutes or until the cheese has melted, if you are eating immediately then just make sure it is still hot and the cheese is grilled on top.
I usually force a few more vegetables down M's throat by serving this by microwaving whatever is left lurking in the vege crisper...broccoli etc but it's good on it;s own.
Both Nana and Mum used to make this by grinding up leftover roast beef and mutton and adding the gravy. In other variations I've added fresh parsley to mash potatoes and more tomato to the meat.
Let me know how you get on...and enjoy!
February 25, 2005
that sinking feeling
they came, they sawed/hammered/glued/sanded and they went...and if we're really lucky, someday they'll come back.
those of you that have been following the progress of us 'tidying' up the house for maximum resale will know that this weekend was the (hopefully) last big push. BIL and SIL (Brother in law and sister in law) willingly volunteered to help us do this, probabley cos they knew we would kill ourselves or each other if we attempted it alone. M conveniently arranged to be a godfather to Angie two years ago in preparation for missing out the start of the demolition (one of the things I love about him is he is so well organized like that!) and had to go to her birthday. I didn't want to pass on my germs so couldn't go.
BIL, SIL and MWBTD (Morgan - worlds best trained dog) made the journey and the massacre commenced. We started out so optimistically, and pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong (you had to laugh or you cried). Should have realized when I was heading to Home Depot to pick up a second piece of bench top 1 hour into the project, and really should have known when I came back to find that the garbage disposal didn't come out of the sink. so on the up side i got the opportunity to kick the old one several times under the guise of trying to get it out of the sink...that'll teach it not to eat the garbage.
So after the realization that the walls were not straight (corner piece has to be angle cut), the old bench tops were glued down with some sort of industrial strength gunk that had hardened to concrete over time and there was barely enough room under the bench to fix the new sink...several medicinal beers, a lot of US/Kiwi ingenuity and way more glue than we probabley needed, the Home Depots finest(read only ones you can buy and take home) counter tops, double sink and garbage disposal are in and working...and looking pretty smashing if I may say so myself. They're a nice dark green fleck, which looks good with the oak cabinets. Pictures will be up on the web eventually.
and then we started on the master bath...should be easy after the kitchen right....nope...not a hope.
The old one came out with any bits of wall attached and we measured and cut the new one...popped it on the cabinets to realize that the cabinet was too small underneath and therefore the bench hangover in a most disconcerting way...several mini tantrums and name calling episodes later (and it was not me that measured it in the first place) we were nailing chunks of wood together to push the cabinet out from the wall. Everything else seemed to go smoothly after that...though I still have several tidy up jobs left to do, including putting a new side to the cabinet on.
Things we have learned from this weekend:
Measure 72 times...cut once or twice...if you're lucky
When you''re connecting the plumbing and testing if it works...don't point the tap to the sink with the big hole where you plan to put the new garbage disposal
Never clean under the sink hole you've just cut, sawdust absorbs water quite well
If in doubt...buy more glue
Ignore any manufacturer instructions when installing a sink and just go with what works...put the sink in then glue the bench-top down.
Hope that potential buyers never read this blog
'She'll be right mate' helps in most situations
So a really big thanks to SIL, BIL and MWBTD for all your help...and we promise that the next time we invite you down it will just be for dinner!
those of you that have been following the progress of us 'tidying' up the house for maximum resale will know that this weekend was the (hopefully) last big push. BIL and SIL (Brother in law and sister in law) willingly volunteered to help us do this, probabley cos they knew we would kill ourselves or each other if we attempted it alone. M conveniently arranged to be a godfather to Angie two years ago in preparation for missing out the start of the demolition (one of the things I love about him is he is so well organized like that!) and had to go to her birthday. I didn't want to pass on my germs so couldn't go.
BIL, SIL and MWBTD (Morgan - worlds best trained dog) made the journey and the massacre commenced. We started out so optimistically, and pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong (you had to laugh or you cried). Should have realized when I was heading to Home Depot to pick up a second piece of bench top 1 hour into the project, and really should have known when I came back to find that the garbage disposal didn't come out of the sink. so on the up side i got the opportunity to kick the old one several times under the guise of trying to get it out of the sink...that'll teach it not to eat the garbage.
So after the realization that the walls were not straight (corner piece has to be angle cut), the old bench tops were glued down with some sort of industrial strength gunk that had hardened to concrete over time and there was barely enough room under the bench to fix the new sink...several medicinal beers, a lot of US/Kiwi ingenuity and way more glue than we probabley needed, the Home Depots finest(read only ones you can buy and take home) counter tops, double sink and garbage disposal are in and working...and looking pretty smashing if I may say so myself. They're a nice dark green fleck, which looks good with the oak cabinets. Pictures will be up on the web eventually.
and then we started on the master bath...should be easy after the kitchen right....nope...not a hope.
