Alien Spouse

Hell's Kitchen.

Doc C just cooked dinner and it was a stir fried prawns with thai spices and pineapple.  It's one of our favourite ways to eat prawns, so he has cooked it loads of times; but this time something weird happened.  The spices went black, and he started coughing from all the spice that was suddenly in the air.  Then it came through the serving hatch to where I was on the sofa, my nose and throat felt as though I had inhaled a curry, and I started coughing too.  My nose is going crazy still!

It tasted fine though.

A Tantalizing Game of Nerve and Skill.

This morning we had run out of porridge oats, so we went into town for breakfast; I had an omelette, Doc C had eggs benedict.  It was delicious!  The place we like to go for breakfast is furnished with vintage furniture, and they use some vintage crockery too, on this occasion Doc C had a particularly great milk glass mug for his coffee.  I was so taken by it, that we decided to stroll around the local antique shops to see if they had a set of anything similar.

We found some really cool mini snifter glasses that will be perfect for port, but we had no luck with the milk glass mugs.

That was ok though, because I had found a vintage Ker-plunk set for $10 (it say's 1967 on the box).  The art work on box was just so cool that I immediately picked it up from it's shelf, and announced I was having it.  On the same shelf was a five hundred piece jig saw of a painting depicting the underground railway, I left that where it was.

When we got home I immediately set the game up and Doc watched me, because it turned out he had never played Ker-plunk before.  Can you imagine that?

As you can see our set is sort of unusual in that the sticks are either yellow or red, and the marbles are all orange apart from a single green one.  I'm pretty sure that, when I had this as a kid, the sticks were different colours and I know the marbles would have been too.  I quite like this limited palette though!

We played three games, and I beat Doc C twice.  It's a lot more strategic than it looks.

Everyday Objects.

Today's photo post is of my glasses case and cleaning cloth:

I really like the abstract pattern of eyeballs on the case, but I think the girl on the cloth is really annoyed about something.

Office Planning.

My office at work is really quite big, and I have it all to myself, which is pretty cool after spending most of my working life in open plan offices.  It has also has a huge window taking up most of the back wall (well it's at the front of the building, but I think of the wall with the main entrance to the room as being the front of the office), and there are some lovely trees outside, which birds like to sit in and sing.  I also have windows on two interior walls, which is weird, but means I can see everything that's going on in the lobby which is always good. 

There is a problem, however, which is my ridiculous desk.  It is freaking enormous and it manages to take up most of the room, whilst somehow having very little viable work space.  It's basically got three wings to it, on the right and to the front is desk (This also crucially varies in width, the front part being the narrowest part of the whole thing desk. Guess where my computer has to go?).  On the left side is what is referred to as a hutch, which basically means on that side there is a notice board and overhead cupboards built into the desk.  These were actually built around the phone lines for some reason, which makes it now impossible to move those wires. So it's a three quarter square, that has been positioned with the opening towards the window at the back of the room.

Every time I want to get to, or from, my chair I have to walk round the desk in a spiral, so whenever I have to go to the printer I am praying the phone doesn't ring, because otherwise I will have to run a lap of my office to be able get to it in time.  Not to mention that because of the way the desk was positioned in the room the computer monitor is clearly visible from the window, but if I put the monitor anywhere else on the desk I am not facing the doors, so I don't see people coming and they make me jump.  I hate it when people sneak up on me!

I've finally decided that the only thing to do is to swing the desk round 180 degrees, so the hutch is on the right, the narrow part of the desk is along the window side of the room and the opening of the desk will be towards the front of the room.  That way I can get in and out quickly, and I'd be able to see everything but my monitor wouldn't be visible from outside the window.  I'm also pretty sure that way no one would be able to scare the hell out of me.  The only problems to this scheme is that the desk is too heavy for me to move without the help of the football team, I'd be blocking part of an interior window with the hutch and all of the computer points would be on the wrong side of the room.

Being my mother's daughter, none of these issues strike me as being particularly insurmountable difficulties to the scheme.

