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Throwing up, diarrhea, stomach cramping up, chills… not fun. Not fun at all.

Messed up my plans for today. I was going to go buy need headphones for my iPod (current ones keep falling apart on me) and then hang out at my LYS until it was time to meet O for dinner. *sigh*

I blame the salad dressing I had last night. Throwing that out as soon as I get the energy to go to the kitchen to make me tea.

So yesterday, in the middle of my very exciting day of cleaning, I got a text from Lucy asking if I wanted to meet her for coffee. Of course I did!

I walked into Hillsborough and saw the very special variety of people that go to Java Lounge. We sat outside knitting and trying to have a conversation. Wasn’t easy, considering there was a group of parents with their kids. That in itself is okay, BUT the kids were misbehaving (throwing rocks, destroying the flowers, etc) and the parents weren’t doing any parenting. At all.

We then went to Subway for lunch. Lucy ordered first and she got her sandwich fairly quickly from the woman behind the counter. I, on the other hand, was served by the Guy Who Would Not Shut Up. I told him what filling and bread I wanted. Before he even reached for the stuff, he stopped and asked where my accent was from (always a fun question to answer!). Told him Florida (true) and then after a pause, I clarified that I’m not from there, but from Finland. That got him going on about how his friend is Swedish and his other friend’s dad is Finnish and they way Nordic people speak seems stilted (I beg to differ btw, Finnish is nothing like Swedish) and… then he asked if I wanted cheese. Oh the cheese. He couldn’t separate the cheese slices. Which lead to hearing all about how he used to work at a cheese factory and how cheese is sliced (something about cold air from behind making the slices stick together). By the time I got to pick the dressing for my sandwich, he was telling me about the Americans who drown their sandwiches in multiple dressings and how he didn’t understand how they could eat those because they couldn’t taste anything but the dressings and… gah. The people of Hillsborough. There’s a reason why I only go to the library.

Drat. Dratdratdrat.

I just got a message from my landlady. She can’t come over tonight to deal with the outside drain that keeps getting clogged up because her son is sick (which is sad and I hope he gets better soon). So she’s coming over on Friday instead. Which is fine. Really.

But it also messes with my people watching plans. I was going to spend Friday afternoon in Starbucks and hope I see/over hear enough to get me inspired to write again. I *need* my writing mojo back. It’s been on a longer vacation than my knitting mojo! So, Friday was the day I had set aside for that. Now, I have to stay home. I guess I could finish off my coursework that’s due in a week and a half instead, but still.

Drat.

Play the game if you wish! If I ’ve tagged you, it’s because I think you’ll have fun

The game goes like this:

1. Grab your iPod or other MP3 player and randomize your songs. 2. Type the first line/phrase of the first 20-40 songs that come up (you can skip one if the first line is, say, the actual title of the song). 3. Anyone can try and guess the title of the song by commenting on this note. 4. When the title has been guessed, bold out the lyric and add the name of the person who guessed it. 5. NO cheating by using search engines to find answers.

My songs

1. He comes from a foreign place, an island far away, intrigues me with every move til I’m breathless and helpless, can’t keep my cool.

2. When people think I’m crazy, try to understand, I get satisfaction in everything I can.

3. You’ve worn the soles off both your shoes, walkin’ on me like you do.

4. I could stay awake just to hear you breathing, watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you’re far away and dreaming. Aerosmith, Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing - correctly guessed by welshmillie!

5. I once had a girlfriend, but then one day she dumped me, and everywhere I go people would ask me where she was.

6. You’re so fine, I want you mine, you’re so delicious. “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne - goldguardie got this one.

7. I have travelled all over and one thing I have found, skinny girls have nothing to wrap your arms around.

8. For a time, I was in love. Not only in love, I was obsessed.

9. You put the boom-boom into my heart, you send my soul sky-high when the lovin’ starts. “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)” by Wham! - pezessed got it (with the help of her hubby :P ); as did Jen! (I’m giving you both the credit because I’ve cross-posted this on my two blogs and I got your answers pretty much at the same time; Jen said it here, pezessed said it on my LJ.)

