chesneycat

Odd dreams.

2008-05-11T21:22:47Z

I have odd dreams. Seriously odd dreams.

Last night... well, I know where it came from - reading about aranel13's potential new kitten shortly before bed and a discussion with tekaranlady a few days ago somehow combined in my subconscious to produce the following.

I dreamed that I was breast-feeding a cat.

Help?

The Bluebell Post.

2008-05-10T08:21:25Z

What do you do on a (more-or-less) sunny bank holiday monday? The same thing as everyone else in Redditch, judging by the overflow carpark at Coughton Court. I've been there once before, back when the National Trust first started gtting a slice of the pie... back in the days when it was the sole concern of the Throckmortons, we avoided it - my mother in law used to work as PA for the lady in question, and managed to set a long-service record that was unheard of in recent history: all of four months. Anyway, it's now fully NT run, and free to visit for us lucky members.

I'm going to miss the NT out here. And English Heritage. Germany doesn't really have anything that fills the same role, and it shows.

So. Bluebells. We had to trek through some gloriously squelchy mud to reach them, but it was worth it. [Did you know that only the most ancient woodlands have well established patches of extensive bluebells, because they're that slow to spread?] Anyway, I think I'll let them speak for themselves.

Springtime in England

2008-05-09T16:09:52Z

I've finally got round to uploading some of my photos from my recent trip back home to England.

First, my cousin Andrew's wedding. I know family weddings aren't all that interesting to outsiders, but I managed to get a wonderfully, embarrassingly bad picture of the bride and groom:

And here's how they're meant to be looking!

This is also the law of conservation of [my name] in action. One of my cousins (Andrew's sister in fact) is another Kath. She just married out of the surname last year, only to have Kate marry into it! I suppose I shouldn't find it too surprising really - we're all more or less the same age, and Katherine was the most popular girls name the year I was born, and certainly high up for a few years either side as well.

Next post - Coughton Court Bluebells.

Things I never expected... part 2

2008-05-09T10:18:30Z

I was a little premature with my last post.

The next [and hopefully final] addition goes thusly:

I never expected to find myself vomiting blood.

*sigh*

I've just got back from hospital, having had the full german ambulance treatment on wednesday night. A day and a half of blood tests, monitoring and an endoscopy later, I apparently don't have any bleeding in my throat or any bleeding ulcers, but I do have a minor hernia, and can add antacids to my daily menu for the foreseeable future.

Huh. This also explains all the belching.

Things I never expected from the first trimester...

2008-05-07T12:52:10Z

Still being sick at 13 weeks plus. It's such a contrast to Roo - god, if I don't get sick for as long as this in any subsequent pregnancy, it's really going to prey on my mind. I expect I'll have to tattoo 'every pregnancy is different' onto my forehead or something. So yeah, I'm still vomiting. I even lost my dinner last night, and have had a few iffy spells today, but that's probably because I ditched the vomex pills in favour of the acupressure bands. Anyway, I've made my mind up now. I'm not throwing up any more, not unless I really don't have any say in the matter! On the plus side, at least post-meal sickness doesn't have the same acid-scald as first thing in the morning bile...

Round Ligament Pain. So THAT's what I've been feeling every now and then, right from day one. Huh.

Itchy, itchy nipples.

Gas. I'm really feeling for what Jez's Nanny Nora went through during her last year, because I'm doing exactly the same thing - belching for Britain. I can't figure out where it's all coming from. Am I swallowing air in my sleep? Osmosis? Or do we produce this much of it naturally? I guess I'm erring towards the latter, on the basis of one other thing - I've stopped farting. People normally fart pretty frequently (and pretty innocuously if you're lucky), and I was no exception, until now. Kath is now a fart-free zone.

Hungry days. Most of the time, I eat pretty normally, and much slower than I used to - my digestion has definitely changed pace. But every now and then, I get a hungry day, when I simply cannot stop eating.

Then there are the things you read about, but don't give all that much credence to. My skin is wonderfully soft and glowy - it gave me away at my cousin's wedding this weekend. Dad had mentioned my pregnancy to his brothers after the ceremony, but hadn't got round to all the nephews and nieces yet, when one of them mentioned to our mutual uncle how, well, glowy I was looking. "There's a good reason for that!"

Ah well. It's all going well, as far as I can tell. I've got a couple more appointments tomorrow, one with the haematology professor, and the other for a nuchal translucency scan. Fingers crossed...

chesneycat @ 2008-05-02T07:40:00

2008-05-02T06:48:00Z

"Here are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish."

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Iliad
The Time Traveler's Wife
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

48. Not bad. There's a dozen more on Mum's bookshelf at home (which she has read, but I haven't got round to yet) so it ought to go up a bit more next time I visit.

Futuristic!

2008-05-01T10:35:13Z

Man regrows severed fingertip. <--BBC news article is thataway down the link.

Read it, watch the videos, or just look out for the story in your preferred news media outlet. This is truly a phenomenal piece of medical technology, straight out of SF.

Wow.

[OTOH, it's probably all just bollocks...]

