Got back from holiday yesterday, and it was a terrific one; just me, the bike, and millions of Scottish sheep and cows (and the occasional B&B landlord). How to live like a hermit in Scotland for seven days...but I was able to do exactly what I wanted, whenever I wanted. Which involved an insane amount of cycling, because apart from having to see and do everything my tour guide had advised, there were some extras I needed to see (ring of standing stones, or the remains of the oldest church in Scotland, or a so-called otter pool without otters), and they all constituted at least a 15 mile detour. Whenever possible in the rain. Average cycling per day 35-45 miles, and the detailed report is to follow (so I don't forget, because for a place where 'nothing ever happens' I did manage to experience an insane amount, and I didn't even see the meteor shower!).
As the title suggest, this post is about my stay in the Osborne Hotel, and it was a very unfortunate end to an otherwise excellent holiday. There is nothing about this hotel that I can say that would shed ANY positive light on it; it was grim, extremely dirty (more on this later) with incompetent, unhelpful staff. The only good thing was that I managed to get a 'large whisky' (Glenmorangie) for 2.50 instead of five pounds, by acting shocked when I got charged a fiver for 'only one whisky'.
This was little compensation for THE PUBIC HAIR I FOUND IN MY BED, hidden between the sheets, or the hairs in the soap dish in the shower, or the mould on the strips next to the shower door, or the brown sheen in the toilet, or the water stain on the ceiling of the shower, or the shabbiness and disgusting state of the hotel in general.
Pictorial evidence not for the faint-hearted:
( beware, pictures are disgusting. )
The worst thing was, that when I mentioned having found that hair in my bed, the receptionist just stared at me and said nothing. Two second silence, before she tried again to make me pay five pounds for the whisky. When I asked her if she wasn't going to react at all, she just said it was a matter for the chambermaid and the manager, and that she'd make a note and get the manager to call me on Tuesday. No apology, no hint of embarrassment, no sign that this was anything out of the ordinary.
I know that 45 pounds is a low rate these days, but even for that price, I would expect something a bit more civilised than what I found here.
Eww.
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| Date: | 2008-10-27 17:08 |
| Subject: | Dammit! |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  bitchy |
Today was laundry day, so I put two loads in, and they're both done now, at precisely the time it starts hailing (and rain to come, probably). And my matchbox house hasn't even the room to hang up one load, let alone two. Fabulous.
The universe's way of ramming the point home that my holiday is now well and truly over? I get it, OK? Have been slaving over lesson plans for the worse part of the day already!
And my journal is now undead. Har har fabulous pre-halloween gag, guys!
Word of the day is therefore fabulous, as already used twice in this rant.
Moar lessons to plan, so a mercifully short rant, but I'll leave you with news that winter time is evil. And unnecessary in this modern era. Five o'clock dusk is preposterous! Making shorter days even shorter! It gets light an hour later, and dark an hour earlier. Where is the petition to abolish winter time?
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| Date: | 2008-09-19 22:03 |
| Subject: | Dragon egg |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  blah |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) starrose17 has come up with this new craze: dragon eggs. Of course I jumped on the bandwagon, and here it is!
And another two:  and 
Just for the record, it's mainly for the pretty pictures, and because they make nice-looking dragons.
In other news, my cat and I are both suffering from strep throat...which would be quite funny if it wasn't so painful. The animal has gone very hoarse, and never really melodious to begin with, she sounds as though she's smoked a pack today. It does mean that she gets pampered and snuggled and cuddled more than usual, but in a household of three cats feeding one only meat, and the other two dry food, without major fights breaking out is a challenge.
And now off to go get more lozenges (I hate lozenges! They're vile!)
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Again the commercial that makes my blood boil: 'carspotting'. There is a text service where you can enter a car's licence plate and it tells you how much it would cost (nice for second hand cars). There is one thing that puzzles me though: how does that service get its info without compromising car owners' privacy? As far as I'm aware licence plates are personal, and the fact that this information is available to the general public scares the living hell out of me. Yet another example of the sickness of modern society.