The old one came out with any bits of wall attached and we measured and cut the new one...popped it on the cabinets to realize that the cabinet was too small underneath and therefore the bench hangover in a most disconcerting way...several mini tantrums and name calling episodes later (and it was not me that measured it in the first place) we were nailing chunks of wood together to push the cabinet out from the wall. Everything else seemed to go smoothly after that...though I still have several tidy up jobs left to do, including putting a new side to the cabinet on.
Things we have learned from this weekend:
Measure 72 times...cut once or twice...if you're lucky
When you''re connecting the plumbing and testing if it works...don't point the tap to the sink with the big hole where you plan to put the new garbage disposal
Never clean under the sink hole you've just cut, sawdust absorbs water quite well
If in doubt...buy more glue
Ignore any manufacturer instructions when installing a sink and just go with what works...put the sink in then glue the bench-top down.
Hope that potential buyers never read this blog
'She'll be right mate' helps in most situations
So a really big thanks to SIL, BIL and MWBTD for all your help...and we promise that the next time we invite you down it will just be for dinner!
February 18, 2005
Doors, floors and foreign shores.
Finally getting around to getting the lovingly painted (4 coats!) interior doors back on. I've checked the DIY manual and the FIL but despite hanging them from the top first I still can't manage to get the middle and lower hinges to line up...so the new method is do the top one then unscrew the bottom two, put the hinge pins on and screw them back on the door. Seems to work except the bathroom door now sticks out at the top and won't close.
At this point I gave up and went to watch the start of survivor...cracking start too. Still, not quite the same if I can't ring mands and talk to her about it.
and as for the doors...oh well, if B&S (handypersons extrodinaire) can't figure out why when they come down this weekend then I'm calling Jack, Carrons dad who is like god of fixing things, and should probley have a website called www.bestnzdadatfixingthings.com
I'm going to do the other 3 tonight (M does not seem to be particularly inspired to help at the moment - though to give him his due, we're both addicted to CSI, and should be able to commit the perfect crime should we ever want to) so hopefully if they shut ok, then it must just be something about that door.
and the other thing we did yesterday was start the great house hunt. Never mind being green with envy about getting an email from D&R about moving into their new built house, we're just starting to look. What an eye opener. Several years of watching 'House doctor' in the UK lead me to believe that everyone would realize that you should at least vacuum your carpet if you are going to show your house...not to mention getting smelly pets out. But not these two. I know you need to look outside of the decor etc and look at the bones of the house, but still, cat pee in the basement and a master bedroom furnished like a dusty wild west saloon (complete with swinging doors on the wardrobe) can be a little distracting.
Neither house is what we want, though I'm not sure we exactly know what that is either, but we can agree that next to big road and needing lots more construction than pushing a few walls out are probably not the way to go.
Still it's given us(well me at least - the boss just wants it all to be over like a bad dream) a bit more inspiration to get cracking so we can put ours on the market...though I'm wondering what people will say about it (probably that we are boringly tidy and have some strange pictures)
and the foreign shores bit...my blister(sister) is officially booked (it was our chrissy present to her thanks to the vast amount of miles we accumulated last year) and will be in the US on the 24th of July...she drives me nuts and it's probably better if we never live together again in our lives, but I love her to bits and miss her...besides, think of the savings on telephone bills.
toodlepip til next time
At this point I gave up and went to watch the start of survivor...cracking start too. Still, not quite the same if I can't ring mands and talk to her about it.
and as for the doors...oh well, if B&S (handypersons extrodinaire) can't figure out why when they come down this weekend then I'm calling Jack, Carrons dad who is like god of fixing things, and should probley have a website called www.bestnzdadatfixingthings.com
I'm going to do the other 3 tonight (M does not seem to be particularly inspired to help at the moment - though to give him his due, we're both addicted to CSI, and should be able to commit the perfect crime should we ever want to) so hopefully if they shut ok, then it must just be something about that door.
and the other thing we did yesterday was start the great house hunt. Never mind being green with envy about getting an email from D&R about moving into their new built house, we're just starting to look. What an eye opener. Several years of watching 'House doctor' in the UK lead me to believe that everyone would realize that you should at least vacuum your carpet if you are going to show your house...not to mention getting smelly pets out. But not these two. I know you need to look outside of the decor etc and look at the bones of the house, but still, cat pee in the basement and a master bedroom furnished like a dusty wild west saloon (complete with swinging doors on the wardrobe) can be a little distracting.
Neither house is what we want, though I'm not sure we exactly know what that is either, but we can agree that next to big road and needing lots more construction than pushing a few walls out are probably not the way to go.