This time last year...

2008-05-01T09:49:55Z

... I was lying in a bed in the Hallamshire, just down the road from here.

Today, I'm a little over twelve weeks with number four, and I've got a hell of a lot to be thankful for aside from the obvious. Looking back, a few things stand out. How amazing everyone around me was, how compassionate and supportive. My friends around the world who kept me in their thoughts, my family, and those I know who've been through the same thing and reached out to me, some of whom were in the middle of their own dark hours at the time.

This is Roo's legacy. A helluva lot of love. We were deepened by what we went through, Jez and I, and given such a great gift alongside the pain. Everything wonderful in the world was thrown into bright relief, our selves included. It broke our lives apart, a crucible or a chrysalis, and it fucking hurt. That's change, I guess. Change and growth, and the fact that nothing truly worthwhile ever comes easy. Growing and healing took time, and it was undeniably hard, and I won't pretend we're anywhere near finished with it. I don't think I want to. Coming of age, growing up... you set yourself all these landmarks as a child and as an adult, and they really mean nothing. What use are they, except as walls to hem yourself in? Life is a continuum, in every way. We're analogue, unquantised, the butterflies of chaos.

So. I'm not just thankful for current little one, though that does take an immeasurably large part of it. Nor my own strengths, the parts that were lent or given and the parts I always had unfound within me, though they were certainly invaluable when we faced the same pain again and again, and through all the crises we've been through in the last three months. I certainly don't pretend that it's all going to be plain sailing from here onwards either; it'd be nice if these experiences gave you a kind of get out of jail free card for life, but it doesn't work that way. And it doesn't matter, because we've been gifted, all of us, with the scope to keep going and to keep living, to see those crumbs of hope, the lights in the darkness, the people we love or who love us that keep us living. I think Yoda said it best.

Luminous beings are we.

Hell, YEAH!

2008-04-30T08:34:26Z

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7373940.stm

The UK has been left looking like an "unreliable" and "incompetent" partner for international science, according to a committee of MPs.

...

The study pins much of the blame on the head of the main funding body, and says "urgent changes must be made".

...

"We are at a loss to understand how Professor Mason could think that secretive reviews would have anything other than a divisive effect on the community and undermine confidence in any of his future decisions."

They also condemned "lamentable" communications, which had ultimately cost the STFC the "trust of the community".

"We conclude that STFC's communications are inadequate, particularly its internal communications," the report said.

"This raises serious questions about the role and performance of the chief executive, especially his ability to retain the confidence of the scientific community as well as to carry through the necessary changes."

Some suggest this is a thinly-veiled call for Professor Mason's resignation."

Abso-bloody-Word.

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!

2008-04-25T09:12:45Z

Del Toro's going to direct The Hobbit. I'm not too sure about the whole concept of the purported 'sequel', and I imagine that some of the hardcore fans will be spitting furiously... but perhaps if they concentrate on The White Council vs. The Necromancer it might not be totally irredeemable.

Ah well.

Del Toro!

Yay!

[Of course, this means I have to add tOR.n back to my daily reading list as well.]

Chesney, again.

2008-04-15T10:06:21Z

Jeremy from the cattery is making his way over to the vets right now, to be with Chesney at the end. He loves Chesney to bits, nearly as much as we do. The vet really doesn't see any hope for him at all, and it'd be very, very cruel to force him to hang on at this stage.

So this is goodbye.

Shit.

Chesney

2008-04-15T09:41:54Z

Chesney's at the vets.

It's not looking good.

Mugabe's on the way out!?

2008-04-01T17:13:18Z

Wahey! About bloody time, too.

chesneycat @ 2008-03-14T16:01:00

2008-03-14T15:05:04Z

I've just had a rather interesting review for this drabble over on the Pit of Voles.

The review goes thusly:
Most of these stories are very believable. This one, chap 79, is not. Hatchlings don't attack those they don't choose unless that person stands in their way while searching for or making their way to their rider. The little queen would lock eyes with the candidate and then, upon not finding what she was looking for, ignore the girl and continue to search for her lifemate. She wouldn't take time to attack the girl. These babies hatch *hungry* and want to find their food provider as quick as possible.

Oh. Dear.

That particular drabble? Describes the hatching of probably the most famous queen dragon on Pern.

*attempts to smother giggles*

*fails*

Tell it to Anne, dearie. But you'd better hurry, because the failboat leaves in the next five minutes....

I can haz apartment photos?

2008-03-12T19:06:22Z

It's photo-dump time!

This is Kirchheim. We'll be living about 5mins walk from the town centre, which looks like this. It's rather pleasant, really.

Our landlord was waiting for me outside the house, so I didn't get a chance to take any external shots, but nevermind.

This is the lounge. Yes, those are ceiling tiles, yes the lights are a little dated, but I think we can live with that. As for the building site over the road that you can see through the window, it's almost finished with. Not a problem.

The bathroom - no smaller than the one we have in Sheffield.

Main bedroom, south facing window, more dodgy lampshades. But at least it's big!

