Next stop: Rome Now Playing: Tom Waits - Real Gone Topic: Stephen Says
It's been a while since there's been any real news. I'm laying low because my old manager has it out for me after springing the whole awards thing on him and he knows that I'm hard to embarass so I'm pretty much just watching my back and being innately suspicious of any phone calls from people whose voices I don't recognize.
I've been to the Optomitrist for the 1st time in years and the good news is that my eye-sight hasn't changed. The maybe bad news is that I've gone and bought new glasses and they're a pretty big style change and I don't know if I've gone and done very bad with them. They're insured at the very least so if Elisabeth walks through the door tonight and looks aghast, I can arrange a little accident with them. I'm also claiming them on my health insurance policy which is pretty cool because I bought an astronomically expensive pair that I'll pay very little towards from my own pocket.
So yeah, we're off to Italy tomorrow and I'm also looking forward to the few hours we'll get in Paris. My mission: (1)Eat noting but pizza while in Rome and (2)buy a new pair of shades because the pair that I got in the U.S. just seem to be getting uglier and uglier by the day.
I'm also procrastinating while working on my NVQ assignment. I keep thinking what a nice day it is and how I should go out again. Maybe pick up a paper and go to the pub. In fact, I will.
OK, maybe I overstepped the boundries but... Now Playing: Ministry - Rio Grande Blood Topic: Stephen Says
A few weeks ago I covertly nominated my old manager for charity worker of the year to our local crap mall (Wolsey place)(As opposed to the Peacocks Centre, which is our less crap mall) as a laugh. But everyone thought that his humiliation would be funny if he actually showed up to accept his award and plans (i.e. lies) were made and we ambushed him this afternoon where he got to hang with the local press and meet the mayor with all the other nominees. I'll see if I can get the actual news article up but here's a video I made of the event with my new handy-dandy camera. And I know the resolution's crap but it was my fisrt video ever.
Too precious.
I've managed to scam most of the week off to get things ready for our trip to ome this weekend but unfortunately most of my time off will be spent on NVQ coursework so it won't be all shits & giggles.
How is it Sunday and Almost Monday? Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
What's happened? Why am I going back to work tomorrow already?
The weekend has been mostly spent with our friends from south africa. Friday night I tutored their 15 year old son, which actually went very well. We'll finish the assignment tomorrow.
I had a driving lesson Sat. morning...I had to start on hills, and I never once rolled back. He's a very good instructor. I drove for the entire hour as well, through little villages and countryside. Very fun.
Stephen worked 2-10 on Sat. and is working 9:30am with a sleep-in until 3:30 on Monday. Yikes!
Saturday night I went with the south african family to a party. Their friend's daughter, who I had taught a couple of piano lessons to, had turned 21. I drank lots of white wine and ate lots of cake.
Today's been a hodge podge. I went with Stephen to work to fetch my bicycle which has been stored in the shed since June. Not surprising was that both tires (or should I spell it tyres?) were flat, and one just wouldn't inflate. So I had to push it all the way back home. Stephen and I have agreed that we'll get rid of/recycle this bicycle, and both of us get proper bikes.
This week will hopefully get swallowed up, as Friday we head out to Rome! Ms. Cianca, here we come!
Don't feel like writing a title Mood: incredulous Now Playing: Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park Topic: Stephen Says
I'm so out of it that all day yesterday I was convinced that it was Friday and when someone pointed out to me that it was Wednesday, I wanted to cry.
That said, there's been a big ol' blow up with a fellow at another mental health organization and I've written a kick ass letter that should result in getting him fired. It involved a quarter of a page of people I c.c.ed it to including CEO's of his charity and head psychiatists (Can't remember their formal title) of the local mental health team. Fun, fun, fun. I can't wait for the inquest so I can watch this putz go down in flames.
(Hmm, I wonder if bumping into that Polish Pschmuck the other day blasted be an overdose of nemesis karma into me and now I've got a new asshole trying to bring me down to contend with.)
Anyway, in celebration of the shit hitting the fan (Amongst various other work-related disasters that may include an amputation), I bought a lovely sauvignon blanc and whipped up baked walnut and gorgonzola tortollini in a spinache and tomato sauce with organic courgette shreds only to remember that Elisabeth's got a big ol' meeting tonight so the food and drink is all mine tonight.
Tomorrow's my day off and I've shunted the POVA meeting I was supposed to attend to one of my collegues so that I can have an actual day off and, in traditional MACA fashion, use it to get boozy.
Hoovering Salamanders Now Playing: BBC 4 Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I drove myself home today from my lesson. Those roads I thought would be impossibly tight to drive through, I drove through! I stalled once, but hey. It's good goin'
I feel like the cracks are starting to show at work. Instead of being resigned, patient, submissive, I find myself humming tunes, making sarcastic declarations, calling everyone "Sir" or Ms. and Mr ______. Don't get me wrong--I'm still very efficient and get the job done, but I'm worried that I'm starting to get too comfortable, so that the facade is cracking.
