A Strange Day

Last night was a rather naff night.  For one, it was hot and humid.  For two, I've spent the last couple of nights with Kellie, so my normally large, cool, comfortable bed just seemed a wee bit... Empty.

On top of this, my mind was wandering to icky, unpleasant places, namely, Guys Hospital.  All I could think of was Bethy and her last days.  Every time I closed my eyes, I could see her and all the ickiness involved.

I was drifting in and out of sleep all night - strange dreams and nightmares but I think I was mostly awake, plus things were different, wrong... The people around at the time, the layouts of the rooms and everything else - it was the same but different, if that makes sense.

I think the last time I looked at the clock it was pushing 5am, and somehow, I managed to turn off my 0615 and my 0645 alarms.  Luckily, my panic button, Ruth, called and woke me up.  Did the morning school run, and went with her to see her youngest at sports day...

Nice to see the world is still as mental as ever - Sports Day once again had no winners of losers, and this year it seemed worse than before... The "track" they were running on was twenty... Maybe thirty feet long.  The kids were in teams of 8-10 so it was run, then sit and wait for all those in front of you to run.  And when I say "sit" I don't mean "pop your bum on the school field" no no, the kids were provided chairs to sit on.

One of the teachers then went into detail about how last year in the Parents Race, they let the kids run with the adults - one of the dads fell down and hurt his kid.  Not sure if it was "hurt" in as much as a bumped wee one, or if it was a "hurt" in the bad way.  So, with this in mind, the parents race - Adult and Kid.

There was no "well done" ceremony.  No winners, no losers, no certificates or anything.  Even though the kids were split into five teams, no team excelled or was congratulated.  The teachers seemed pretty much "So, what event do you want to do now?" and couldn't be arsed.

Highly Amusing...

Anyways, me bitching about all that actually cheered me up some, and after, I went back to Ruths for a coffee till she had to go out.  Once home, I couldn't get motivated, so sat listening to loud music, while kinda sorta doing housework.  I nodded off in my chair but forced myself back up or I know I'd not sleep tonight.

Did the afternoon school run, had another coffee at Ruths, came home and set up a freeview box on the telly - Jo and Steve had it knocking around, and as my Sky TV died, and I ditched Telewest, I've had no telly in the house.  Fine for me, but the kids we're best pleased ;)  Bad Daddy!  Anyways, they have TV to watch once again so that's something.

And now, I decided to clear my head a bit and blog myself out.  Obviously, I've done quite a lot of quizzey thingies - I tag all of you to do them if you're bored.  My head is back in a good place, and Kellie is here tomorrow...  As is a man about the fence - the same one that went over LAST spring.  Finally, they are going to "assess" what needs doing...

Helloooo.... I need five new fence panels, three new posts, all six feet wide and seven feet tall.  Just like the last THREE guys have said.

Amazing what snotty letters can do ;)

Infanticide

Jaysen is currently wandering around the house, getting changed...

Whistling "Jingle Bells"

Someone stop me before it's too late ;)

In other news - haven't bloody stopped today - it's half three, I'm now sitting down eating a bowl of breakfast cereal I started this morning at 7am. Today I have showered, school-runned, mowed a lawn, strimmed the edges, attacked brambles with a saw, backed up an old computer, installed a new computer, added all the stuff needed to a new computer, school-runned...

And now the boy is getting changed to go to a party this afternoon, with me, while I help where I can... Then get Sally from Cel, head home, shower the boy, shower the Me, put the boy to bed and... Finally...

Relax.

Yeah, I'm completely knackered, I'm in all sorts of pain, I managed to slash my arms on one large bit of bramble, hit myself in the leg with the saw, and managed - somehow - to catch myself in the leg with the strimmer... I look like I've been wrestling with bears.

And now. I just poured my breakfast over me. Marvellous...

All Stations: GO!

Some days my life is fairly quiet. OK, when I say "some days" I mean "Rarely, every now and then" On the other side of the coin, other days are what you might call, a wee bit busy.

And then there are days like today where there probably aren't quite enough minutes in the day in order to do everything you need to do.

Before you say it, yes I know I am sat on my fat arse blogging, but a boy needs a break. And a coffee. Or a vallium. A vallium latté to go, maybe.