The hallway, looking westwards towards our front door. It has built in shoe/coat cupboards...

The smaller bedroom, still south facing

The dining room, looking towards the smaller bedroom. Doors to the hall and kitchen are to the right. We'd possibly need some storage units in here for things like the dinner service, maybe...

The 'Wintergarten', or sun-room as we Brits would probably call it. N&W windows over the garden, curved wooden seating, looking in the opposite direction to the photo above. What a lovely reading room, eh?

The kitchen. Small, but it's got all you really need. The yellow door is into a pantry.

The garden! With umpteen different fruit trees, tame brambles, raspberries, rhubarb, beetroot and all sorts of other goodies. Lower maintenance than our current garden...

Not bad!

Lost in translation #1

2008-03-10T15:08:37Z

As seen on the door to our canteen, explaining the recent price rises for some food items:

After 4 years of consistency, we apologise for your understanding.

I know, I know, if the boot were on the other foot I'd do a hell of a lot worse. But that doesn't stop these things being funny (or if not funny, mildly amusing at the least) does it? [And at least a brief giggle keeps my mind off tomorrow.]

Anyway, if you want to come up with a more literal explanation for that sentence, be my guest. I'm just too tired to quite wrap my head around the un-meant meanings yet...

spam

2008-03-08T08:19:18Z

No, not AMCF spam. REAL spam!

Dear email recipient,

Our random generator has JUST selected your email address [address removed] from 500.000 newsletter recipients as a possible winner
of an Audi A3!!!

500-point-zero zero zero? I've heard of someone only being half a man, but that level of precision is sheer lunacy! And why, why, why would I ever want to be an Audi Driver? Or be so excited about it I'd stick that many exclamation marks in there???

SELECTED EMAIL RECIPIENTS ALSO RECEIVE:
1. further additional prizes (Camcorder, Sony PSP, .)

...membership in SpamBot Central's list of the gullible, a cuddly toy, a cheque book and pen

2. even a chance of winning 2 Audis

Because when you've won an Audi, all you want is to win another couple more...

Nope. I think not.

Guess what?

2008-03-07T20:45:29Z

I HAVE THE APARTMENT I WANT!!

Yay!

It's in the suburb of Kirchheim, well connected to public transport, good shops nearby (including a bakery/cafe next door. Mmmmm!), a decent size with a large garden and a small sunroom. Oh, and the garden has fruit trees, and rhubarb, and beetroot and all sorts of other goodies.

And I don't have to pay a deposit of 2 months rent, or a fee of 2.38 months rent...

SO much yay!

Of course, I'm going to spend the first week eating re-heated bolognese and sleeping on an air mattress, but that's not too bad.

chesneycat @ 2008-03-06T18:54:00

2008-03-06T17:54:17Z

Just spotted this on Scalzi's Whatever...

chesneycat @ 2008-03-04T09:52:00

2008-03-04T08:53:33Z

77
Time was the biggest factor here, and the amount wasted on figuring out how to enter the UK, the US and the Netherlands. It also wouldn't accept the people's democratic republic of congo - I'm sure thats the new name for Zaire.

pic 'n' mix

2008-03-01T10:53:06Z

Well, I've narrowed down this weekend's flat selection to twelve, and hopefully they won't all be gone by monday! There's bound to be at least one good one in there!

While I wait for the rain clouds to move away, I think I'll crack on with the Longest Meme in History!

Name: Katherine
Nicknames: Kath, Little Mouse
Location: Heidelberg
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Hair Color: I've just dyed it, so it's a dark coppery auburn rather than mouse
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5'5"
Birthday: December 17
Year Born In: 1977