So I'm contemplating going back to univeristy in a years time. London or Toronto? We'll have to see.
Tomorrow I'm going to the YMCA for the monthly volunteer meeting, and will arrange a time to discuss theatre ideas. I'm thinking improv & theatre games to ease into things, and then exploring Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed.
Typical Topic: Stephen Says
I left work and 1 minute out the door it began to pour with rain and so I trudged to Sainsburys in wet jeans to do my shopping. As I waited outside for things to clear up, eating a brie, grape & fruit chutney triangle sandwich, the Polish idiot who tried to do me up for sexual harassment bumped into me where he tried to play some kind of asinine one-upmanship game of macho stupidity dealing with travelling over Europe (Except he'd forgotten if I was Canadian or Australian and wasn't aware that I was well aware of his [lack of] job history since getting fired from the charity). I just ate my sandwich as a response, too bored to deal with this Pschmuck who almost cost me my job. Weird because 6 months ago I would have been trying very hard not to be shouting at him. Elisabeth pointed out how much he dominated my life (for the worse) back then and now I don't even think of him. Even today when I saw him, I didn't get stressed out - just thought 'Huh, well this is going to be akward for him, not me,' and just kept eating my brie, grape and fruit chutney triangle sandwich.
Blah, it's just me pointlessly blogging because I'm in a poo-kinda mood (Pity there's no emoticon for poo) Mood: irritated Now Playing: Steel Pole Bath Tub - Scars From Falling Down Topic: Stephen Says
1 more week to go running the project and it can't end soon enough. It's not that I can't handle it (I can), it's that I don't have any deputy to deferr to which means that I'm doing both roles and it's a lot to deal with staff, resident & paperwork-wise and things started to kick off this weekend and this week is only going to get worse as the repercussions snowball.
And then I realised that I've been scheduled to attend this big meeting with all the local social workers this Friday and that's my day off so I'll probably have to go to it anyway for a couple of hours and get my brain sucked out. If I'm lucky.
...I've been meaning to blog about Bulgakov but so far I've only been able to struggle through to chapter two. It has, however, enlightened me into the ulterior plans with regard to Bush's so-called War on Terror:
You see, in the book, Pontious Pilot is aghast that Bar-Rabban is pardoned and that Jesus sent to be crucified but the justification is that an idea (spread peacefully) is more dangerous than a violent revolutionary because those kinds of people will mar the message and create a physical embodiment that soldiers can battle and countries can go to war against.
So you see, this is why Osama Bin Laden is being allowed to live safely in Pakistan and the discussion is about what an evil religion of extremists Islam is. Because if the tenants of Islam were to be explored and if people understood that it, like, technically, all religions, it was about peace & love, there would be no one to fight. We'd all understand one another, the corporations wouldn't make billions, Bush would be indicted for voter fraud back in 2000, tens of thousands of people would be alive today, hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't face the scars of experiencing war, etc.
Because, you know, if religions got along then people might want to convert to ones that aren't Chritian and the rapture might be delayed enough so rich white people might get affected by the environmental destruction they're brining about.
Bleah, I'm not expressing myself as clearly as I want to. I've also just checked and there are 32 chapters to The Master an Margarita (Plus epilogue). So by my estimation, I should finish the book around autumn 2007.
Thank you, Bank Holiday Monday! Mood: happy Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
My father left us this morning after a lovely visit. Last night we went to the PROMs to see Mozart's Requiem and thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you're interested, read this article by George Monbiot on the linkage between the incease in childhood mental illness, with the increase of GDP.
It's been a very relaxing bank holiday from work, and I'm actually please to say that it's 4 day working week with no plans for this weekend (other than Stephen having to work).
I Suck. Topic: Stephen Says
The piece of junk cell phone I used to have died on me earlier this week. I don't really need a cell phone other than it's extremely handy to have one for work and now I've gone and bought (With Elisabeth's urging) a relatively new fangled one with built in Mp3 player, camera, video, etc and am just a great big bewildered nerd now trying to hook the phone up to the laptop so that my ring tone will be some song that I can't even think of right now.
Elisabeth & Dan are in London and off to the Proms tonight. I'm being a big, lazy nerd.
A big lazy nerd who was going to blog about something but has forgotten because his cell phone has eaten his brain.
Dive Bombing Mood: not sure Now Playing: Neko Case-Fox Confessor Brings the Flood Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Tired, Tired Tired...but it's really sunny, warm & it's Friday before a bank holiday weekend...
We ordered pizza, have each cracked open a beer, and can do little more for the rest of the evening.
Last night we met a couple of Stephen's old classmates down in Islington. 2 4 1 cocktails = 0 alchohol so I wasn't hung over this morning after a Mojito, Bloody Mary and Polish martini but instead just tired, tired tired.
I got Boal's Games for Actors & Non-Actors today from Amazon. Hopefully I can use this with the YMCA thing.
incredulous
irritated
happy
not sure