Seeing Kellie as much as I can at the moment has been a case of weekends, plus Mondays and Wednesdays. However, this week, yesterday I had to go into Lakeside with some short chick to get hooked up on Orange mobile broadband, so was out pretty much from half ten onwards, and didn't get back till gone two - so that blew our Monday hookup. Wednesday Kellie usually has college, but as she finished last week, it was a case of arrange for one of us to go see the other. Before we made any proper plans, she and her best friend arranged to go out.

Of course, there's no way I'd come between a girl and her bestest best friend. Sod that. I've seen them together sober and that was scary enough ;)

Which of course, meant that I left Kellies Sunday, and wouldn't see her now till Thursday - however, that's the day me and Ruth go shopping to restock. And as I am going to Kellies at the weekend, it would have been Friday afternoon till I saw her.

Hmmm, this rambled longer than I thought it would :D

So with a lot of re-arranging and jiggling times, dates, people and everything, we've had a new plan. Kellie and her kids are jumping on a bus there after school today to come here. Then I am feeding them all, they are staying over, and leaving at Silly-o-Clock in the morning to get the kids back to school, so Kellie and her friend Kerry can have their girlie day out.

Exhausted from just reading it?

So, this means that with three extras coming over, and me going into panic mode regarding dinner, I had to rush out this morning and buy food. Let's just say YAY for various salads and fresh stuff that I will be making - as suggested by Ruth this morning as she held the mask over my face to prevent the hyperventilating ;)

On top of feeding them, I actually need to have a quick clean up - which isn't that much, but none the less, it's housework. Which, coupled with the fact I have someone over this afternoon... Manic. Because my claim for housing benefit and tax benefit has been significantly altered, they are sending out an inspector to make sure I am not committing fraud. I assume, by not housing a boat-load of immigrants or something equally strange.

This inspection is due between 12-3, despite me warning them I am out from half two on school run. If he turns up then, I'll be pissed. So I have to clean, while waiting for Fella McBlokey to turn up, while doing some washing up, while preparing dinner, while doing a school run, while making sure the beds are made, that the kids rooms are tidy (ish, I'm no miracle worker) and generally not having a breakdown.

**Mushy Alert**

Of course, the fact that I get to see Kellie again is aaaaall kinds of good, even if it's only going to be for a few hours. Doesn't matter how much stuff I have going on, I'm still all fuzzy and smooshy and stuff.

Ya'll can just live with it or read elsewhere

I've Earned It

It has to be said that I have been a busy little bunny today. And with minimal amounts of procrastination.

All that down there in the post below I have plugged away at pretty much all day. I checked my WoW before I started it all, otherwise had I done it while mid-busy-bunny, I would have stayed put. After the doctors, I headed to Ruths where I was supposed to be heading into town, but various amounts of stress and stuff had cropped up, and in the end she told me to stop flapping and sent me home. The Bitch.

Then I pretty much burnt my way through the house, slogging over this, that and the other, and decided at about 2pm to have something to eat. I hadn't eaten all day. So I sat down with some rabbit food, a banana, a cup of tea, and watched the last episode of House season two. Ooooh. I was good though, I refrained from ripping the cellophane from my season three box, and carried on.

Not long after I restarted, I chucked the dog in the garden, headed off for a pee (hey, you want a classy blog, this ain't it!), collected some rubbish and headed down, opened the back door - to find a brown dog in the garden. Sally, as you know, is white. This was a brown dog... No, wait... My Garden + Heavy Rain + White Boxer = ....Well, you can imagine.

And I'd not long cleaned the floors...

So I strategically placed some laundry on the floor, and got her up into the bath, where I promptly showered, bathed, scrubbed, combed, rescrubbed, recombed and dried the dirty great lump. Sure enough the Brown Dog became a White Dog once more. Do I slapped on her anti-flea stuff, and text Cel to let her know that if she would rather Sally stayed at hers for the weekend, instead of Cel coming here to sort her out, she was sorted.

Cel called very soon after that, and from her tone of voice, I figured that I was being... Well, rather special. I thought I had mentioned it to her, but the more I spoke to her, the more I thought "Dan, you're a spaz" So the dog sitter is sorted now too! She's coming later this evening to collect the stupid-ass mongrel and take her back to hers, and come in during the day to check on the pussy cats.

A little after 5pm, Kellie and her kids turned up for a coffee. Well, the kids got juice, but otherwise, we sat for an hour chatting and chilling, me being very self-conscious of how hot I was. Hot, as in heat, not hot as in my normal physical presence.