Accessorised.

David went with recreating the sleepwalking scene, but with a totally illogical bloody dagger and a coronet. 

Having said that, I suppose if anyone would go to sleep with a lethal weapon and some bling it would be Lady Macbeth.

I also restyled the hair, because the bouffant was apparently reminiscent of Sarah Palin.  Which was not what I was going for at all.

Not Logical.

This morning I got up a bit later than normal, and fed the cats.  Then I went back to bed for a bit, and I got up again about an hour later than I usually do, and I got ready for work pretty much as usual but we actually left the house slightly earlier than normal.

Somehow I must have slightly bent the space time continuum.  It's the only explanation.

What TV Taught Me Today.

There is a TV advert for a well known weight loss club that features this line of dialogue:
"Learn new stratergies, such as choosing filling foods"

Ohhhhh! I see! Filling foods you say? Wow, that really is a staggering breakthrough, thanks.

Almost Complete.

This is my amigurumi with hair and a mouth, so she is looking a bit more like herself.  And herself is Lady Macbeth.

She isn't finished yet, because she is going to be a birthday present for my friend David, so I'm going to let him choose how I do the eyes and what accessories I should make.

I love that the bouffant is bigger than her body!  Actually I was going to sew the hair to secure it in this style, but Doc C said I shouldn't do that, because he thought David would like to be able to style her hair himself.

Decimalisation.

This afternoon I was chatting with a student today who is going to England for a few weeks over the summer and had some questions for me.  I think I was fairly helpful, particularly when I explained that the British monetary system no longer involves shillings, farthings or sixpence.  He seemed quite relieved about that.

Armchair.

This chair was in our hotel room, and I really liked the fabric.  Is that an Orla Keily design, or an homage?

Early Mid-Week Slump.

I am so tired.  Yeah, it's Tuesday and I am already exhausted.

My Creation.

Whilst away this weekend I dragged Doc C around a great independent craft store, and I bought loads of cotton yarn to crochet with amigurumi.

Yesterday I made a head.  Today I made a body, and then stitched them together.

I don't want to reveal what this is going to be just yet, but I can assure you that the head is not larger than the body in real life; so if you were thinking I was going for a cute little John Merrick doll you would be wrong.

At least on this occasion, because now I've thought of that I may just have to make it at some stage.

A Horrifying Monday Morning.

After a lovely weekend away, this has to be one of the Mondayiest Mondays ever. First of all because Edith was fairly pleased to see us yesterday, and was very affectionate but it wasn't until 4:30 in the morning that she was really able to cathartically express how painful she had found that separation.  This was clearly best done by throwing herself against our bedroom door whilst miaowing loudly.

Then I had to get up early to go to see a gynecologist for a check-up at 8.  Personally I do not believe that 8am is an appropriate time for anything much beyond breakfast, much less being asked personal questions whilst being poked in personal places.

The gynecologist I had been referred to is also an obstetrician, so whilst waiting for me Doc C was in the waiting room leafing through pregnancy magazines.  This would be like a normal person reading a Stephen King novel whilst sitting in a car called Christine, with their pet dog Cujo and a clown called Pennywise.  I was quite surprised he hadn't run out screaming by the time I came back out.

Welcoming Party.

We are home now and the cats are giving us a grudging welcome. We were fully expecting to be yelled at for leaving them to starve, but Jasmin did an excellent job of feeding them so they really weren't that bothered.

That said, Edith has just climbed onto my lap, which she very rarely does.

Not Case Sensitive.

Isn't this a great sign?  But don't get any ideas about swiping the Hot Dog King character though, he's a registered trade mark which I know because that little circle on his left has a R in it.

Night Swimming.

Before we went out for dinner, we went to swim in the hotel pool.  It's right by the entrance to the hotel, and it has a sort of big cat flap in the wall so you can actually swim from inside the hotel to a small pool outside, which is really cool.