10. What will you do when you get lonely, no one waiting by your side. You’ve been running and hiding much too long, you know it’s just your foolish pride.

11. Wrote my whole life down in a notebook, songs about you and me I’ve been singing to every soul in Tennessee.

12. Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost to remember… “Once Upon A December” by Deanna Carter (from the Anastasia soundtrack) - goldguardie got this one too!

13. I had me a wife, I had me some daughters, I tried so hard, I never knew still waters, nothing to eat, nothing to drink.

14. Understand that the things I say, don’t turn away from me. Cause I spent half my life out there, you wouldn’t disagree.

15. I was hanging with the fellas, saw you with your new boyfriend and made me jealous.

16. May you’d find somebody else a little wiser with a lot more wealth.

17. My foundation was rocked, my tried and true way to deal was vanished.

18. No attorneys to plead my case, no orbits to send me into outer space, and my fingers are bejewelled with diamonds and gold, but that ain’t gonna help me now.

19. There are few who deny at what I do I am the best for my talents are renowned far and wide. When it comes to surprises in the moonlight night, I excel without ever even trying.

20. You can’t afford no ring, you can’t afford no ring, I shouldn’t be wearing white and you can’t afford no ring.

21. Oh no, don’t go changing, that’s what you told me from the start. Thought you were something different, that’s when it all just fell apart.

22. Last time that we had this conversation I decided we should be friends. But now we’re going round in circles tell me will this deja vu never end?

23. Watching every motion in my foolish lover’s game, on this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame. “Take My Breath Away” (by Berlin?) - justclaire got this one!

24. It’s been some time since we last spoke, it’s gonna sound like a bad joke, but mama I fell in love again, it’s safe to say I have a new girlfriend.

25. You can look but you can’t touch, I don’t think I like you much, heaven knows what I girl can do, heaven knows what you got to prove.

You know how I said that I was sick?

Well, yesterday, things got even better. First, on the flight home, my nose started bleeding after I blew my nose. It’s not like I was blowing my nose really hard or anything, just lightly because I felt it dripping and bam! Blood. Then again, the flight attendants were really nice and gave me a whole empty row to myself to deal with the bleeding. It did stop eventually.

But the nosebleed was just a minor thing.

The thing that really gets me is this: I’ve got conjunctivitis in my left eye. It started with a pain & itchiness, then I noticed that there’s this white goop in my eye. This was around 3pm. And oh the swelling. Then by 10pm, it was less painful for me to just keep my eye shut. And around midnight, O looked at me and said that my other eye seemed to be swelling too. Argh.

So this morning, I went to the doctor’s (went over at 8:30 to see if they had available appointments and got one for 9am) and he just asked me a few questions about my eye (nothing about the coughing or drippy nose), then told me how to use the prescription he gave me.

Came back, climbed back into bed for a few hours, then sent O to the pharmacy while I cleaned the kitchen and tidied up the dining room. We still need to tidy up the living room and vacuum everywhere, but other than that, we seem to be set for the party.

I just hope I’m not contagious. *crosses fingers*

Just thought I’d let you all know that I’m sick. Again. The last two days I’ve had a fever (no thermometer so don’t know how high, but everyone agreed that I have a fever) which means that I’ve been sleeping a lot and just lying in bed reading or lying on the couch semi-watching TV. My throat is still really sore, kinda hard to swallow. So yeah, not dead, but feeling very icky. And I still have a ton of homework to do. *sigh* Going home tomorrow though!

I can’t seem to get inspired by my WIPs. I’ve got two pairs of socks and a mitten. Well, the mitten only needs the thumb and then the pair’s ready. I just so don’t feel like working on it though. And this whole having three projects at the same is driving me nuts. I prefer to be a monogamous knitter, two projects at the most if one of them is a bigger one like a sweater or a shawl. At least one of the sock pairs is almost done; both of the socks just need the foot and toe doing, then they’re done. The other socks just have half of the leg done on sock #1.