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I was thoroughly sickened this morning when I checked my friends' pages and found a link to the The Daily Kos with eye witness reports and video footage from the streets around the republican party convention in St. Paul. While it makes me profoundly grateful that I don't live in the US, the sight of police teargassing a man in a wheelchair is enough to have me livid for the entire day, and quite a few yet to come. And this is the pinnacle of the free western world? Whose influence governs all international politics, and who can overrule the UN with sickening ease? I knew they were rotten on the outside (or towards outsiders) but to treat your own citizens this way? Beyond repulsive.
And I pray to each and every God who will hear me that we don't have to see any more pictures on this site come November.
For all my flisters (and anyone else) who read this: please pass the link on, as it is highly likely that the mass media will not cover this (as also evidenced in the only mention of it being a supposed link (that turns out doesn't exist any more) in a Dutch newspaper, which had a two-page article about how women across the board in Holland admire Sarah Palin (making me wonder who the fuck they interviewed and where their collective brains are). And Dutch journos don't have anything to gain by keeping schtum...
So I have sent the link to GeenStijl.nl, which is the most likely candidate to post this.
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| Date: | 2008-08-26 22:43 |
| Subject: | Fail |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | blah |
...and I didn't make ten o'clock because the kitten was slow in getting out of the tree. But I am proud of myself: I didn't panic, I didn't think I had to climb in to get her (as if! it was dark by then!) and I calmly stood underneath the tree and banged a spoon on a can of meat for what seemed like half an hour. And like all her predecessors, she can't resist the sound of the can. In more worrisome news, the tom was squinting again, and the last thing I need is another eye-infection in the family (having just cured the kitten of hers). Since he has problems with his tear ducts, this is potentially quite serious. Bugger. And because eleven is the new ten, I am dragging myself off to bed (mental clock is weird: I have been really sleepy since about 9.45 pm). Gah. Next week: alarm at six am sharp!
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I just finished my last day at the book shop I have been working for the last seven years...and am struggling to let it sink in. It started as a student job, turned into a full time occupation for a while, and was an extra source of pocket money for the last year, when I made the step into education. And now I have to really commit to my career change, and hope I have chosen well. I am really going to miss the environment, and the weird and wonderful individuals who worked there. Especially Barry, with whom I had the most splendid Statler and Waldorf double act, where we'd gripe about everything that was wrong with the company, every Thursday. And the Fallic Gong, which we rang every time the pervy porn-addict came to buy his Big Butt magazines. It's been a marvellous break from reality, but time to move on now.
And speaking of moving on, there is this, my new recruit:
A kitten looking for a new home found a home looking for a new kitten! I just hope she doesn't end up dominating everything...although right now she has been chased up a tree by the neighbours' cat, and is caught at the top...and it's getting dark :O Fingers crossed!
In other news I have to get used to the new regime of getting up at six, so it's off to bed in half an hour (at ten!). Summer's truly over!
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| Date: | 2007-12-02 22:04 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  amused |
Muahaha we're going to read Of Mice and Men in class from next week on, and I found this picture
on lolcat!
And wiki has this to say on the subject of mice and men, and popular culture...and I am a cretin, as I only knew that the 'hug him and squeeze him...' line was from a cartoon...
As I haven't read the book yet, I am now definitely curious!
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| Date: | 2007-10-31 15:19 |
| Subject: | Old news |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: | amused |
Very belated, but oh! the possibilities...
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Now I don't regularly participate in memes, but this looked like a nice thing to do...snagged it from lovely_slyth's blog, so it's only fair to post it in my own blog asap.
Pay It Forward: I will send a small handmade gift to the first 5 people who leave a comment here on my blog. I don’t yet know what that gift will be, but you will receive it within 365 days. The only thing you have to do in return is "pay it forward" by making a similar agreement on your blog.