We really hoped to be by ourselves, but when we got to the pool there was a small girl in the hot tub and her parents were both fully dressed at the side.  I'd already got changed into my swimming costume, so I went into the pool room while Doc C got changed.  The small girl immediately said "Hi!  My name's Shay!  Have you come to play with me?"  Um, no, but I smiled and said I'd come to swim in the pool.  So Shay immediately got out of the hot tub and flung herself in the pool.

When Doc came in, and said that he wanted to start off in the hot tub, so we got in.  So Shay followed us into the hot tub, actually leaned on my leg and said "Hello!" again.  Her parents just ignored all of this, so I was very glad when other people came in and sat in the hot tub, because that distracted her so we could move into the pool and swim to the outside pool.  Shay's parents called her back when she made to go out there after us, so we stayed put.

It was so weird.  I know kids can be very open and friendly with strangers, because they have no concept of danger, but I am really not used to them physically imposing themselves on me.  I also had no idea how I should react to her behaviour, because I really didn't want to be unkind to a sweet little girl, but at the same time I didn't want to play with a total stranger's kid.  I'm not a free baby-sitting service and life guard rolled into one!

I did very much enjoy the swimming though, I wish I'd been able to take enough swimming classes to be able to actually breathe properly!  It was so relaxing, once we'd worked out how to avoid the miniature stalker.  The outside part of the pool was just big enough for the two of us to float around in and look at the stars, I can highly recommend it.

Anniversary Saturday.

Today we went into town to have some breakfast and wander around the shops.  I bought polka dot knee length socks, some great books (including a signed copy of "Torch Song Trilogy" for $6! OhMyGod!), several different colours of cotton yarn for crocheting amigurumi and a great vintage brooch, with blue diamante stones, in the shape of a "J".  We also had a late lunch of delicious noodle soup and I had a cupcake too.

Tonight we are going to go out for a curry, and then tomorrow I think we are planning to have a late brunch and see "Milk" before we leave.

Right now we are back in the hotel to recover from all the excitement of spending a whole day in a proper city. I am lying lengthwise across the bed, whilst Doc C is resting his eyes in the arm chair.

Room with a Neon View.

We've arrived in our mystery location, and no this isn't our hotel, but it is part of the view from our window!

So far we have had a delicious dinner and been for a stroll!  In a city!  Yay!

I love city breaks.

Whee! K End!

This weekend being our second wedding anniversary, Doc C is whisking me away from it all.

He's organised for the cats to be fed and booked a hotel, so we can leave straight after work.

That has certainly improved my day!

A Cat Blanket.

We came home early because we both had headaches, so you get your picture today!  Surprise, it's a random photo of the cats!

I remember when I was a kid our cats being referred to, occasionally, as musical hot water bottles.  They were very chatty, friendly cats who liked to be snuggled.  Our girls aren't big on cuddling, but they do love to sit on top of any person who has a blanket over them, and that's very cosy.

Here they are helping to keep my legs warm, Nancy is lying along my shins with her head on my feet which is usually Edith's favourite spot.  I have no idea why they like my ankles so much, they are usually the coldest part of me so it can't be the heat and cats aren't known for their altruism.  Most odd.

Very Quick Post

I should have written a post at lunch time, but I became engrossed in a yoga magazine and forgot.

Anywsy I must be quick because we are about to go out to celebrate David's birthday. I made a big pot of my butternut squash soup and everything!

If I get home at a reasonable hour you might get a picture post, but if not then not.

She's Not Talking Until She Gets a Lawyer.

Oh, don't be fooled by that innocent act!

I finally finished the little head I was making, and essentially what I ended up with was a hollow crochet ball.  I don't know why it is, but I always seem to be at a crucial stage of crocheting just before bedtime and this was no exception.

So I put down my little ball on the pattern book, and I went to tidy up the kitchen before I went upstairs to bed (Doc C was already upstairs reading).  When I came back to gather up all of my stuff, the crochet ball was gone.  I looked everywhere, and ended up crawling around on the floor until I found it.