They toddled off around six, and I once again set to the house, packing, sorting, arranging... And now here I am, 8pm, and finally, I am done. Granted, there are two items on the list I have yet to do, but the first, "shorts", are in the washing machine. If it gets hot, I am sorted, otherwise, I sleep in them when staying at other peoples houses. No one wants to see my special boxer shorts during the night/first thing in the morning ;) The second item, "shave", well, I'll do that this evening before bed when I have a shower.

My bag is packed, my laptop is packed (those of you that pray to electronic deities, say a pray that my hosts can fix it!), and I even have a sleeping bag packed. I am offically ready...

And aside from a brief babysitting stint in the morning while Ruth goes to see her doc about her STD, I will be doing the off mid-morning. Ish. YAY for a weekend holiday!

And no, Emma, I am not heading to Pompey ;)

Drowning in Stuff

Things to be done by Friday Morning:

- Dry sleeping Bag
- Doctor appointment (10.50am)
- Hoover Downstairs
- Hoover Upstairs
- Wash up
- Mop downstairs
- Clean cats litter tray
- Pack Weekend Away Bag (Jeans, Shorts, Tee Shirts, Shirt, Boxers, Socks, Hair Brush, Hair Ties, Phone Charger, Meds)
- Pack Wash Kit (Shower Gel, Flannel, Deodorant, Spray, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Towel)
- Pack Laptop Bits
- Clean out rats
- Last minute shopping
- Feed fish
- Empty bin
- Put out rubbish
- Sort out plants
- Clean Toilet
- Clean Bathroom
- Check WoW (I know I know...)
- Fold Laundry
- Pay milkman
- Mail Twitter tech support
- Shave

Another Busy One!

Once again, life here in Chez 0ddness has been a wee bit hectic, a bit up, a bit down, and a bit, kinda.. squiggly.

Jo finally has her new place all done and dusted and has moved in. Of course, moving in there means taking stuff from here, and suffice to say, it was a bit icky. Not the "That's Mine!" "No, it's MINE!" stuff, far from it, but the whole next step part. If she had moved out and taken her stuff, I think that would have been easier. But having her pack her things and going again, I don't know it was just a bit rough.

Her, her mum and her fella were helping out through the house, and it's amazing how removing things can make a house even messier. I've cleared out a couple of rooms that have had all their Jo-Stuff removed, and dumped out crap that I don't want or need any more. Two rooms down, what seems like a billion to go ;)

Otherwise, I've been in town pretty much every day this week, keeping busy, shopping, paying bills, and generally being out an about. As per the wise words of a few people, I have also taken to letting people talk and think what they like about me.

In a while, me and Tam are off to Mother & Toddler Group. Yes, yes, I know ;) But the girl really needs to start mixing with kids and other adults - she's often very shy with adults, and is still refusing to talk properly. I am thinking she's going to need to be checked because she refuses to talk properly, even though she is smart as arses.

I am hoping that the group isn't a load of mums gossiping and bitching and suchlike - life's too short for that, and if it is, I'll find something else for us to do in future. Luckily, I'm friends with the woman running it - she was Jaysens preschool teacher, and Bethys preschool teacher, so it's fitting she'll be with Tam as well!

Otherwise, Jo is getting the kids after school this afternoon for the first time at her own house. Her fella also has a son that will be there this weekend, so I think that should be interesting ;)

Maybe I should load my two up on coke and sugar and let them go!

The weekend should be a good one. I am out pretty much the entire time. This evening I am going to Ruths where her fella will be so I can have a look at his computer. Tomorrow me and Kellie are off to our old stomping ground and going to have a wander around the streets we used to rule. Then it's back to hers for dinner and beer. Sunday I am heading home, then probably at Ruths for dinner again, before getting Jaysen home.

I'm knackered thinking about it!

Anyways, for those of you that were lucky enough to see the photo-post this morning, consider yourself lucky as I received a very long-distance phone call from someone telling me that she is very sorry and will not call my bluff again :D And seeing as I am SO DAMN NICE, I've taken the post down ;)

Well, I converted it to a draft, so it's still there, lurking in the shadows... Just in case... *cackle*

For The Enquiring Minds...