Still it's given us(well me at least - the boss just wants it all to be over like a bad dream) a bit more inspiration to get cracking so we can put ours on the market...though I'm wondering what people will say about it (probably that we are boringly tidy and have some strange pictures)
and the foreign shores bit...my blister(sister) is officially booked (it was our chrissy present to her thanks to the vast amount of miles we accumulated last year) and will be in the US on the 24th of July...she drives me nuts and it's probably better if we never live together again in our lives, but I love her to bits and miss her...besides, think of the savings on telephone bills.
toodlepip til next time
February 17, 2005
Cute shoes or snow shoes
Every workday morning I have a dilemma, cute shoes or snow shoes? For some reason when working out the workday clothes I've always started bottom up and I now have a little 'Chicago' routine to get me through the daily decison making.
I start my asking M how cold it is outside as the temperature thingy is on his side of the bed. This usually determine how woolly the trousers have to be and how thick the sweater is on top...then I look outside. If it's raining (not very often) or the snow is melting (even less) then nothing made of fabric or suede will touch my feeties that day. If the snow is deep or the path is icy, then anything which will cause me to fall on my butt in an embarrassing manner (is there any other sort?) is also out.
At the moment this leaves me with a selection of about 5 pairs of boots/shoes, one red, one brown and the others are of course black (Can you tell I've have been living in the UK for the last 5 years?). So once again I reach for the 'snow shoes' and all my cute little shoes in their little cardboard coffins stare reproachfully back.
If the weather doesn't clear up by tomorrow, I'm off snow shoe shopping on Friday night!
I start my asking M how cold it is outside as the temperature thingy is on his side of the bed. This usually determine how woolly the trousers have to be and how thick the sweater is on top...then I look outside. If it's raining (not very often) or the snow is melting (even less) then nothing made of fabric or suede will touch my feeties that day. If the snow is deep or the path is icy, then anything which will cause me to fall on my butt in an embarrassing manner (is there any other sort?) is also out.
At the moment this leaves me with a selection of about 5 pairs of boots/shoes, one red, one brown and the others are of course black (Can you tell I've have been living in the UK for the last 5 years?). So once again I reach for the 'snow shoes' and all my cute little shoes in their little cardboard coffins stare reproachfully back.
If the weather doesn't clear up by tomorrow, I'm off snow shoe shopping on Friday night!
February 15, 2005
Happy valentines day
Today feels like England, it's raining and grey (but not cold - hooray) and the palaver and hoo-haa of valentines day is finally over. When i was single i always thought that v-day would be much better as a couple. Now it's nice to share gifts (anytime is a good time for gifts in my book) and make a special meal, but the red hearts and must be with someone you love still annoys me a lot. In a way it's somewhat better in the states as it encompasses everyone you share joy with in your life (kids/secretary/useful service people) and not just your main bonk...well lets hope not!
I think I subscribe to the Tinholt theory that P&K came up with...if you buy flowers for your sweetie at least once a month to tell them how special they are, then you can eschrew the ridiculous overpriced stuff on v-day, knowing they already know you love them. Of course we always give him a hard time for being tight due to his Dutch ancestry....but that's another story.
Anyways...went to Florida to hang with the MIL and FIL last weekend. The locals all complained cos it got down to a cool 14 degree's on Saturday...but still felt pretty warm to me, and by the time it was 25 on Sunday we were lying by the pool in our togs blinding the locals with body parts that had not seen daylight since Malaysia
Florida is a very good place for license spotting, since it is packed full of 'snowbirds' (retired people who've done their time in cold states). We saw plates from Ontario, New York and just about every cold place in between those states and Florida...we may have easily been the youngest people in town as well.
MIL and FIL have a nice little condo overlooking a lake and it was good to spend time with them. Went to a craft fair and bought some guava jelly (closest I'm going to get to feijoa's for a while) and swamp cabbage salsa...remember when you were growing up and you learnt that you could cook and eat the heart of the cabbage tree...that's swamp cabbage in Florida. It did remind me a lot of the BOP, cold crisp mornings and warm days...not to mention large groves of oranges (sorta pre-kiwifruit BOP actually). MIL wanted to go to a grove to pick oranges and take a picture of us next to an orange tree(strange but true)...had flashbacks to living in kati and when the owner figured this out I got to spend the next 15 minutes regurgitating all I knew about kiwifruit production as he wants to have a go growing them. Who would have thought all those seasons of picking/packing/pruning/pollinating would come handy some day on the other side of the world. By the time we got to T-bar vs Pergola everyone's else eyes were glazing over so we headed of with some very tasty oranges and the knowledge that I might have planted the seeds of the next kiwifruit market....Oops.
Didn't do much else cept eat lots of fresh fish and lolling around reading and catching up...then managed to get an earlier plane home to a very sodden Chicago.
Off to sit through 2 hours of someone's presentation of a test plan...might need some coffee.