I can't prove it because I didn't see her do it, but I am fairly certain that it was Edith that batted the ball off the coffee table and stashed it in one of Doc's shoes.

The Important Issues of the Day.

I wanted to really consider this before I weighed in with an opinion, but I think it's time to join the debate.

I loved Michelle's yellow outfit for the inauguration ceremony, I thought she glowed.  That shade of mustard is a great colour on her, I really liked the sparkle at the neckline and also the use of texture and layering.  A touch more tailoring wouldn't have hurt, but overall I thought it was a winner.

Now I personally would not have chosen the cream ballgown myself, because it had a hint of wedding dress to my eye, but she looked absolutely radiant and you cannot argue with that.  As Erin at a Dress A Day has taught me, it's important to wear clothes that make you happy and clearly that dress made Michelle happy.  Well either that or her husband having just been inaugurated as the 44th President.  W00T!  (Also Erin has written about Michelle's outfits too, and she has pictures of them too!  She's so organised!)

Doc C and I were talking about it afterwards, and I think it's safe to say that Michelle is the most stylish First Lady since Jackie Kennedy.  This may not be the most important element of the Obama administration, but it is still really quite exciting, you know, if you're shallow.

Why I Miss London : Reason #476

I have no interest whatsoever in seeing "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", but I am looking forward to "Coraline" with eager anticipation.  I know!  Who'd have thought I'd be more interested in watching a film featuring a performance by Teri Hatcher, in preference to a film starring Cate Blanchett?  It goes against all the normal rules of logic.

However, being realistic, I would be prepared to bet that whilst "The Curious Case..." will be playing at the local multi-screen (I'm pretty sure it's not big enough to be referred to as a multi-plex) for months, I'll be lucky if "Coraline" makes it to the local art house cinema (actually it's a bar with a large screening room) for a day or two.

sigh.

Daylight Donuts By Night.

I should have posted this picture yesterday, and kept the Narnian lamp post for today, but I got over excited when playing with Picnik.

So I took this at around one o'clock on Monday morning. I'd had a nice lazy Sunday, and usually I'd have been in bed by that time of night; but the next day was Martin Luther King Day so I didn't have to go to work and I felt like doing something.  So I suggested to Doc C we go for a drive.

He decided he'd like a doughnut, so he made some coffee,  put it in a travel mug and off we went.  Doc bought two doughnuts, and I took some photos.

It may not sound hugely exciting, but it was really fun.

Inauguration Day.

I am watching the Inauguration on-line, via the BBC website, purely because I can't get any of the others to open I think they are totally overloaded with viewers.  As it is the sound is really good, but the pictures are timing out like mad.

Still it's pretty impressive, I can watch/listen to history being made at work, and blog about it at the same time.

*Update*  I worked out that if I used the pop out viewer that it streams a lot better, so I saw the whole inauguration and President Obama's first speech.  Hoorah!

Narnia-esque.

So did I mention that to get to our house you have to climb through a wardrobe, which is in a bedroom in a house in Oxford?

And that there's this woman who keeps trying to give us Turkish Delight?

Not to mention all the talking animals.

Yes, North Carolina is pretty different to London.

Two To Be Taken Once Daily.

It has snowed all day today, which is very pretty, but it did mean we had to allow extra time to do everything.  I had a doctor's appointment this morning, because I haven't seen a doctor in at least two years so I needed to have a check up and get some advice on a couple of things.

My new doctor was recommended by a friend and I actually had made an appointment for the first week of January, but I hadn't specified which doctor I wanted to see, so I was assigned to the other GP at the practice.  Which was fine with me, until I met the other doctor at a party over Christmas and, what with one thing and another, I just did not get a warm fuzzy about her.  I didn't actually put two and two together until the morning of my appointment, when I checked the surgery website for directions, and then realised who it was that I would be seeing.  This is one of the perils of living in a small town. 
Well I don't know about you, but I don't really want a doctor who I don't feel comfortable with, however petty that may sound; so I phoned the surgery and asked if I could reschedule with the doctor who had been recommended to me in the first place and that's who I saw today.  I am delighted to say that she is very nice indeed; and I also really liked that the exam table is heated!  What luxury!  I have to go back in a month to check back in.