Fallen down the stairs?: Yes, many times. And out of trees and lofts.
Fallen off the balcony?: Not for want of trying
Broke a bone?: Collar bone, falling out of loft
Fainted?: Almost. I get Postural Hypotension, so almost-blackouts are part of my daily routine. And then there was the time I nearly lost consciousness in hospital, but I don't think that counts.
Got cheated on?: I bloody well hope not!
Kissed someone?: Yes
Lied to someone?: Yes. Oh, come on! Who hasn't?
Been in a fist fight?: A hair-pulling fight.
Fallen for your bestfriend?: Who else would I ever fall for?
Been in love?: Definitely
Cheated on someone?: Nope.
Burned yourself?: Yes. I still have the scar from that cookery lesson on my right arm.
Caught something on fire?: I was a right little pyro in Girl Guides. Fires were my specialty.
Made out?: Yes
Snuck out?: Not really
Pulled an all nighter?: Yes.
Been to jail?: No
Skipped school?: Not that I recall.
walked alone at night?: Yes
Smoked a cigar?: No.
Stolen a car?: No
Seen someone die?: No
Shoplifted?: No
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?: No
Been arrested?: No.
Had a crush on a teacher?: More of a fascination than a crush.
Been on a plane?: Yes
Purposely set a part of yourself on fire?: What the fuck? Of course not!
Been snowboarding?: Never, and I've no desire to do so in the future.
Taken painkillers?: Yes. Who hasn't?
Laid on your back and watched the clouds go by?: Yes. Right now, in fact.
Questioned your heart?: Yes
Been obsessed with post-it notes?: Probably.
Squished barefoot through the mud?: Yes.
Been lost?: I don't believe in lost. There's times I haven't known where I was, but I was never lost. Just keep walking, and it'll all make sense eventually.
Been to the opposite side of the country?: Yes, in several different countries too!
Swam in the ocean?: Yes , several oceans
Felt like dying?: Yes, every now and then
Cried yourself to sleep?: Oh god yes.
Played cops and robbers?: Yes.
Recently colored with crayons/coloured pencils/markers?: No, and that's a damn shame.
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do?: I was so naive as a teenager...
Made prank phone calls?: No
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose?: Yes.
Caught a snowflake on your tongue?: Yes
Danced in the rain?: Yes , this morning.
Written a letter to Santa Claus?: Yes
Been kissed underneath a mistletoe?: Yes, but I think mistletoe's rather lame to be honest.
Watched the sun rise with someone you care about?: Yes, but not often enough by far.
Blown bubbles?: I keep a pot of bubble-solution in my desk drawer at work. Seriously.
Made a bonfire on the beach?: Not on a beach, but pretty much everywhere else.
Crashed a party?: No
Gone roller skating?: Yes
Thrown a party?: Yes
Had a wish come true?: Yes. I've learned to be more careful about what I wish for.
Jumped off a bridge?:: No, I don't think I have
Ate dog/cat food?: No, but I've eaten (and enjoyed) fish food. And we're not talking about the icecream flavour here either.
Told a complete stranger you love them?: No
Kissed a mirror?: No
Sang in the shower?: Yes.
Have a little black dress?: Yes, from time to time. It's currently a little red dress.
Had a dream that you married someone?: Living it!
Glued your hand to something?: I glued my fingers a little once, but was always too sensible to make a complete prat of myself with glue.
Got your tongue stuck to a popsicle?: Who hasn't?
Kissed a fish?: No
Worn the opposite sex's clothes?: Yes.
Been a cheerleader?: No.
Sat on a roof top?: Yes. I revised for my a-levels on a rooftop. And I loved it.
Screamed at the top of your lungs?: Yes. Yesterday, in fact.
Done a one-handed cartwheel?: in my younger days... badly.
Talked on the phone for more than 6 hours?: 6 hours? I've only managed ONE once or twice!
Picked and ate an apple?: Yes
Climbed a tree?: Yes. As often as I can.
Had a tree house?: Yes.
Been scared to watch scary movies alone?: Not really my thing.
Believe(d) in ghosts?: No
Worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what the others would say?: No
Gone streaking?: I've run around topless once or twice.
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?: No
Been told you're hot by a complete stranger?: No. Unless Jez counts, because that's what he thought when we first met.
Been easily amused?: HAHAHAHAHAHA yes!
Caught a butterfly?: Yes.
Laughed so hard you cried?: Yes
Laughed so hard you peed in your pants?: Nope.
Mooned/Flashed someone?: Yup
Had someone moon/flash you?: Yup
Cheated on a test?: ahhhhh... once, but only sort of. We had these Richmond test things at school, and they were taken over the course of three days or so. I forgot to turn over the last page in one test, but as it was the same booklet and answer sheet the following day, I used my spare time at the end of the exam to go back and fill in the missing answers. It was all reading comprehension/spelling/logic/maths and crap like that, not really something you could cheat on anyway, and I was coming fresh to the missed questions on day 2... but it still felt like cheating, a little.
Forgotten someone's name?: Everyone. All the time. It's damned embarrassing.
French braided someone's hair?: I can do both french and german plaits, but I'm a little out of practise.
Gone skinny dipping?: Yes
Gone out in public in your pajama's?: Yes. During boarding-school fire alarms mostly.
Kept a secret from everyone?: Nah, I'm no good at that. Too honest.
Cried during a movie?: Most of them
Ever at anytime owned new kids on the block?: No.
Planned your week based on the TV Guide?: Yeah. Can't miss Torchwood! Or Rome!
Been on stage?: Yes
Been to New York?: One of the airports.
Been to California?: Yes
London?: I lived there!
Canada?: Passing through, in airports.
Tokyo?: No
Been slapped?: Smacked yes, slapped no.
Been so depressed you just sat at home just eating and sleeping for days?: I'm a little more creative in my depression.
Had a normal manicure?: yes
Had a french manicure?: No
Been camping?: Yes.
Been backstabbed?: Yes
Lost a friend?: Yes
Bungee jumped?: No
Had someone you loved, die?: Yes. Three times in the last twelve months.
What did you want to be when you were younger?: Archaeologist, Anthropologist, Architect, Author, Astronomer.
What's your favorite type of music?: Anything that speaks to me.
What do you spend most your time doing?: Procrastinating
Would you rather stay at home or go out?: Be creative. Anywhere.
Which is your favorite 'fast food' restaurant?: Woodseats Tandoori. Not exactly fast. You know, I think I'll try out the Indian takeaway in Heidelberg this weekend.