I think I subscribe to the Tinholt theory that P&K came up with...if you buy flowers for your sweetie at least once a month to tell them how special they are, then you can eschrew the ridiculous overpriced stuff on v-day, knowing they already know you love them. Of course we always give him a hard time for being tight due to his Dutch ancestry....but that's another story.
Anyways...went to Florida to hang with the MIL and FIL last weekend. The locals all complained cos it got down to a cool 14 degree's on Saturday...but still felt pretty warm to me, and by the time it was 25 on Sunday we were lying by the pool in our togs blinding the locals with body parts that had not seen daylight since Malaysia
Florida is a very good place for license spotting, since it is packed full of 'snowbirds' (retired people who've done their time in cold states). We saw plates from Ontario, New York and just about every cold place in between those states and Florida...we may have easily been the youngest people in town as well.
MIL and FIL have a nice little condo overlooking a lake and it was good to spend time with them. Went to a craft fair and bought some guava jelly (closest I'm going to get to feijoa's for a while) and swamp cabbage salsa...remember when you were growing up and you learnt that you could cook and eat the heart of the cabbage tree...that's swamp cabbage in Florida. It did remind me a lot of the BOP, cold crisp mornings and warm days...not to mention large groves of oranges (sorta pre-kiwifruit BOP actually). MIL wanted to go to a grove to pick oranges and take a picture of us next to an orange tree(strange but true)...had flashbacks to living in kati and when the owner figured this out I got to spend the next 15 minutes regurgitating all I knew about kiwifruit production as he wants to have a go growing them. Who would have thought all those seasons of picking/packing/pruning/pollinating would come handy some day on the other side of the world. By the time we got to T-bar vs Pergola everyone's else eyes were glazing over so we headed of with some very tasty oranges and the knowledge that I might have planted the seeds of the next kiwifruit market....Oops.
Didn't do much else cept eat lots of fresh fish and lolling around reading and catching up...then managed to get an earlier plane home to a very sodden Chicago.
Off to sit through 2 hours of someone's presentation of a test plan...might need some coffee.
February 08, 2005
Back to blog
Well I've not been bloggin for a while, busy with work and diy is not much of an excuse so if you are finally checking back in sorry mate - got a bit distracted. My goal is to try at least 3 times a week, just to keep my hand in. No idea what I'll talk about cos I'm getting worried with my obsession with the weather (by the way - the snow is almost gone but we're due for a little flurry - just to keep us on our toes) but I continue to go back to and enjoy http://elisson1.blogspot.com/ on a daily basis...so he can be my inspiration...and he's given me a great gumbo recipe I'm dying to try out.
It's fat Tuesday here today (Mardi Gras) before ash Wednesday and lent so I think we might be justified in having a slap up dinner tonight...okdokey, back to work and see you all later.
It's fat Tuesday here today (Mardi Gras) before ash Wednesday and lent so I think we might be justified in having a slap up dinner tonight...okdokey, back to work and see you all later.
January 05, 2005
A happy Nu Ear
Been so disctracted reading other peoples blogs haven't been putting anything on mine...Check out carnival of the cats
Well we had a quiet but fun new year in the D mansion in burbs of Milwaukee. D built a great new house a few years ago but in typical bloke fashion has not yet filled it with much...perhaps he's going for the Zen look, perhaps he feels no need for frilly cushions in his life(very likely)but more likely he's never home. Made a mental note to stop buying him fishing stuff and start buying him serving platters from now on, or perhaps frilly cushions featuring fish. He was a great host and we could have been snowed in for days and not starved or run out of martini ingredients.
Speaking of snow, it's been a very tropical 6-12 degrees over the weekend but has now turned into a winter storm with 3 inches of snow last night and lots of God's dandruff swirling around there now. I went to get the groceries at lunch time and another inch was on the car....loving those 4wd braking system thingy that works today. Hoping I never have to see how the side airbags work! Supposed to get another 3-8 inches today and we might well do. It's not too cold, just slushy when it melts in your car and windy getting to the car.
Unfortunately they are pretty used to it here and don't close the office unless its really severe...what must that be? half a metre perhaps. At least we are having the weather we are expecting. Albs emailed me today and I quote 'The weather throughout NZ has been shabby to say the least this Summer (coldest December for 60 yrs and windiest on record since 1896) so you haven't been missing much.' Still wet ad warm is better than cold. Snow is still a novelty though that may have worn off by Feb. I think I might be too old to lie down and make a snow angel perhaps.
Spoke to MIL today and they had a UFO invasion last night...well that's the talk of the town, though they suspect it might be a meteor shower. They heard a whopping great thump and thought someone had smacked into the tree in the front of the house. Aunt J apparently had such a bright light shining in her mirror that she pulled over to see a big light go overhead...such weirdness. I like the alien theory myself..if you are going to land anywhere, a town like Merrill might be a good idea. You can live in all the pine tree's and people are allowed to be whatever they want...might have to like cheese a lot though.