I also took in the chest x-ray that I had taken when I went for my visa medical, the one I was told to bring with me and that was such a pain in the backside to transport.  I handed it over to the doctor and she had a look at it, said everything was absolutely fine, but really no idea why she would need to keep it; so I brought home again.  I think it shall become art at some stage.

Sunday Night Entertainment.

I've moved on from depressing celebrity reality shows, via an extremely tacky teen romantic comedy, to the animated "Justice League Unlimited" and the crocheting of body parts.

Well I say body parts, I've been trying to get the head right for at least an hour, and I have to keep frogging it to start again.

I'll let you know when I actually complete the thing.

Celeb Reality TV Melt-Down Sunday.

It's Sunday.  Nothing much is going on today.  Doc C is doing a massive pile of laundry, and I am watching reality television.

I am particularly fascinated by VH1's reality programming, because it seems to be conducting an anthropological investigation into the effects of fame.  Today they had three celebrity car crashes one after the other, "Rock of Love", "Confessions of a Teen Heart Throb" and finally "Celebrity Rehab: Sober House".  Why on earth would anyone sign up to be on any of these shows? 

I suppose I can understand why Bret Michaels would be happy to do "Rock of Love", this is, after all, his third season of having desperate, silicon enhanced, women physically throw themselves at him and generally behave as though he is wildly attractive; what I really don't get is why the women are applying to be treated like groupies (It took me a long time to work out a vaguely polite way of phrasing that).  This is the third season!  Clearly this is not working!  Get a clue ladies!

"Confessions of a Teen Idol" focuses on seven former heart-throb actors, whose careers have nose-dived since they lost their pretty boy looks and who are now desperately trying to get that fame back.  Oh. My. God.  It is so tragic, and yet I could not look away.  Plus it's presented by Scott Baio, which I am confused by because it necessarily positions him as being a fallen teen idol himself, but yet he is not part of any of the attempts to regain the fame.  Most odd.

Finally "Celebrity Rehab: Sober House" is plumbing brand new depths of depressing mainly because I didn't actually know who most of the "celebs" were, apart from Rodney King, and because it is just so tragic to see how these people have thrown away so much because of their addictions.  In fact, I don't think I'll be watching anymore of that one, it's just not fun to watch.

So that's what I've done today.  I've watched trashy TV, and on commercial breaks I ran out to report the latest awful thing I've found to Doc, who watched about five seconds of "Rock of Love" before declaring he wanted nothing else to do with it.

Nancy Want Food.

Nancy really really likes the new food the vet prescribed for her, she gets very demanding if we take too long about feeding her and Edith.  She cares if Edith gets fed, because otherwise who's food is she going to steal?

Nancy Want Food. from Jen Alien-Spouse on Vimeo.

Really Stupidly Cold.

Yesterday was billed as potentially the coldest day recorded in our town, but it turned out not to be.  It was the third coldest this decade, so that's something I suppose.  I mean it was cold enough to freeze the doors of the mini closed whilst Doc C was driving into town, which meant that to get out he had to park in a sunny parking space for five minutes until it melted slightly.

As I was at home ill, I could ignore sartorial considerations and bundle myself up in loads of layers.  I had a long sleeve vest, a t-shirt and a wool jumper, as well as leggings and a pair of trousers.  I also put on the warm socks my Mum sent me for Christmas, and my extra warm slipper boot things.  Then I wrapped it all up in a fleece blanket, and induced the cats to sit on me.  That really retained the heat, but to make sure I periodically topped myself up with nice hot cups of tea.  Tea always helps.

Aesthetically Pleasing Liqui-Gels.

I spoke to my Mum just now, which always helps when you are feeling poorly doesn't it? 

She was enquiring what medicine I was taking, and, although we do have quite a good stock of Day Nurse, I have plumped for Advil.