What is your favorite restaurant?: The Walnut Club, Hathersage
Are you a farmer?: No
If you could marry anyone who would it be?: I already did
How much do you think about the opposite sex?: less than most women, probably.
What's your favorite toothpaste?: Anything without baking powder in it.
What kind of grades do you make?: A's if I like the subject, B's if I can't be arsed.
If you could go anywhere where would you go?: The Maldives.
How many people do you live with?: Right now, me, myself and I.
What are your favorite sports?: Badminton, swimming, eventing, football, F1. Rather eclectic, really.
How many kids do you want?: More than I have now.
What would you name them?: I have a list on the home computer, back when we were looking forward to meeting Roo. It's something I try not to think about these days.
Do you want to be married in the future?: Yes, still.
Want to marry anyone you know right now?: No-one I'm not already married to!
Is your goal to be rich later in life?: No.
What color lipfloss/lipstick do you usually wear?: Lip FLOSS? What kind of a dumb idea is that? Anyway, I usually wear purply-redy-beigey colours.
Coke or Pepsi?: Neither. They give me headaches
Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi?: See above.
What's the last thing you bought from a Pharmacy?: Folic acid and sumatriptan migraine pills
Have you ever been in a wreck?: I've crawled around shipwrecks...
When do you usually go to bed?: any time between 9 and 2.
What's the worst thing you ever did?: Kicked my sister in the teeth when she was down. Metaphorically. And I've hurt Jez's feelings in the past, and wish I hadn't.
Do you attend church?: Christmas and Easter, mostly.
How many friends do you have?: More than I expected.
What's your greatest acomplishment?: I'm just all-round fabulous, so it's hard to be proud of much. I'm proud of my A-grade German GCSE, and hope I can do it justice over the next six months.
What do you want to be when you're older?: A proper mother.
What's your favorite PJ's?: My birthday suit.
What's your favorite thing to do?: Appreciate life
What color hair do you have?: I thought we did this one already.
Do you wear wigs/extensions?: No.
Do you sing well?: I can hold a tune, but lack confidence unless I'm alone.
Would you eat a cockroach for $500/£500?: So long as I could cook it first, why not?
Are you afraid of the dark?: Darkness is beautiful
Are you bored?: Rarely
Where's the last place you've been?: Cafe Frisch, in a thunderstom
Do you wear alot of black?: Enough
Do you get along with your parents?: Totally.
Would you consider yourself 'popular'?: Not at all. Though I seem to be relatively popular on AMCF. Go figure!
Do you live in the country, burbs or city?: They all have their pros and cons. I'm hoping for burbs by next month though.
Most painful experience?: Losing my first child
Most happy experience?: Happy has changed. Everything has changed. Any time I remember that I'm alive, and loved usually fits, these days.
Have you ever been stalked?: Not as far as I know.
Have you ever egged a house?: No
Do you go hunting (deer, duck, etc.)?: no.
Do you support PETA?: The RSPCA, yes.
Do people think you're crazy/insane?: Eccentric's the word I prefer
How many people on your AIM buddy list?: I'm not with AIM.
How many people on your MSN buddy list?: see above
NHL or NFL?: I don't give a toss.
Do you ever scream into a pillow/cushion?: Yesterday...
Have you ever drowned a fish?: No
How many songs do you know all the words to?: Hard to say, really, Play me a few bars, and we'll see how I do.
Do you listen to The Beatles?: Yes.
Do you listen to Eminem?: Sometimes.
Do you know anyone who thinks they're Eminem?: No, thank god!
Do you read books often?: Yes
Do you strive to fit in?: No
Fave gum?: Gumless.
Do you snore?: I grind my teeth. That's far worse.
Are you afraid of thunderstorms?: Considering I walked to the shops this morning in the middle of one (I wasn't aware it was a thunderstorm when I started!) I'd say not.
DO you care what you look like?: Less than I should, more than I should.
Is your hair color fake?: Yes
Whatcha wearing?: My jeans are drying on the radiator, so I'm wearing a long black skirt and a purple top.
When's the last time you talked to anyone?: Choosing bread this morning in Cafe Frisch
Do you 'fall in love' easily?: No.
What's your best physical feature?: My eyes
What's your worst physical feature?: My fat
What attracts you most to the opposite sex?: Charisma, wit and intelligence. And not running a mile when they get to know me.
Are you picky about who you date?: Yes, I would be.
Are you fussy about your foods?: Not really
What's your favorite perfume?:... Anais anais
What's the best perfume for men?: Safari, Ralph Lauren, I think. But only if we're talking about Jez.
What's the best perfume for women?: That's a stupid question. What are we, clones?
Do you like Roller Coasters?: Yes. I prefer things like Nemesis to those like Oblivion though.
Have you ever flown in an aeroplane?: Yes . I think we've had this question before as well.
Do you have big feet?: UK size 7 and a bit. That's big for a girl, but not excessive.
Do you have small feet?: No
What size feet are you?: Redundant!
Do you wear make-up?: When I want to make a good impression.
If so, what?: Foundation, mascara, lipstick, eyeshadow.
Ever been to Paris?: Yes. EVERYONE MUST VISIT THE RODIN MUSEUM!
Do you believe in Vampires?: No.
If you could become a Vampire, would you?: No. What kind of idiot would want that?
Would you call yourself normal?: No
Have you ever stolen anything?: Yes.
Do you eat Sushi?: Yes
Have you ever been drunk, high or both?: Drunk
Ever drove while drunk?: No
Do you drink alot or rarely?: What is this 'alot' of which you speak? Is it some kind of intoxicating liquor? Under 5 units a week, genrally.
How many people do you trust with your life?: Hopefully it'll never come to that. Then, we'll see.
Are you considered intelligent?: Yes.
Are you considered a nerd?: Yes
Do you talk on the phone alot?: Who wrote this, Arwyn?
How often do you take a shower?: Every day
What kind of body wash do you use?: Soap. I've just run out of the basil+something I got for christmas.
What's your favorite candy bar?: Dark, dark bournville.
Ever got detention?: Yes.
If so, what for?: About half a dozen of us intentionally lost the housemistress on a trip to Tehidy Woods. We only meant to be gone for a short while, but couldn't find anyone again for another four hours.
Ever been suspended?: No
What for?: N/A
