Curses

Just stealing a quick second here at work to let you know my Internet is broken - has been since Wednesday - but should be fixed by tonight or tomorrow.

I know you were crying in your pillows.

This is me, unconnected.

Exciting News

The travelogue will come soon - tomorrow maybe - but first, some exciting news from The Other Side Of The World. My sister, M2, her husband PIT - along with big brother Squishy and big sister Rosy - welcomed baby Ecru on July 12th:Barely into the 12th he was born a few minutes past midnight. Weighing in at a respectable 9lbs 7ozs and 21 inches long, he looks exactly like he belongs in the family:

Because they live so far away, we don't see my sister's children as they grow into each phase of their faces. It's a sudden thing instead of a gradual shift, so it was highly amusing to see how Rosy now looks EXACTLY like her mother and though Squishy has his father's chin, his expression and hair style is the twin of my baby brother, his Uncle SLB. Baby Ecru just looks disgusted with it all:

I delayed so long in posting because we didn't have a name until twenty minutes ago when it was posted on Facebook. (It's not real 'til it's on Facebook.) My sister is apparently inclined to have only girls as she has a dozen or so female names picked out and Rosy was christened almost before she opened her eyes. The boys however have each had to wait two or three weeks while an appropriate moniker was selected. Still, I expect little Ecru won't remember not having name, so it's okay:

This is me, Aunt again.

Best Houseguest EVER!

While Tarzan and I were gone, ATL had a friend over for the weekend.
We didn't mind; she's nice and they had fun and there was someone else to remember to feed and pet the cats.
Her plane left almost as ours got in so we didn't see her to say good-bye but look at what she left for us:

To thank us for letting her stay in our house!

This is me with the best houseguest EVER!

Procrastination

We're leaving town tomorrow morning - EARLY tomorrow morning - as in 4am tomorrow morning - to meet up with Tarzan's family for QC's graduation.
We've known for months now and we'll only be gone for three days.
So why have I left the packing and everything until a few hours before?
So that I can avoid this:Which is this:And this:

This is me, and it's every time we get ready to go.
P.S. There will be Internet but I am not bringing my laptop so I don't know if I will get to post. If not then definitely on Monday.

Or Something

I must be some kind of amazing. I went to pick up my book - granted, it's 1437 pages, so heavy though a paperback - it slipped and I broke my middle fingernail in three places and the adjacent ring fingernail in half.

This is me and there has to be a place for talent like that right?

To Jean Or Not To Jean?

Usually, I would not darken the door step of Wal*Mart. I some issues with the way they do business and all that. But I overheard a conversation - while in one of the many lines I stand in on a Saturday - where two ladies were discussing this brand of blue jeans. According to them, the jeans fit really well - with an actaul waist, not this hip hugging nonsense that is going on all over - are not rediculously expensive and are at Wal*Mart.
I am short and round and have a terrible time finding jeans that fit and look decent, and the one pair that I have that fits all the criteria is developing some holes in some not holy places.
So I went to Wal*Mart.
And there they were. Real jeans - not the pre-worn looking stuff with holes already in them - in my size, in EVERYone's size actually, with a Tall, Medium and Short for all the numbers too. There were various shades of ble and they fit. It was a pretty emotional moment.
So, do I buy them and become hypocritical because previously I wouldn't buy things at that store? Do I not buy them and possibly not find a good pair of jeans again? Don't laugh, it's happened before, my deciding to wait on an item because "I don't really need it right now" and then not being able to find it ever again. Ever.
So I'm stuck between my principles and being decently clothed. What is a girl to do?

This is me, caught on the horns of a dilemna

Sleepy

I am constantly amazed that cats can sleep in positions like they do:

This is me and he's a sleepy kitty.

To Be A Painter

I call it 'Still Life With Hydrangea':

This is me with a picturesque table.

Note For The Future

I learned something day before yesterday. Something about myself that I thought was true for years and years is not actually true.
I do not want an island in my future kitchen.
I KNOW! This is HUGE news!
For as long as I remember, any kitchen I have had the privilege to call my own has needed work. Improvements. Upgrades. And I thought for sure one of those would have been an island. Every kitchen you see in the movies or on TV has one. All the upgrade magazine include a new fancy island for the kitchens.
But after Wednesday's adventure I don't think I would like one.
My job is kind of vague in the description part. Basically I do whatever Aunt Richie asks me to do. I pay bills, Internet shop - this is a job?! - and then return things, label, file, laminate - there is a lot of that - help the books and art breathe, make and take and reschedule appointments. Occasionally I venture out of the office and into other areas of the house.
The other day she decided to make a tart with the fresh plums picked from her yard. Then stuff happened and she got distracted and in an attempt to stay on track asked if I would make the tart. I was flattered but a little overwhelmed to be let loose in her kitchen. I mean, our entire house would fit in her kitchen.
Seriously.
But I have also been a little anxious to be able to see all the cool tools she has and to play in such a fantastic space. So I dove in.
Let me tell you, it can put a girl off her game to have her employer, a granddaughter and all the house staff watch her make a quasi-fancy dessert in a strange kitchen. It was tough. And enlightening. The island kept getting in my way. Every time I wanted something, it was on the other side of the counter and I had to walk out and around. When the timer on the oven went off I was on the wrong side of the room and everyone came running before I managed to get it turned off. (They don't use the oven timer much.) Granted, Aunt Richie's kitchen is HUGE and the island in the middle is more than four feet across, so really it's like another room inside the room, but still. Having to go around to reach things, or reach across; much more inconvenient than I would have imagined. And unless I can get what I want and where I need to be without a half marathon it's not going to be worth it.

This is me and that's what I learned at work.