Isn't it pretty?  Such a lovely colour, I wish I could find a necklace like that, it would go with everthing.

Sick Day.

John Mortimer died yesterday.  I know he was 85 but it's still very very sad.

That was pretty much the first news story I read today, and to really cap it off I'm at home in bed with lurgey today.  I am not sure what it is, because it's just an odd mish mash of symptoms; my head has been aching for over for 12 hours now, I've had waves of nausea yesterday and this morning, plus my throat feels really scratchy.  All in all I just feel awful.

I probably would have gone to work anyway.  In fact I had got up on time, fed the cats, showered and had made my marmite sandwiches for my packed lunch, when Doc C told me I looked ill and should stay in bed today.

Ok then. 

Good thing I'd already filled out the time sheets and accompanying paperwork for this month's payroll, but I called a very kind colleague to make sure they were sent out today, trying to describe to him which pile of paper they might be on on my desk was a nightmare.  He found them eventually though.

Now I can relax and concentrate on wondering why my left nostril is getting in on the act by being stuffed up, while my right nostril is behaving itself beautifully.  I particularly hate when my nose isn't working in stereo.

Be Seeing You.

I was very sad to hear that Patrick McGoohan died yesterday.

Today I wore my Number 2 badge, which was purchased from the Portmeirion gift shop when we visited The Village a couple of years ago.  Why didn't I buy a Number 6 badge?  Well, it's always more fun being evil isn't it? And besides they had sold out of 6s.

Cookie Season.

Girl Scout Cookies?

We don't have these in the UK, but when an order form was produced in the office by a Girl Scout dad all of my colleagues cheered and I was very earnestly told I must try them.  Any advice?  I'm leaning towards Mint Thins, because I read the nutritional information for all of them and you get 4 Mint Thins to a serving of 160 calories, but the Peanut Butter Patties sound nice too and there's one that apparently involves coconut which I am all for.

And yes the calorie counting is going well, thank you.  Why do you ask?

Back to Basics.

Last night I caved in, and gave the cats their litter tray back.  The details of exactly why are not important, but, believe you me, any one of you would have done the same thing in the circumstances.  I am stubborn, but I am not a masochist.

I haven't decided yet if this is a temporary measure or permanent, but I do think that I rushed the cats into the toilet training too soon.  We'd only had the cats for a month when I started the training, and they were still settling in, so maybe it was all a bit too much.  Plus Nancy is still being treated for her skin condition and it will be three months before we know whether the new cat food does the trick. 

Mainly though I know that even now they are still negotiating on territories and dominance issues, so they can't quite cope with sharing the citikitty.  Maybe once they are more used to each other, or I get a live in nanny to keep an eye on them 24/7, then we can have another try at the training.

The cats are very happy to have the tray back.  I've left the citikitty in place too, but they have made it very clear where their allegiances lie.

You Say Tomato, and That is Fine.

It's an Aubergine.
I hate having to say Eggplant.

Three Men on a Blog.

When writing a blog you also tend to be a regular reader of other blogs, and then you tend to find yourself experiencing post envy.  Sometimes the blog you are reading is about a lifestyle that you wish you had, but more usually the envious reaction is triggered by a nicely turned phrase, or a particularly good observation, an excellent joke or even just a well chosen subject.

The reading blogger then thinks to themselves "Damn it!  I noticed [...Fill in suitably fascinating observation here...] too, but did I write about it?  No!  I wrote a post about how my cat chatters at the birds when they land on the bird feeder, as if no other cat has ever exhibited this behavior!"

To add to my feelings of blog envy, I have recently been reading "Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow" by Jerome K. Jerome.  It is a damned shame that man died in 1927, because that necessarily means he couldn't have even considered the possibility of the existence of blogs, and yet, I firmly believe, he would have been a phenomenal blogger.

It's quite something to be envying the blogging capabilities of a man who has been dead for over 80 years, especially as you'd think observational comedy from 103 years ago would lose a little something, but it is still hilarious.  Not to mention free to download from the Guttenberg Project (if you are in the USA, if in other countries your copyright laws may vary), which is another distinct point in it's favour.