Which is better: Punk or Prep?: Sheesh. Neither?
Ever blown a beverage out your nose?: Yes
Do you like jawbreakers?: Not particularly
What color mostly is in your room?: White. It's like a padded cell. I can't wait to get all my art shipped over.
What do you say alot?: I don't say alot. I say 'anyway' far too much.
What's your best personality trait?: Compassion
What's your worst personality trait?: Hubris
Do you have any medical problems?: Vitiligo, infertility, depression, migraines
How many years have you had that?: Vitiligo kicked in at 18 months, and I've been dealing with the infertility for the last three years.
Is it bad?: Vitiligo and migraines I can live with. Infertility might have killed my babies. It might not. Depression, well, I can deal with it. But it still fucking sucks.
Can people get it from you?: It might be inheritable.
Can you die from it?: I wouldn't.
Can you cure it?: Deal with it, yes. Cure, no.
Are you listening to anything?: No
What's the last movie you've watched in Theaters?: Beowulf? I'm sure there was something after that...
Who is your favorite friend?: Jez
Who do you get along with the best?: Jez
Who do you fight with alot?: My sister. And idiots who use 'alot' a lot.
Who is your funniest friend?: Jez
Do you talk too much?: No
Did you ever fall asleep in class?: Yes
Sneakers/Heels/Flats?: Depends on what I'm wearing, doesn't it?
Can you do a cartwheel?: Badly. And we've had this question before.
Shorts/Jeans/Skirts?: jeans/skirts
Double dates or just the two of you?: Just us, thanks.
Do you go to camp?: Go to camp? I RAN camps!
What's the last time your parents spanked you?: Oh, probably they stopped before my teens.
Can you rhyme well?: I rhyme just swell.
Have you ever belonged to a gang?: Yes, 'The Headless Chickens'. We even had a secret finger gesture.
Know people who belong to a gang?: No, not the serious kind
Do you smoke cigars?: No
Do you know people who smoke cigars?: Yes
Are you against smoking?: It's fucking retarded, but go ahead. <--Milo's answer suits me fine.
Ever known someone who had a heart attack from smoking and lived?: Dunno
Ever known a person who had a heart attack because of smoking that died?: Dunno
Indoors or outdoors?: Outdoors, by preference
Have you ever gotten beaten up?: No.
Do you know how to cook?: Reasonably well.
How many dishes can you cook?: Enough to get by without a cookbook
Any dishes that you made up by yourself?: Yup.
How many?: A few. Mostly variants on a theme.
Do you know how to do laundry?: Yes
When you get a pizza, how many slices do you eat?: The whole pizza.
Do you consider yourself too fat/skinny?: Too fat. See above.
What's your least favorite color?: They all have their place.
Have you ever faked being sick?: No.
Ever done something illegal?: Yeah.
What's the longest you've stayed up for?: I've had about six hours sleep in a five day stretch.
Are you afraid of dying?: No.
What's your biggest regret?: Smashing my teeth out.
Ever picked up a hitch hiker?: No.
Is your name on any bathroom walls?: Nooooo...
What's the naughiest thing you've ever done?: That's between me and Jez.
What's the worst present you've ever gotten?: A broken umbrella with my initials monographed onto it.
When was your worst day, and what happened?: 26th April, last year. When we learned that Roo's heart had stopped.
When was your most perfect day, and what happened?: My wedding day? Nah, EVERY day can be perfect.
Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?: A husband.
What annoys you most?: Wilful ignorance
Favorite 'scary' movie?: Alien
Favorite 'action' movie?: Too many to list. Does The Usual Suspects go here or in drama?
Favorite 'romantic' movie?: Enchanted
Favorite 'cartoon' movie?: Toy Story
Favorite 'comedy' movie?: Too many to list
Favorite 'drama' movie?: Pan's Labyrinth. The Shawshank Redemption
What's the most depressing movie?: Dancer in the dark
What's your favorite movie of all time?: Shawshank,
Do you have an accent?: RP-english, with a slight midlands edge
Who is your role model?: My father
Who looks up to you?: I'm amazed and flattered if anyone does.
Do you like suprises?: Good ones, yes
What's the ideal age to die?: When you're ready.
Do you like to dance?: Badly.
Ever took ballet?: Yes
Bold or pastel colors?: Earth-tones
Do you still wear Tommy Hilfiger?: No. Never did.
What brand do you wear most?: M&S Per Una
What do you normally watch on TV?: Very little, right now.
Do you have any 'special' talents?: Nothing unusual.
Can you swim?: Yes
Can you play a musical instrument?: Piano, flute... badly.
What star sign are you?: Saggitarius
Do you prefer public or private schools?: Irrelevant. Well-managed schools are what you need to look for, with a decent work-ethic.
Do you care what people think about you?: More than I should, less than others.
Have you ever shot a gun?: Yes
What's your biggest fear?: Losing hope
How many hours of sleep do you normally get?: 7+
Regulare or crushed ice?: If it's cold and frozen, who cares?
Blue or black ink?: green
Are your clothes mostly loose or tight fit?: They fit, that's the important thing.
Have any peircings?: Ears, once on each side.
Gold or silver?: either
What kind of shampoo/conditioner do you use?: I've just bought some Fructis
Do you blow-dry your hair?: Only when I need to.
What do you sleep in?: Nowt.
What's the last book you've read?: Hans Christian Andersen, in German.
Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?: Britney
Spiderman or Dare Devil?: Spidey.
Fractured a bone?: Yes, AGAIN!
Shower or Bath?: Bath
Do you have any cavities?: nothing that needs filling
Have you ever worn braces?: Yes
What do you live in?: a 1-bed flat right now, a 3-bed semi at home, probably a 2-bed flat in a few more weeks.
Would you choose true love or to be rich?: Love.
Do you have Dial-Up or Broadband?: Broadband.
Do you play any computer games?: Yes
What kind?: All sorts.
How long did it take you to finish this?: Too long. I'm bored, and hungry.
What attracts you mostly to the opposite sex?: Answered above...
What do you mostly look in a guy/girl?: see previous answer
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend on the computer?: Yes
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend in real life?: Yes
Do you fancy anyone in real life?: Yes, Jez
Do you fancy anyone in the computer?: Yes, Jez
Do you believe in internet relationships?: Thank fuck for Skype!
How old were you when you first had your bf/gf?: 15
How old were you when you first kissed?: 15
First made out?: What do you mean by 'made out'? Probably 17.