*sits down and waits*
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About a week ago, I had left one slice of bread (inside a bag) in the cupboard at work, taking it home at the end of the day. Gotten home I saw my bag was behaving oddly (it kept moving slightly), as was the cat in regards to the bag, as she kept pouncing on it. What eventually came out of the bag was not the cat (she never managed to break in), but the ABC canteen mouse, that had hitched a ride home with me. Neither the cats nor I managed to catch it, so I left the doors open almost constantly when I was home, thinking it would find its way out eventually.
Woe is me, and how inept are my cats!
This morning I was woken by the cats at six (nothing new here alas) trying to climb the curtains constantly (this is new, as only Lily made a habit of hanging in the curtains with her front paws). Threw a few toys at their heads and tried to get back to sleep but they were very persistent. So eventually I look up, and there, at the top of the curtains, about ten feet up, is the blasted rodent doing a balancing act. I tried to take a picture but it disappeared into a fold immediately, so I got out the little ladder, and I almost caught it, but it jumped down and is either behind the wardrobe or behind the fridge right now. Stupid cats! What the hell am I paying you for, hmmmm?! Dinner rations have just been reduced by ten per cent. Have to give the mouse points for tenacity and longevity though, as there is not much to live on here, and two (supposed) predators share its living space. Wish it would take the hint and bugger off into the garden though.
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I just had the most uplifting dream, that led me to waking with a huge grin on my face, and a 'that's riiiiiight' feeling inside (warm and fuzzy and all)
I was at a party outdoors with my parents, and there happened to be a wood festival nearby (Pagan rites? Renaissance fair? that kind of thing) that I felt myself immediately drawn to, so I went there instead. They had one activity in the heart of the fair that you had to get to by horse and cart, and I remember feeling as though I'd come home. My parents showed up too, and my mum fell under the sway of a healer for her back, and I left them to it to pursue my own interests, being merry and drinking just enough wine to get very happy indeed. My dad showed up and joined me in the wine, and we were relaxing together when word came that my mum had suffered a setback and needed to go to hospital. Dad wanted me to come along, but the pull of my heart was to the party in the woods, as I had not done the crucial activity yet, and wanted to soak up more of the atmosphere. He left, I stayed, but did feel guilty after a while, so asked whether there was enough time to take a cart back to the other party to check up on my mum's progress and then come back to the woods. People said they didn't know (the party was winding down), but I felt I had to try anyway, so got in a cart to head back. There was a jam at some point, and the horse keeled over, so the cart was stuck with me running out of time. I pulled the cart myself for a while (which was incredibly easy and light), but abandoned the idea in favour of just walking soon after. Then it veered into the bizarre, with me meeting Milo Ventimiglia on the road, and us establishing that we didn't know each other's names, but kept bumping into each other, and falling into easy conversation, him with an arm flung around my shoulders. He was then accosted by this girl I knew in school, Dieuwke, being all fangirly and asking for autographs and suchlike, and I gave her a witty but damning put-down with an added ' bye, Dieuwke!' in a funny voice at her retreating back, while Milo giggled. Turning to him I said 'yeah, I didn't like her in school anyway', at which he kissed me and I fluttered (and it has to be said I don't like the actor when I am awake, or maybe I think I don't, because the subconscious appears to disagree) and we stayed with the woodsy people and I just felt in place and at ease.
So I woke up with this huge grin, and then grabbed a book that felt right at that moment 'The Druid Way' by Philip Carr-Gomm, and it was so right, like coming home yet again!
The passage that stood out most clearly is this:
With psychological understanding, we discover that one of our central problems is alienation: from ourselves, from others around us, and from the world of nature. Psychotherapy began the task of putting some of the different parts of ourselves back in touch with each other, so that our minds were no longer alienated from our feelings or our bodies. Group psychotherapy began to help us communicate with others - thereby easing our sense of alienation further. Transpersonal or spiritual psychotherapies put us in touch with our 'Inner Selves' and with spiritual realities. But a further step is now necessary - we need to heal our alienation from the world itself. And so in response to this need, we are turning to a study and practice of traditional ways, of earth-religions, to rediscover our sacred connection with the world around us.
Now the combination of that dream, with that passage read right after waking, is as strong a sign as I have ever felt. So it will be heeded, and followed, and acted upon.