Enough rambling...time to get back to work.
Toodle-pip
Well we had a quiet but fun new year in the D mansion in burbs of Milwaukee. D built a great new house a few years ago but in typical bloke fashion has not yet filled it with much...perhaps he's going for the Zen look, perhaps he feels no need for frilly cushions in his life(very likely)but more likely he's never home. Made a mental note to stop buying him fishing stuff and start buying him serving platters from now on, or perhaps frilly cushions featuring fish. He was a great host and we could have been snowed in for days and not starved or run out of martini ingredients.
Speaking of snow, it's been a very tropical 6-12 degrees over the weekend but has now turned into a winter storm with 3 inches of snow last night and lots of God's dandruff swirling around there now. I went to get the groceries at lunch time and another inch was on the car....loving those 4wd braking system thingy that works today. Hoping I never have to see how the side airbags work! Supposed to get another 3-8 inches today and we might well do. It's not too cold, just slushy when it melts in your car and windy getting to the car.
Unfortunately they are pretty used to it here and don't close the office unless its really severe...what must that be? half a metre perhaps. At least we are having the weather we are expecting. Albs emailed me today and I quote 'The weather throughout NZ has been shabby to say the least this Summer (coldest December for 60 yrs and windiest on record since 1896) so you haven't been missing much.' Still wet ad warm is better than cold. Snow is still a novelty though that may have worn off by Feb. I think I might be too old to lie down and make a snow angel perhaps.
Spoke to MIL today and they had a UFO invasion last night...well that's the talk of the town, though they suspect it might be a meteor shower. They heard a whopping great thump and thought someone had smacked into the tree in the front of the house. Aunt J apparently had such a bright light shining in her mirror that she pulled over to see a big light go overhead...such weirdness. I like the alien theory myself..if you are going to land anywhere, a town like Merrill might be a good idea. You can live in all the pine tree's and people are allowed to be whatever they want...might have to like cheese a lot though.
Enough rambling...time to get back to work.
Toodle-pip
December 22, 2004
My car has a moon roof - I think it's called a moonroof cos there is no sun!
It's -14 today, down from a balmy -4 yesterday and I've taken to wearing thermal underwear under my sweaters (practice the lingo Hazel - Jersey is a place in NY, not a garment) as my office gets quite cold.
It's the last day at work(love those short weeks) and pretty much deserted. The car is holding up well though already has a scratch...Which we think happened when M took it to the supermarket to get a plunger for the garbage disposal...The scratch looks suspiciously trolley height - I shall have to remember who scratched MY car....Hopefully we'll pick up his today and I can scratch it in return :>)
The garbage disposal suffers from that well known kids disease 'I don't wanna eat my veges' and requires everything to be chopped up into little pieces, well I know this now after the unfortunate stirfry remains incident.
Well, better get cracking at work...think the document has finally loaded up for me. Have a wonderful warm Christmas where ever you are.
It's the last day at work(love those short weeks) and pretty much deserted. The car is holding up well though already has a scratch...Which we think happened when M took it to the supermarket to get a plunger for the garbage disposal...The scratch looks suspiciously trolley height - I shall have to remember who scratched MY car....Hopefully we'll pick up his today and I can scratch it in return :>)
The garbage disposal suffers from that well known kids disease 'I don't wanna eat my veges' and requires everything to be chopped up into little pieces, well I know this now after the unfortunate stirfry remains incident.
Well, better get cracking at work...think the document has finally loaded up for me. Have a wonderful warm Christmas where ever you are.
December 20, 2004
Walking in a winter freezerland
Today is a balmy -10 degrees, an improvement on yesterday when it was -16 when we first looked at the thermometer. I'm not sure I can cope with weather this cold, and it's only December. Apparently it gets much colder, but S says that after a while it all feels the same temp, and you don't notice the 5 to 10 +ve or -ve. I'll have to harden up a lot before then, and stop thinking about kiwi Christmas at the beach as well. The in-laws went to the Packers game on Sunday and that's in an outdoor stadium, they had ski suits on and were about 3 sizes larger due to excessive amount of Thermal layers...I'm surprised they could bend enough to get into the car. Gotta admire that for hardcore fanaticism, specially when the Packers lost...to a team from FLORIDA. Still only a light dusting of snow on Saturday though, just as everyone headed of to the hardware store.