Plus I have homework that I feel I should do. There’s the first coursework piece that’s due in December, and now I have to come up with a story for 10 yr olds. And I’m coming up with nada. At least I know what I want to submit as coursework for Fiction and Children’s Fiction in January. Haven’t written it yet, but I do have ideas. And since I have no portable projects right now, I’ve designated the train commutes as reading time. I seem to be flying through The Duchess by Amanda Foreman (about half way through I think). I’ve also decided to alternate between non-fiction and fiction books. I’ve got two more non-fiction books (Alison Weir’s The Lady Elizabeth and one about the Mayflower pilgrims) but a ton of fiction books that I want to read as well. Now I just need to pick what I’ll read next.

O’s parents are coming over in a bit. I can’t wait until I get my own car so we won’t have to depend on them to give us a ride to the supermarket. I could walk to the supermarket get all of the food that I need, but O likes to buy lots of soda and other heavy and/or awkward things (like pizza and potatoes). And I can’t carry that stuff up hill in the awful weather we have here. I mean, I could, but then it’d take me all day (okay, just the morning) to do it and I feel it’d zap my creativity that occasionally strikes. That’s another thing that I noticed this week: I get the creative ideas of what I could write for class and stuff only to find out that there isn’t enough space in my notebook to write them down. I’ll have to start carrying around my peach colored multi-purpose notebook again. So far it contains sections of various knitting patterns, genealogy research stuff, writing ideas, general notes to myself…

Ooh ooh! I’ve got a picture of my first “proper” handspun! It’s all done on a drop spindle too. It’s about 180 yds in fingering weight (about 15 wpi) 100% wool. No idea what to make out of it though. Not enough for a full pair of mittens, but I might pair it up with something else to make mittens. Or I could add it to my scrap entrelac scarf I plan on making after I’ve gotten my WIPs done. With that scarf I’m basically trying to use up all of the leftover sock yarn I have hanging around. Still haven’t decided if I should knit up all of my sock yarn before I start it though. I’ve got about five skeins of various sock yarns hanging around (four of those will be socks, one might become gloves). We’ll see. Anyway, here’s the yarn.

The house is still a mess, but tomorrow I can finally vacuum again! Then it’ll be exactly 14 days since the exterminator came the second time and this time I hope the bugs stay away. I haven’t really felt like cleaning up when I’ve known that I can’t vacuum so tomorrow’ll be fun! And no, that’s not sarcastic. I actually do like to clean, especially when I’ve got good music to listen to while I do it. The first room I’ll tackle is the living room, then the dining room, then the kitchen and finally the bedroom & bathroom.

I’ve been trying out my Happy Housewife scents and so far I really like most of them. There are a few that I don’t like, but that’s the fun of being in a club. Get something new that I wouldn’t have thought of ordering and be happily surprised (lovelovelove the club exclusive scent! Will very likely be getting a bottle of that) and then there’ll be stuff that won’t work on me. And I don’t mind that, it’s just how body chemistry works. Like my sister has found her signature scent that smells wonderful on her, but when I tried it? Nuh uh. So I’ll be gifting some of my non-working scents to someone. I’ll offer them first to my sisters and if they don’t want them, I’ll have to find someone who does. :)

One more thing! I have dance shoes! They feel kinda low compared to the shoes I used to dance in, but I’ll get used to it. Lol, a 2 1/2 inch heel low. I used to think that was plenty high enough, but apparently not anymore. Anyway, at least these won’t have my slipping and sliding around the floor while doing the Jive and almost killing me. :D