Bastards!

2008-02-29T12:30:57Z

As if I wasn't fragile enough right now, I've just had the wonderful experience of being turned down for the one decent flat I've found so far simply because I'm childless.

Yes, that's right. I'm being penalised because my babies keep dying.

Fuckin' A, man.

On the plus side, at least I'm not this guy:

I have just been informed that [name removed] who came into the Department to discuss climate change about two weeks ago, and has been causing a nuisance on campus, was arrested and sectioned yesterday. [Name removed] has since escaped from a secure mental unit and may return to the Hicks Building posing as his twin brother.

There's always someone worse off. Plenty of someones, really.

chesneycat @ 2008-02-28T09:26:00

2008-02-28T08:38:05Z

1. You are walking in the woods. You are not alone. Who's with you?
God.

2. You are walking in the woods. You see an animal. What kind of animal?
Fox

3. What interaction takes place between you and the animal?
We stare at each other for a while, smile, then go our separate ways

4. You walk deeper in the woods. You enter a clearing, and before you is your dream house. How big is it?
4 bed, 3 reception - one of which is a library/cinema. And an outdoor swimming pool.

5. Is your dream house surrounded by a fence?
It's in a very large garden, and the garden has a hedge

6. You enter the house. You walk into the dining room and see the dining table is covered with?
Incomplete jigsaws.

7. You exit the house and a cup is on the ground, what kind is it?
My favourite coffee/tea mug, filled with a nice cup of tea. It's mine, and I enjoy drinking it.

8. What do you do with the cup?
See 7.

9. You walk to the edge of the property where you find yourself standing at a body of water; what kind is it?
The sea. It always is.

10. How do you cross that body of water?
I swim in it for as long as I can, but cannot cross.

The second cut is for the interpretation and a bit of blank space - if you're going to fill in your own answers, do that before reading the next bit. Yeah, it's one of those memes, but surprisingly insightful in my case.

1. The person who you are walking in the woods with is the most important to you.
A higher power? Huh.

2. The size of the animal is representative of your perception of the size of your problems in your life.
Yes, he's small... but he's a predator with very sharp teeth!

3. The severity of the interaction you have with the animal is representative of how you deal with your problems.
It takes time, but we appreciate the doing of it.