We had the Weaver whanau down helping this weekend and they did a smashing job...Literally when B moved the wardrobe door into the light shade! We had a long list of tasks and they had accomplished 1/2 of them by Friday night. Finally got all the wedding presents into the house (they've been stored up in Merrill) and boxes moved to storage and the tree decorated (thanks J) and new doorhandles, wardrobe doors and they even put a new fan up in the lounge while we went out for work drinks at the bosses. Not sure we'll need the fan for a while, but it looks great. We've now booked them for 'electrical weekend' and 'plumbing weekend' in which the lighting gets changed and we put in new bathroom units. Think we might be doing some extended dog sitting in return.
Get to pick up my car tonight, looking forward to 2 bits of it the most. Heated seats and sat nav. In NZ, heated seats are what you get when you forget to put a towel on the vinyl seats of your old ford falcon after a day at the beach (ouch - just remembered how it hurt when you leap off the hot seat, and your skin stayed behind). Our rental at the moment take about 10 mins to warm up, by which time we're usually just getting to work, or I've frozen in the hunched shape of the seat. I shall probabley spend the first five minutes in the new car making embarrassingly orgasmic noises of pleasure as the seat heats around my back and bottom.
Satellite navigation will also be great as I'm still getting lost. This is someone who's driven in most European countries, sometimes in the dark and up (and almost off) steep hillsides looking for hotels, with completely unintelligible signs...Ross and I never did work out what 'farten' in Norway meant, but we still laughed everytime we saw it on a sign. Here it's flat and the roads are usually cross over in neat squares with some running north/south etc...and I still get lost getting from the house to the supermarket...all of 5 minutes away.
I worked out why the other day. I navigate by landmarks...'go down to the Shell station, turn right and then the supermarket is on the left after Target' etc. This worked fine in the UK with a pub on every corner and a roundabout on every other. You missed where you were going, just turn around at the next round about and come back. Everything looks the same here and there is an indentical Walgreens (pharmacy chain) on every corner (apparently this is actually their mission statement and they are pretty close to achieving it)...all the corners look the same, all the housing looks similar and I'm still concentrating on driving on the right side of the road. Bring on the sat nav now please...I'm hoping I can push a button and it will just get me there with no pain or detours...Funny how I hate M giving me directions inthe car but I'm happy for an anonymous voice to do the same at an extra $1,500...I wonder if you can chose the voice...I think I'd like Shawn Connery to be telling me' turn right at the next lights onto Cobbler lane'....now that would be good.
We had the Weaver whanau down helping this weekend and they did a smashing job...Literally when B moved the wardrobe door into the light shade! We had a long list of tasks and they had accomplished 1/2 of them by Friday night. Finally got all the wedding presents into the house (they've been stored up in Merrill) and boxes moved to storage and the tree decorated (thanks J) and new doorhandles, wardrobe doors and they even put a new fan up in the lounge while we went out for work drinks at the bosses. Not sure we'll need the fan for a while, but it looks great. We've now booked them for 'electrical weekend' and 'plumbing weekend' in which the lighting gets changed and we put in new bathroom units. Think we might be doing some extended dog sitting in return.
Get to pick up my car tonight, looking forward to 2 bits of it the most. Heated seats and sat nav. In NZ, heated seats are what you get when you forget to put a towel on the vinyl seats of your old ford falcon after a day at the beach (ouch - just remembered how it hurt when you leap off the hot seat, and your skin stayed behind). Our rental at the moment take about 10 mins to warm up, by which time we're usually just getting to work, or I've frozen in the hunched shape of the seat. I shall probabley spend the first five minutes in the new car making embarrassingly orgasmic noises of pleasure as the seat heats around my back and bottom.
Satellite navigation will also be great as I'm still getting lost. This is someone who's driven in most European countries, sometimes in the dark and up (and almost off) steep hillsides looking for hotels, with completely unintelligible signs...Ross and I never did work out what 'farten' in Norway meant, but we still laughed everytime we saw it on a sign. Here it's flat and the roads are usually cross over in neat squares with some running north/south etc...and I still get lost getting from the house to the supermarket...all of 5 minutes away.
I worked out why the other day. I navigate by landmarks...'go down to the Shell station, turn right and then the supermarket is on the left after Target' etc. This worked fine in the UK with a pub on every corner and a roundabout on every other. You missed where you were going, just turn around at the next round about and come back. Everything looks the same here and there is an indentical Walgreens (pharmacy chain) on every corner (apparently this is actually their mission statement and they are pretty close to achieving it)...all the corners look the same, all the housing looks similar and I'm still concentrating on driving on the right side of the road. Bring on the sat nav now please...I'm hoping I can push a button and it will just get me there with no pain or detours...Funny how I hate M giving me directions inthe car but I'm happy for an anonymous voice to do the same at an extra $1,500...I wonder if you can chose the voice...I think I'd like Shawn Connery to be telling me' turn right at the next lights onto Cobbler lane'....now that would be good.