Comfy-Cosy, With a Touch of Glamour.

These are my new PJs.  They are made from a lovely comfy jersey, with a blue satin bow.

The blue satin bow is clearly what tips them over from "practical" to "What Gidget would pack if invited by Moon-Doggy to stay at this parent's ski lodge for the weekend".

Where upon sixties teen hijinks would ensue.  Wouldn't you love to see that?

Friending.

Today I was on Facebook, and I remarked upon a photo of Ginger Jen in a rather lovely black dress which has a great polka dot halter top to it, and after that I took a quiz that Wayne had challenged me to (He beat me by 6%, but I maintain that "Automan" looks so much like "Tron" that it constitutes a serious breach of someones copyright) and then I joined in a comment-fest on Mik's most recent status. 

It was then it occurred to me that none of these people knew each other, (although I think Jen might possibly have met Wayne at my wedding reception, but I'm not sure they really chatted), and that they would get on like a house on fire. 

It's very odd to suddenly fully realise that not all of your friends know each other, and that it is unlikely they ever will because of the various complications that would entail; meaning that even if they are in the same town, like Rowey K and Shauney O, it would be most unusual if they did happen to meet, because, in this example, Bristol is pretty big really and life just doesn't work that way. 

I suppose it was something I was aware of before, clearly I did know that none of them knew each other before, but it just really struck me today that they probably never will.  Which I think is sad.  And I also think that it is sort of frustrating that you can't set up a blind friendship; at least I don't think you can, can you?

Ivy.

I don't know.

This looks pretty dead to me, but Doc C is adamant he can save it.

Pub Night '09

It being the first Monday of the new semester it was, naturally, also the first pub night of the new semester.  This being somewhat of a tradition I was very pleased with myself when I went against my usual Monday night routine,by ordering a side salad with my salmon sandwich, rather than the more usual chips.  That way I could have the option of a second pint of Guinness.  I didn't take myself up on that option, but I could have done!

It was most entertaining evening.

Danny tabled the idea of a chain of bars selling beer and doughnuts, and I suggested that the doughnuts have chaser themed icing on them or filling in them.  So you could have a chocolate doughnut with a whiskey creme patisserie filling, for example.  Yum.

I also actually heard one of our group describe a steak and kidney pudding as being  "...like a quiche".  Now I may be vegetarian these days, but I wasn't always and I have had a fair few steak and kidney puddings, and I am very familiar with quiche; so I can assure you that they are not at all like.  At all. I don't know where he gets his steak and kidney pie recipes from, but I'll be steering clear of his quiche.

The Photos I Owe You.

I didn't take any photos today, or yesterday, but here ar a couple from a few days ago to make up for it.  You can choose which one you prefer!

Option A: A photo of Edith and Nancy curled up next to each other on the sofa.  Look!  They are touching and the world hasn't ended!  Nancy was ever so surprised.

But wait, there is more!

Doc C and I were getting a key cut at the local hardware store (which, by the way didn't actually work in the lock) and we decided to play the fun game of "If we ever own a house what bathroom fittings would we have?" when I noticed this very boastful toilet.  It is the kind of thing that Stu would find most amusing, and that my Mum would rather I didn't point out.  But there we are.

So, Option B is a toilet that claims to be able to flush a bucket full of golf balls.  And if that is not a fool hardy invitation, no it's more of a dare I think, to procure a bucket of golf balls and test that out, well, I don't know what it is.

Sleepy Sunday.

Today has been a very grey day, and the clouds were really low so it felt like it was late afternoon from the moment I got up.  It wasn't terribly inspiring, so all we did was go to the mall to get a new pair of jeans for me and some warm lounging around gear for Doc C.  This winter he has come to appreciate the importance of slippers.