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Nicked from starrose
GRYFFINDOR:
[ ] You've never done drugs.
[x] You have a lot of friends.
[ ] You get along with everyone.
[ ] You love soccer.
[ ] You love baseball.
[ ] You're into writing and art.
[ ] Favorite music genre is rock.
[ ] You believe in "innocent until proven guilty" theory.
[ ] One of your favorite colors is red or gold.
[x] Good grades at school.
[x] One of the worst things you can do is lie.
[x] You plan on going to college.
TOTAL: 4
HUFFLEPUFF:
[ ] You're content with mostly everything in your life right now.
[x] You laugh a lot.
[ ] You like to follow trends.
[x] Politics suck.
[ ] You like to swim
[ ] Water polo is awesome.
[ ] Yellow is one of your favorite colors.
[ ] Black is morbid & depressing. (No he bloody well isn't!)
[ ] Michael Jackson is talented as a musical artist. (Muahahaha)
[ ] You're an optimist...
[ ] You're very emotional.
[ ] You believe in going steady at a young age.
[ ] You haven't made fun of anyone this month.
[ ] Loyalty is the one of the most important things in a relationship.
TOTAL: 2
RAVENCLAW:
[x] You're depressed to a certain extent.
[x] You love to read.
[x] You appreciate theatre & arts.
[ ] Sports suck.
[ ] Hate is completely unneeded.
[x] Indie is your favorite genre of music.
[x] Every once in a while you have little anger outbursts.
[ ] Lying is only sometimes okay.
[x] Blue is one of your favorite colors.
[x] Knowledge is the key to power
[ ] Sarcasm is the best kind of humor
[x] People should know what they're talking about before they talk.
TOTAL: 8
SLYTHERIN:
[x] There's at least one person you hate.
[ ] Basketball is a good sport.
[ ] Football is amazing.
[x] Black is a cool color.
[x] You've lied about something serious.
[x] You're a very deep person.
[x] You have considered suicide.
[ ] You are not very loyal.
[ ] You like heavy metal.
[ ] They make school seem more important than it is.
[x] You're scared to grow up.
[ ] Anger is one of your primary feelings.
[x] You have trust issues.
[ ] Guilty until proven innocent.
TOTAL: 7
Hmmm...intriguing, considering that I am seen most often as Gryffindorish, but what I said before I started all this sorting community malarkey still holds: Slytherclaw!!!
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| Date: | 2007-06-26 00:14 |
| Subject: | fillum! |
| Security: | Public |
Saw this on mypet_virus's lj, and thought it needed repeating! Awesome little filmlet...
Bushy...oh Buuuuushy!
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With the demise of the fellowship, and the consequent disbanding of the Vikings (yes I know that strictly speaking they're still around, but I am not touching anything bluish, or blue-built) I decided it was time to find a new internet community to join, and found this. Upon successful application it will grant you a place at Hogwarts Elite and l33t equals good *weg* (or maybe self-mocking grin...undecided).
So I went ahead and filled out an application that I thought was hilahrious and sure to get me a place, waited...and was utterly vilified. The process wasn't very good for my ego, and left me a bit bewildered, as I had thought that I had put enough counter-evidence for my bad points in so that people might see they were quite relative, but if nothing else it was a lesson in the power of selective reading. The one thing I am annoyed at myself about are the lengths I went to to get in, but I did genuinely think (and still do) that the community would have been good for me, and vice versa. And judging from the fact that the positive votes I did manage to get were of the same persuasion I do feel justified in that opinion. The thing to remember now is that on the whole, the negative votes weren't personal, and bear in mind (in case I apply elsewhere) that it is not a good idea to be too candid, and that tongue-in-cheek humour doesn't necessarily come across on the page.