December 10, 2004
Interesting things I have noticed since moving to the US
- If it snows and then freezes and then you whack the snow off your car (to stop it falling into the boot on the groceries - tip 1) it also takes the dirt of and cleans the car...though this is negated by the runny brown slush that splashes when you drive through puddles
- we learnt fractions at school for a reason...you have to use them if you're stuck with imperial measurements, so you don't sound stupid in front of the carpet salesmen...duh-oh 12 inches and 14 sixteenth would be 12 and 7/8ths...I really miss metric!
- In the middle of the fruit section you can buy caramel dip for your apples...gotta be good for you cos it's in the fruit section right?
- you can buy postage stamps on the internet, and print out your shipping labels
- a 'red hot' is a hot dog as in 'Michaels Red Hots' is a hot dog shop, not a stripper joint named after my husband
- Drive through banking and pharmacies and drive up post boxes are a really really great idea when it starts to snow
- The bigger the car, the less need to use your indicators ( I think this might actually be an international fact)
- Most houses don't have overhead lighting, but do have overhead fans...must be good business for the lamp sellers
- Fanny Mae is a brand of chocolates...some with creamy centres ;>)
- All light bulbs are screw in (very sensible after having to buy both bayonet and screw in UK)
- The US is at least 2 generations behind in mobile technology and it's cool to wear your flip phone on your belt (In Russia its cool to wear it hanging down your front)
- Most people drink tea iced (if they drink tea at all) and don't put milk in it if it's hot
- Red sweets are usually cinnamon (bleeeeeeech -icky yucky-poo) and not raspberry or peppermint.
- Our office has a tiny inhouse StarBucks, Ramadan prayer room, and each meal on the lunch menu has calories and carbs listed (doesn't stop me eating chips...I think I might be pro-carbs)
- Everyone is real friendly and 1/20 will see through my 'English' accent and ask me if I'm from Australia!
December 09, 2004
On the train again...ah jest can't wait to get on that train again...
Day X plus 1 - Ulan Bataar to Chinese Border: expore the joys of stripmining, get to see wild camels, half a dog and the wheels come off the wagon.
It's a cold and frosty morning and after we've said goodbye to the boys (Goomba and Ita) we get onto the nice warm train. The carriage is much cleaner than the last one, but the decor is older than the Russian train and very floral. We tie the curtains back and use our patented cheese cooler (use the curtain tabs to hold the bag of cheese to the colder train wall!) spread our belongings around and we're off. Some of the faces in the first class carriage are starting to look very familiar. Mark and Julie finally board (we thought they were ahead of us and it turns out they slept through 2 wakeup calls and 1 alarm clock and only just made the train). They find out they are sharing a four berth carriage with a family of 3! General mayhem ensues but but no other option, they wedge themselves in for the ride.
Our first sight out of the station and 'ger-burbs is a man pooing in a field next to the rails...niiiice! I'm more amazed by the fact he's doing this over 2 inches of snow...not that it's in front of a 15 carriage train. It's the start of a day of peculiar sights.
We're retracing some of our steps through the national park, and this gives a perspective of just how vast the land is, and how small and lonely the settlements look at we trundle through. Even though we don't stop at most of them, each one has a railway guard waving a flag to let us through. People either go about their everyday business, hauling water, sweeping or tinkering with engines of some variety, usually the kids will wave back.
There are some good curves so you can really see the train and the first stop is a dusty station with pink and blue buildings and a silver painted statue of the cosmonaut.
The day becomes a constant drift of looking at the view, talking to our new train friends, reading and trying to spot wild camels...which we do, and they are wearing their special hairy winter coats.
We plan the toilet breaks carefully as at the end of the day we'll be going through the border. The usual amount of running around and hiding stuff takes effect and we stash the cash again.
The Mongolian guards are through fairly quickly and then we sit in no mans land, waiting to get though to the other side. Our german neighbours tell us the've used the half a puppy left on the rails as a cautionary tale to their 7 year old, who is prone to wandering off. We're all quite excited (well those of us with an inner rail geek) as they're going to be taking the wheels off on the Mongolian side and putting the smaller ones on for the Chinese side...You'd think it would be more sensible to have the same size...But I think this is one of those Russian/Chinese things that Mongolia got stuck with.
Customs on the Chinese side takes ages, everything is inspected, though they are not bothering so much with the foreigners, so we amuse ourselves by looking for guards with machine guns hiding in the bushes and the darkness (we spot 3) and trying to work out what they are signaling each out about (given what happens when they flash the lights I think the answer is 'time for a ciggie break')
Eventually we get through and after a bit of shunting we end up in the railway shed. It's all quite efficient and fast and similar to going to Jiffy Lube for a tire change. They put you on the lifters, unclip your underneath bits, raise you up, slide out all the wheels and slide in the new one. The funny part is the provinistia's putting on their grubby clothes and having to work with the rail guards to do the job. The more dainty (or lazy ones) obviously don't want to get their nails broken(despite the white gloves) so they flirt with the workshop guys to get more done. Lots more shunting later and the train is hooked back up with the Chinese dining car and we trundle through to the station...it's 1:00am and 3.5 hours later! There's lots of leg crossing going on at this stage and no-one is drinking anything.