I still haven't finished moving across my whole music collection to the new desktop, I thought I'd finished last nights and then realised there was no Bosstones on the new computer which clearly cannot be right.  It's surprising how many different files the old lap top used to squirrel things off in, I'm sure that's not what I asked it to do!
It's important that I get everything though, because I then have to reset the iPod so that it recognises the desk top as the primary source.  It's like a small bird imprinting on the first thing it sees when it hatches, in that the first computer you plug it into becomes the one it wants more than any other.  I can authorise another four computers, but the primary one is the iPod's adoptive mother.  I have to break that maternal bond by resetting the iPod, which wipes it of everything, and then syncing it with the new computer.  I am most concerned that I will miss something and then lose it, but it has to be done.

***Post Script***  Should you need to restore your iPod, don't start doing it and then google "How long should it take for my iPod to restore?" because there are a bunch of people out there spreading the notion that it will take about twenty minutes.  This is an untruth.  Fortunately before panicking I clicked the dowloading message and up popped a nice blue and grey task bar which tells me I have 50 minutes left.  Honestly, Internet!  I don't know why you let people wander around on you, just writing any old nonsense that pops into their heads.

Tech Day.

Today I am feeling a bit blah, so we are staying in and geeking out.  I am currently trying out the new desk top in the study and preparing to transfer all of my music across from the old lap top, whilst Doc C is in the living room watching "Star Wars" and playing with the new lap top.

Previous to this I tried out a yoga app on the iPod, which was much betterthan you would think. It has a yoga instructor talking you through the routine, which makes it easy to keep track of how long you should be holding a pose for, and it had some good sequences.  You can choose the background sound, how much detail the instructor goes into and how long a routine you want to do.  The only thing I don't like is that it seems to be the same routine every time, and there is no choice about the difficulty levels which would be good.

I'm also still using the iPod to monitor my calorie intake, and when I weighed myself today I was delighted to see that I had lost some weight!  It'll be a while before I hit my target weight, but it's nice to see it moving back in the right direction. 

To round out the day I spent an hour playing "Batman Lego" and I can confirm what my experience of "Star Wars Lego" led me to suspect; playing as the villians is much more fun!  Doctor Freeze is particularly good, but I am really looking forward to being Cat Woman obviously.

I love technology.

Feed Me!

Edith does tend to hog the limelight round here, because she is an attention whore so much more confident than Nancy.

Except at meal times. 

Nancy is definitely in charge at meal times, she demands we feed them, yells at us if it takes too long and she will simply elbow Edith out of the way if she wants more food.  This may be why she is starting to put on some weight finally; so now she has a tiny little head with huge eyes, and a big round tummy on stubby little legs.  So sweet!

I recorded this on Friday night, but the same thing happens every evening at about 6:30.

Nancy Want Food. from Jen Alien-Spouse on Vimeo.

Nancy Naps.

Nancy had to go to the vets for her steroid injection yesterday.  She did not want.

Doc C took her without me, and he called later to report that she had put on weight and had her ears cleaned.  When I got home she was still very cross about the ear cleaning, and was walking around glaring at everyone with her ears at half mast.  She looked like a furry grey yoda in a strop.

Every time she is given the steroids she has a different reaction, usually it means she wants to inhale all the food she possibly can.  This time she was completely uninterested in food and very drowsy, so she curled up on the sofa for a nice cosy nap under a blanket.

She's a lot happier today.

A Little Harsh.

After work today I was reading "Crazy Aunt Purl" and Laurie blogged a post about how much she likes Thom Felicia and his new show "Dress My Nest" on the Style channel (Well, it starts off about that, and then she segues into earthquakes and their lack of effect on her cats).

I clicked the link that Laurie provided, because naturally I *heart* all of the Fab Five, and follow their post-Queer careers closely.  Then I used the zip code checker to see if I could watch the show.

And the website said "Sorry to report, your area has no Style".

Oh Sweetie!  Tell me something I don't know!

Snowy Morning.

On Tuesday it was warm enough for me to eat breakfast on the balcony.  Don't get me wrong, that was bracing, but in a pleasantly misty way; I didn't need to put on wellies and a scarf.