Those of you that have poked me and asked questions on Facebook, yes, it is true. I went out last night. I had beer. I played pool. I had a bloody good time.

This morning I had text messages, three emails and a couple of MSN messages asking the where/what/who/why series of questions. I never knew people we so interested in my social life! Still, last night, I was out with my friend Ruth, her friend Sarah (who is very short), her husband Mark (who is very tall), and their friend Kevin (who I met for the first time). We decided to pile into the local Pool Hall that has been there for years, but none of us - all being Basildoids - had ever been in there.

We all joined up (and got swanky membership cards!) and booked a couple of tables for a few hours. Someone usually milled around drinking while the other four played, and then we kinds switched so all had a laugh and drinkies. No one was keeping scores, though I did win a couple of times, and generally much mirth was had.

It's the first time in a long time that I have been out, and the first time as a singleton. Of course, the main question I was asked was "Did you pull" which is a Basildonian way of says "Did you meet a nice young lady and discuss life over drinks" or there about.

No, I did not.

Not that I would tell if I did, but none the less...

After playing pool and drinking beer, we decided the next course of action, of course, was greasy food. Cheese Burgers, Kebabs, Chips. All good stuff. We walked and scoffed and laughed and joked back to Sarahs, where the coffee was put on, and we sat chilling out, laughing with Sarahs kids babysitter and playing with the slightly mental dog that eats mobile phones.

*shudder*

Then it was home for us - being that everyone else is old they wanted to sleep - so I got in, had a cheese sandwich (I had a hankering!), pissed around on Facebook, then went to bed. Only to get up at 8am.

No, I didn't have a hang over.

At midday I decided that as the weather was going to be crap this weekend, I would clear up the front garden. Picking up leaves and rubbish soon became weeding, mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, sweeping the porch, banging the doormat, putting some compost in plantpots and being a busy boy.

Now, of course, I am knackered. So I think it's Warcraft for the rest of the day!

But only because I cleaned up the house yesterday ;)

Another Day

Yesterday was, for all intents and purposes, a shit day. I make no bones about it, but it was a bad day. I think it was partly or even mostly due to it being a week.

A week of being single.

I was tired, I was fed up, I was lonely, and despite people trying to help cheer me up, I was more worried about bringing them down too. I've got stuff I could have been doing, but I just didn't want to. I didn't care if it got done or not, and yesterday was the first day I looked around and thought "Balls to it"

I didn't do anything except fold a bit more of the laundry.

This morning, however, I woke up a bit cheerier, a bit more positive, and have been on the go since 7am. I washed up, tidied up, folded, brought down laundry and was on the go till 0820 when we left.

Jaysen is hobbling on a dodgy knee at the moment - not sure what he's done, but he's suffering, so slow walk to school and I spoke to the office and told them he has to take it easy. If it carries on, I'll have to get him to the doc.

Then I went into town, looked at paint and wallpaper samples, met Gemma, wandered around the park while Amy did her best to escape, then met up with Ruth and helped with her shopping, got her home, unpacked it and I came home with my feet up, only to have to go out on school run again in half an hour.

I've chatted to Jo again today about, well, whatever - just nothing really, making conversation, and I think that is something that makes me feel lighter. I didn't talk to her yesterday and had a bad day, spoken to her today, had a good day. I think it's because I know she's OK and happy and getting on with things that helps me focus myself, where as yesterday I was playing the what-if game, the if-only game and my own personal fav, the why-me game.

So, baby steps. I'm moving forwards very slowly, and that's all I can do.

Lazy

This morning, I didn't want to get up. I just couldn't be bothered. I lay there after turning off the alarm thinking "ugh can't be bothered" and put off getting out the bed for fifteen minutes, I finally clambered out and set to waking up the kids. Well, Jaysen woke up and got up.

Tam didn't want to know - she pissed around till 10pm. I was getting her up till nearly 7.45am when she finally came downstairs BUT she was cheerful which is all good.

That lazy fifteen minutes made me run late though - I showered, washed and dressed the kids, got them fed and sorted, but was late out the door. Halfway to school it threatened to rain but held off till I got in. Phew.

Got in and Tam helped with the laundry. Holy hell there is so much to be caught up on, but dammit I am winning THAT war. I washed up the few bits that had accumulated from the evening and morning, and then sat with Tam while Playhouse Disney was on, playing along with the stuff like patting tummies and what not.