We have about 15 minutes in the station then the sellers pack up and leave...but we don't move. Seems like something has broken down as guards and the fat conductor keep walking through the train. Another 1/2 hour and the provinesta takes pity on us and opens the toilet, at this point I don't care that I can see the station underneath. M has crashed out by now and I give up at 2:00 and go to bed...nice to be stationary in some ways, I wonder where we'll wake up in China.
It's a cold and frosty morning and after we've said goodbye to the boys (Goomba and Ita) we get onto the nice warm train. The carriage is much cleaner than the last one, but the decor is older than the Russian train and very floral. We tie the curtains back and use our patented cheese cooler (use the curtain tabs to hold the bag of cheese to the colder train wall!) spread our belongings around and we're off. Some of the faces in the first class carriage are starting to look very familiar. Mark and Julie finally board (we thought they were ahead of us and it turns out they slept through 2 wakeup calls and 1 alarm clock and only just made the train). They find out they are sharing a four berth carriage with a family of 3! General mayhem ensues but but no other option, they wedge themselves in for the ride.
Our first sight out of the station and 'ger-burbs is a man pooing in a field next to the rails...niiiice! I'm more amazed by the fact he's doing this over 2 inches of snow...not that it's in front of a 15 carriage train. It's the start of a day of peculiar sights.
We're retracing some of our steps through the national park, and this gives a perspective of just how vast the land is, and how small and lonely the settlements look at we trundle through. Even though we don't stop at most of them, each one has a railway guard waving a flag to let us through. People either go about their everyday business, hauling water, sweeping or tinkering with engines of some variety, usually the kids will wave back.
There are some good curves so you can really see the train and the first stop is a dusty station with pink and blue buildings and a silver painted statue of the cosmonaut.
The day becomes a constant drift of looking at the view, talking to our new train friends, reading and trying to spot wild camels...which we do, and they are wearing their special hairy winter coats.
We plan the toilet breaks carefully as at the end of the day we'll be going through the border. The usual amount of running around and hiding stuff takes effect and we stash the cash again.
The Mongolian guards are through fairly quickly and then we sit in no mans land, waiting to get though to the other side. Our german neighbours tell us the've used the half a puppy left on the rails as a cautionary tale to their 7 year old, who is prone to wandering off. We're all quite excited (well those of us with an inner rail geek) as they're going to be taking the wheels off on the Mongolian side and putting the smaller ones on for the Chinese side...You'd think it would be more sensible to have the same size...But I think this is one of those Russian/Chinese things that Mongolia got stuck with.
Customs on the Chinese side takes ages, everything is inspected, though they are not bothering so much with the foreigners, so we amuse ourselves by looking for guards with machine guns hiding in the bushes and the darkness (we spot 3) and trying to work out what they are signaling each out about (given what happens when they flash the lights I think the answer is 'time for a ciggie break')
Eventually we get through and after a bit of shunting we end up in the railway shed. It's all quite efficient and fast and similar to going to Jiffy Lube for a tire change. They put you on the lifters, unclip your underneath bits, raise you up, slide out all the wheels and slide in the new one. The funny part is the provinistia's putting on their grubby clothes and having to work with the rail guards to do the job. The more dainty (or lazy ones) obviously don't want to get their nails broken(despite the white gloves) so they flirt with the workshop guys to get more done. Lots more shunting later and the train is hooked back up with the Chinese dining car and we trundle through to the station...it's 1:00am and 3.5 hours later! There's lots of leg crossing going on at this stage and no-one is drinking anything.
We have about 15 minutes in the station then the sellers pack up and leave...but we don't move. Seems like something has broken down as guards and the fat conductor keep walking through the train. Another 1/2 hour and the provinesta takes pity on us and opens the toilet, at this point I don't care that I can see the station underneath. M has crashed out by now and I give up at 2:00 and go to bed...nice to be stationary in some ways, I wonder where we'll wake up in China.
December 08, 2004
made it to the US
In case you're wondering why it all stopped...just been a bit busy settling in. I'm back at work and will try and squeeze a little time out of the evening (when we're not doing car buying stuff or house settling stuff) to finish off...then let you know all the fun stuff I've learnt since I've been in the windy city...ps had snow, got rained away, might be getting some just before the movers turn up(hopefully on Saturday - keep your fingers crossed for now)...gotta run, my email at work should just about be firing up, I'm still connected to the UK server so it's sloooooooow!
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