I did have a laugh (even if slightly at my own expense) running around with a huge question mark over my head going 'I'm not a bad person! I have lots of friends and am very kind to animals!' It did actually hurt quite a lot getting the truly negative reviews, and yes, I know about heat and kitchens, but I hadn't realised the heat would be quite so nuclear. I can see where the possible animosity came from, but will file the whole experience as a misunderstanding, and hope to improve my representation of myself in future circumstances. Lesson learned and all that, but blowing only chances is always a very annoying experience. Self-pity whine over. ;)
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Had an interesting experience at the tram stop today: a group of eight-year-olds was looking at leaflets, and chucking them on the street after they were done with them. They had made quite a pile already, and there was a rubbish bin to the side, so there was really no need. Having contemplated going up to them and asking why they were littering instead of using the rubbih bin seemed tempting but chances of success were remote to nil, so I did the next best thing, and went over to pick up all the rubbish myself (right in front of the group) and chucked it in the bin under close scrutiny of the flabbergasted group.
The only other adult there then asked whether I was indigenous or immigrant (not sure why it matters, but indigenous it is), and why I did that, to which I explained that in this case teaching by example was the only chance available to reach them.
Imagine our delight when one of the boys actually went all the way to deposit the next flyer in the bin, and even picked up one that one of his group members had chucked on the road to put in the bin also. We were both delighted and I am very pleased that giving an example can still lead to favourable results. Not all street urchins are jaded beyond reach. Yay!
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Today was (would have been?) Lily's second birthday, and to celebrate I went out and bought a little Lily-of-the-valley plant to put on her grave. It still surprises me that mourning her has been a largely muted affair (apart from the actual burial when I cried buckets) when she meant everything to me when she was alive. I concluded that it is a form of denial; I still wonder what if nearly every day, and even though I know nothing could be done for her there is always the niggle of doubt whether if I had had the scan sooner the medicine would have caught on. Also it spooks me when Pippin does something that reminds me of Lily, and I almost resent him for displaying behaviour that is not his to adopt. The denial is not about whether she is dead therefore, it is about whether she needed to die; a far more unanswerable dilemma, as 'what if's can never be answered. I will allow myself the occasional rage about the unfairness of it all, and try to remember fondly what she was, without (as I have to admit I am often inclined to) dwelling too much on what more she could have been.
Happy birthday my darling, and you are indeed with the angels where you belong.
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Today Fay reaches the grand old age of two (Bina is her nickname-rhyming slang from Felina, or fay-lina), so there will have to be fresh fish later on (which Pippin will probably end up eating- Fay has yet to learn the precept of 'cats love fish'). Speaking of Pippin: surreal experience last week when talking to two other cat owners, and their cats' names turned out to be Lady Arwen and Smeagol. Tolkien geeks are everywhere!
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All my good intentions went to pot today, when it became clear I still cannot abide wilful stupidity, and ended up in a huge fight with my (admittedly totally inane) colleague. It was an unfortunate last straw, but after having corrected his mistakes repeatedly I blew a gasket. I hope some good will come of it, but a friend who used to be his manager describes the guy as a lost cause. Perhaps I have to think about finding a workplace where everyone at least has a brain.
In other news: back online!!! Thanks to my lovely friend Tjan I now have a temporary computer to use for internet and suchlike.
Every cloud has a silver lining. Or so I keep telling myself.
Sulk. Hope tomorrow will be better, but it is going to be the wrong person in charge again.
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My computer (christened 'Hell' by Joe because his was 'Heaven' in our little mini-network when we were in Delft) was very unimpressed by Joe's comment that it was about time that I got a new computer, and more underwhelmed by my agreement with that statement, and therefore has decided to give up the ghost in dramatic fashion. The fan had been working in overdrive for the last few days, and when I came home last night I found a computer that does nothing. at all. anymore. It does not even start, no lights, it is completely and utterly dead. So I am in for a few very uncomfortable days (on Monday I can pick up one of Joe's spares for the time being) as I confront the level of my addiction to cyberspace...
Boohoo and yah boo sucks and all that, and I will have to look at getting a new computer sooner than planned! (what is it with my dependents and dire predictions? First Lily taking the words of the echographer too seriously, and now this! Can all felines and appliances please stop listening to anything regarding the future??)
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crushed
nostalgic
bouncy