And now we are British
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: the Japanese Chamisan(?) man being really amazing on our radio
I blame the time change but at 8 o'clock we'd put in our 1st load of laundry, I'd done the dishes and was preparing breakfast, and Elisabeth was itemizing our bills and re-drafting our monthly budget. Amlmost but not quite up to the British standard of industriousness.

"Remember, by 9.30, the morning's 2/3's over."
-The League of Gentlemen

Random spooky Halloween happening: The right-most dial on our washing machine turned 360 degrees unprompted. Elisabeth witnessed it, so I'm not making it up. Any explanations???

Mmmm... gearing up for our favorite Sunday morning breakfast: Pancakes & maple syrup with spicy garlic potatos & mayonnaise; coffee, OJ & V8 with a shot of tabasco to kick us in the arse.

What with yesterday being Protestant work ethic day; today's lounge about get a haircut and pop by the pub day followed by see what the free Halloween heavy metal concert is like evening. And pita pizzas somewhere along the way. Always the pita pizzas.

1 tidy flat, coming up!
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: My wife singing along to Sheena Easton singing Morning Train (9 to 5)
The Dumbest Customer (A Rant)
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
By Stephen Allin

[The bookseller is quietly going about his duties. A customer and her daughter enter the bookstore.]

Customer: Do you have a book written by Trinny and Susannah?

Bookseller (Points to a prominent display): They?re right there.

Customer: How much are they?

Bookseller: With the 4 pounds off special, it?s 16 pounds.

Customer: Do you have other books by Trinny and Susannah?

Bookseller: Yes I do. If you?ll follow me, I?ll show you where they are.

[All 3 go to a part of the bookstore where Trinny and Susannah?s 4 other books are prominently displayed. The customer picks up two of them ? one has a gold cover and is titled WHAT NOT TO WEAR 1. The other is silver and titled WHAT NOT TO WEAR 2. Without looking at them:]

Customer: What?s the difference between these?

Bookseller: Well... that one?s the first book in the series and that one?s the ? second book.

Customer: How much are they?

[Bookseller looks inside the cover for the price.]

Bookseller: 6.99.

[Pause.]

Customer [quietly]: Do you think we can make a deal on the price.

Bookseller: Um, no. That?s the price. It?s printed on the book.

Customer: If I went to another bookstore would they give me a deal on the books?

Bookseller: No. The price is actually printed on the book. That?s its price. [Pause.] No matter where you go.

[Pause. The customer and her daughter stare at the books. The bookseller walks away. Later in the back room, a 6 year veteran of the business informs him that it?s not uncommon for people to ask if they can get a deal on books if they pay cash.]

Protestant work ethic
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Eddy Grant - "Electric Avenue"
Yikes! We've got to have guests over more often - Our flats filthy! Well actually, not really. Not any more, anyway because Saturday's Protestant work ethic day! Of course we do have help: Following a suggestion made by the billboard at our supermarket this morning, we took a trip to the 'Wines of the World' and met some charming chaps named Shiraz from South Africa and they're helping us with the tidying up. Elisabeth's doing the kitchen (A woman's place is in the...) and I've just wrapped up the bathroom ('cuz I'm so full of shit) <--Look Jenn, no asterisks!

Vacuuming's next for me. As soon as I've finished procrastinating-I-mean-blogging.

Elisabeth beat me again in Boggle in 5 straight rounds. She's found a website that allows her to practise and all this talk of early mornings and late evenings at work, I suspect is a ruse to Boggle by herself in her office.

The Boggle Score: 2 games vs. All the rest
Mood:  sharp
Now Playing: Humming Fridge
I am no longer a one-game wonder. Finally I have manged to reach 50 points in Boggle before Stephen. My second time beating him EVER!

Quickly, yes, I am still biking the 15 miles every day, and it IS getting easier. I am busy busy busy at work...and frankly cracking under the strain.

We're trying to plan some exciting activity for this weekend, now that we have 20 pounds to blow!

Stay tuned...

E-

Historic moment?
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: The Today show
As Elisabeth just said this morning: "This is a historic day. For the 1st time, we've got more money coming in than going out." Yep, I got my pay checque and, even though it only covers a weeks pay, it's taken care of our credit card for the next 56 days. Yep, we've actually managed to pay more than the minimum PLUS we've saved 20 quid for (hope, hope) another Sunday at the pub.

I've also at long last managed to score a cerdit card. Of the platinum variety, no less. Which should make 2005 very interesting considering that astronomical amount of debt we'll be able to accrue!

sheets of rain comin' down & a money rant
Mood:  spacey
Now Playing: sheets of rain comin' down
Ahh, a pleasant day - the only one E&I get to spend together this week. After a conversation (not an argument for once) about money, we decided that, yes, we could afford to pick up a paper and get a cup of coffee and then head to the pub for a few pints of beer and a two-for-one meal. Yes folks, at long last it looks as though we're able to afford spending 20 pounds on luxuries. After almost a year and a half we can do what most Britons do on a daily basis. My god, will the wonders ever cease?!?!

In other news; my mom's care package has arrived and, as followers of our comments section will know, I've now got more new socks and underwear than you can shake a stick at. Or at least a small twig. A sapling perhaps. Of the coniferous variety. Cedar perhaps. Or a white pine.

4 day work week for me coming up. Plus two pay cheques coming in sometime mid-week. ...of course mine goes right into paying off some of the credit card but oh my God look at that! It's a light at the end of the tummel! TuNNel!

Updates (...duh...)
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: Back - "minus"
Uh, nothing really to report; I suspect that Elisabeth'll have lots to say this weekend though. Fridays used to rock but I've got to work most Saturdays so they don't so much rock as roll along into another shift at the bookstore.

[BTW mom, I don't work most Mondays - the Friday I had when you were here was a one off.]

Man-o-man, it's depressing working retail when you have to deal with the public so much and you realize just what F***ing idiots most people are most of the time. It's stopped being cute and is just depressing. I've been warned that they'll become stupider as we approach Christmas - Adults who have never been in a bookstore are the nightmare AND the reality this lad will have to face off with. Arg!

Oops! Dinner's up.
Toodleoo!

AAAH!
Mood:  don't ask
Angelfire just ate the blog entry I typed out!
Boo Angelfire!
Oops. Never mind.

stuff??
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Radiohead
Man-o-man, 2 incomes = nothing to report. Except, perhaps the Boggle score: Elisabeth: 1.5 / Stephen: all the rest. I give her a ".5" because I was tired last night, making dumb mistakes and she would have beatem me [maybe] if we'd kept it up.

>sigh< so many silly customer questions, I can't single any one out to type out. Jeeze, shopping malls make people dumb.

Your mission for this weekend: watch Dawn of the Dead (The original not the remake) to see what I deal with for 37.5 hours a week. Except in a British accent. With the occasional American-who-thinks-they're-reconnecting-with-another-American. Except I don't play along; just give them the condescending-with-a-side-order-of-pity smile all the other booksellers give them.

update
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: BBC news at 1
Oops! Almost no updates for a week. Well honestly, nothing much has been going on. This past weekend was our first weekend in a month where we had absolutely nothing going on so we spent Saturday at the French & continental market and splurged on some tasty French pastries. Oh, and I got socks mom; I finally got socks.

...otherwise not much; catching up on sleep and counting down the days to the time change where England will be plunged into 20 hours of darkness a day.