We’ve got quite a few mugs and cups and glasses. Lots of them. But I’ve got some mugs/cups that have designated purposes. Like the blue mugs (two of them) are for morning tea for me and Oliver. And it’s always tea in them. Then there’s the green mug; that was mine (came with a matching bowl) but now that’s what I make his afternoon/evening tea in. The yellow mug (with matching bowl and teaspoon) is for both tea and coffee. Mainly tea though. The Florida mug that says “Julie” on it is mainly for coffee, thus mine since Oliver doesn’t drink coffee at all. There are two random mugs, a black one and a huge maroon one, that don’t really have a “purpose” in my head. But I usually have hot chocolate from the maroon one on the rare occasions that I make hot chocolate. Then there’s the black flowery cups that came with our cutlery and plates and bowls and coasters. Those are the ones that are given to guests. Because they match. It looks good. It’s all about the presentation. Then we also have some plain cream colored cups that are kind of like backups. And then there’re the hand-painted butterfly china cups that I bought from Greece. Those are for special occasions and thus haven’t actually been used yet. But they’re really pretty and I want to keep them that way.

The thing is, I haven’t actually consciously decided all of this. It wasn’t until last night that it came up. After taking us grocery shopping, Oliver’s parents stayed over for a bit, like they do. And usually I offer to make drinks (as in tea or coffee) while Oliver’s showing his dad stuff on the computer or something. But yesterday I didn’t. Again, not consciously deciding to not make anything, it just didn’t occur to me. So Oliver’s mom said that she’s going to go make some coffee. Okay, fine. She knows where things are. But because I hadn’t put away all of the dry dishes that were on the drying rack thingy next to the sink during the day, she went to take one of the mugs on there. A blue one specifically. She did ask if she could use it, and assuming that she could she’d already taken it off the drying rack. When I said no, it’s a morning tea mug, she looked confused and kind of taken aback. Then I explained this whole mug thing that I’ve got going on and offered her a different one (or maybe she suggested a different one, can’t remember). She made her coffee and then went out for a cig.

Anyway, this got me thinking. Is my mug preference thing odd? Oliver was there when I explained it to his mom and he seemed pretty surprised. When I asked him later today about it, he said that it’s unique, that it’s the first he’d heard of anyone doing the same thing. Do any of you have similar preferences (to anything really, this question isn’t limited to just drinking implements)?

Oh and those two matching bowls that I mentioned? They’re breakfast cereal bowls. Sometimes I eat ice cream or porridge out of them, but that’s very rare. So basically, they’re my designated breakfast bowls. I just don’t like eating cereal out of other bowls and the other bowls we have seem better suited for soups and stuff. *shrug* But that’s just me.

Guess who passed their driving test! ME!!!

And now I’m trying to decide which scents to get myself as a reward from Happy Housewife.

Augh so tired.

Went to Nottingham yesterday for the induction day. Had to get up at 7 am to make it there for 11am. Was okay, nothing too interesting.

Had day school there today. Again, had to get up at 7, even though I had to be there by 10:30. The train gets in at 10:25, so I missed about 30 mins of being shown how to use the uni’s search engines. Did figure it out by myself from the handouts though. They’ve got some really good stuff! The classes were really fun. Won’t go into too much detail now, maybe later on when I’m not practically falling asleep. But fun was had.

The downside is that I’m really beginning to severely dislike public transport. Especially the trains with all of the delays. And the bus schedules so don’t mesh with the trains. Class ends at 8pm on Monday, the next bus is at 8:15, gets to the station at 8:34 and guess what time my train’s supposed to leave? 8:34pm. Hrmph. The next one is over an hour later. Oh the joy. I can’t wait to get my license and car. Still need to master reversing around a corner though.

Term doesn’t even start until Monday and already we have been given an assignment: reading three 3000 word fiction pieces and critiquing them for Wednesday’s class.

Right, going to bed. Need sleep.

Posts

Food poisoning sucks

Let’s hear about cheese!

Well darn it

Music game time!

Goop galore

Eh…

General update-y goodness

Mug preferences

happy dance

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