4. The size of your dream home is representative of the size of your ambition.
Moderately large?

5. A lack of a fence is indicative of an open personality. People are welcome at all times. The presence of a fence indicates a closed personality. You'd prefer people not drop by unannounced.
I guess that means I'm extremely open to the people I let in?

6. If your answer did NOT include food, flowers, or people, then you are generally unhappy.
Problems to be solved do not equal unhappiness. I need to get through my own problems in my own way. I'm melancholy, I guess. Not unhappy.

7. The durability of the material with the cup is representative of the perceived durability of your relationship.
I'll always have a favourite mug. It changes, just like people do. All part of growing up, and if you can accept the change, you can keep it forever.

8. What you did with the cup is representative of your attitude.
Enjoy it?

9. The size of the body of water is representative of the size of your relationships.
Yay me! My relationships cover 2/3 of the earth!

10. The way you cross the water is representative to how easy or hard you expect your life to be.
I do things the hard way, and don't expect to succeed. But dammit, I'm not afraid to try the impossible.

chesneycat @ 2008-02-27T21:10:00

2008-02-27T20:24:33Z

Some random snippets:

We have GEMINI membership again! [Start placing your bets on where the hammer will fall next...]

Political Flag Art, stolen from Making Light - please check it out, as it's rather special.

Meme, stolen from Cav:

1. Technology.
I could live with less.

2. Your love life.
Separated by too many miles

3. Your appearance or fashion.
Hopefully stylish? I doubt it.

4. Your mother.
Surprisingly worldly yet also immature

5. Your father.
An honest to god hero.

6. Your favorite thing to do.
existing in awe of everything

7. The dream you had last night.
Stressed house hunting. No sex!

8. Food.
The more chocolate, the better

9. Your dream house.
One filled with my family

10. The room you're in
Bare, empty, soulless and depressing

11. One of your ex-boyfriend/girlfriends.
What was the effing point?

12. What you're afraid of.
Nothing. It'll all work out.

13. Your work.
not enough time at telescopes!

15. What you're not.
A mother, but not beaten.

16. What you are.
Amazing. Arrogant. In pain. Unstoppable.

17. Last thing you wished for.
That I keep learning, whatever.

18. Where you grew up?
All over the damn place

19. Your last accomplishment, however small.
I gave a German directions!

20. What entertains you.
Schadenfreude. Love. The universe. Imagination.

22. Other people
Owe you nothing. Remember that.

24. Your life so far.
Still in its predicted course.

25. Your mood right now.
Hitting the extremes, quite frequently

26. On missing someone.
Thank god for webcams/Skype!

27. Your form of transportation.
Reliable public transport AT LAST!

28. The presidential candidates.
More entertaining than last time.

33. The last time you laughed.
This evening, something Jez said.

34. The last time you cried.
Today, many, many, many times.

I swear, the people here are insane...

2008-02-27T17:37:10Z

Or maybe they're not. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, today's selection of flats in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung's house-hunting section were limited, to say the least. But, there did seem to be one solitary gem amongst the dross, and I managed to wangle a viewing this afternoon.

Before that though, there was the house near the delectable Cafe Frisch, just down the road from where I am now. It's an agency flat, so you have to fork out a non-returnable fee of Eu-1600... but it was a good size, WITH a kitchen. Not the nicest of kitchens, sure, but I've seen worse. The balcony was small, but had a view of the castle. Definitely channelling the spirit of Mrs Richards though in terms of that Schlossblick... 'it's over there, between the roofs and the sky!'. A little noisy, but you'd get used to that. Anyway, it's a possibility, aside from the twelve hundred quid fly in the ointment.

So. The next stop was flat number 4, which is spitting distance from a bus stop to the lab, a drug store, a supermarket and a choice of cafes. Two-bed again, with an open-ish plan kitchen/lounge of a good size, a decent balcony-sized sunroom, a small bathroom and a useful lobby/hall area. Its postal address is on a main road, but the building itself is in the back yard of a house on the main street, so it's actually pretty peaceful. I even saw one of the five cats of Heidelberg in the garden (they don't go in much for cats here. Dogs, yes. Cats, no). It's less than a 15min walk to the main station along some very quiet streets (semi-pedestrianised), and the tenant is willing to sell on some of the furnishings - potentially very useful to me!

So what's the catch. Well, it's the kitchen. The elephant in the ointment, as it were. It's lovely, but it belongs to the tenant, so it doesn't quite count as an einbaukuche. They're willing to sell it to the next tenant. For 2500 Euros.

That's probably not a bad price, and you could think of it like a deposit, and either take it with you when you move out or sell it on to the next people, but even so... 2500 Euros. Plus whatever they want for the furniture, if I go for any of it. And I won't even find out if they want me as the next tenant until saturday, when the owner chooses between all the interested parties.

Bloody Hell.

I'm starting to think I'll be homeless come april. The whole thing makes me want to scream, and I can't share the burden with Jez right now - he's got enough on his plate with the job hunt. The school have just made an offer to his replacement, so we're past the point of no return now.

Sympathy, please? Or a WAAAAAAAHMBULANCE? I need one or the other right now.