Lane took the Peanut to Jo at about 11am and since then, aside from the occasional bit of laundry, hoovering and putting stuff away, I've done diddly squat. It feels strange. I feel like I should be doing so much more, but I'm not sure what to do. So I sat, feet up, emailing, browsing the web and doing nothing.

As the day starts drawing to a close, I find I am slipping a little back towards Unhappy, but Jaysen is home now so I am about to sort dinner, get tomorrows uniform ready and then, once he's showered and in bed... Who knows. I'll prolly be busy so I don't backslide more, or have an early night.

I'm still missing Jo like crazy, and hate that this is happening, but I am sure I can get through it.

In The Garden...

Sadly, it's not my garden that has been attacked by a Dan today - we're waiting for our fence to be replaced before ours gets a kicking. No, today me and Jo (plus the kids, of course) went over to Ruths where her fella Paul was ready to attack a bramble patch.

Last year we did the same thing, and planned to get rid of it once and for all. But we kinda sorta forgot. So the brambles this year were bigger, meaner and thicker than last years crop. But, with me armed with a massive pair of blunt sheers and a wobbly saw, I set to hacking, chopping and demolishing, while Paul pulled back and dumped.

Jo and Ruth stood on the sidelines rar-rarring us in their cheerleader outfits*, providing us with food, drink, coffee and alternative methods of cheering on the menfolk**.

In the end, the testosterone got the better of me, and I set to hacking back some tree-branches with afore-mentioned wobbly saw so the end of the garden gets a bit more "light" and a lot less "tree dumping leaves and shade"

Paul suffered a serious hand injury*** while I suffered several minor cuts that will add to my manly prowess. I should mention I'm wearing shorts, a top, and big clompy boots. Hear me roar, for I am Dan - Killer of Brambles!

Of course, now the manly hormones have subsided, the aches have kicked in, so here I sit, feet up, eating chocolate, staving off a headache and ignoring the screaming coming from my back and legs.

What a good plan for a Sunday!

*may be untrue
**may also be untrue
***he might be a wimp

Back To It

With me having felt rough all week - the week Jaysen is off school no less - and doing nothing but fight the powers of daytime TV and falling asleep on the sofa, we decided this afternoon to head to a friends for dinner. Nothing fancy, but the kids played in one room, we had "adult" conversation in the other. My week off from school runs, early mornings and cleaning school uniform was replace by feeling pants.

Ugh.

I still don't feel great - though, of course, eating that tub of Amaretto Ice Cream certainly didn't help matters - but we came home early in order to get an early night. We had company all weekend, and now the house is quiet again, it's nice to drop my jeans, put my feet up, and burp foamy almond burps.

Damn ice cream.

Of course, having to get up at the arse-crack of Monday morning should be interesting, as I've been dealing with evil insomnia once again. Well, partly it's insomnia, partly it's napping during the day frying the poor body clock. But I've been dozing during the day and up from about midnight till some silly hour, either playing games, reading the internet, hassling people on MSN or, er, playing more games.

Last night I was up till gone five in the morning, the night before was 4am, and the night before that was 3am. To add insult to injury, I've been getting up against at around half eight, just a few hours later.

I can't say it's doing me any good, what with the date that is up coming, not to mention random stuff that I don't blog about getting into my head. When I am tired, I dwell on things, I replay events over and over in my head until they are completely different from the actual event, and, in general don't do myself any favours.

So, tomorrow morning I should be up early, get Jaysen sorted and get out to pay bills and buy some of that pesky food stuff the kids seem to need every day or two. I am hoping that by keeping busy I will be knackered but stay up, have another early night and get the body clock back onto GMT-London. Which means I am going to bed early, like, in about 10 minutes. I am so manly.

And I must buy some more ice cream tomorrow...

Defeated

A few days back, I blitzed the house. Middle to bottom. Cleared the floors, hoovered, picked up everything, put things away, washed up, tidied up and, not to mention, completely screwed myself three ways from Christmas. I was, for want of a better term, as busy as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

And, mores the point, I completely knackered myself doing it. Today, two days later, my legs and back are screaming at me, and my pain killers are doing diddly squat to make me feel better.

Yesterday I had another quick tidy - I picked up stuff, I washed up more stuff, but couldn't do much more because I hurt too much.

Now, today, I've gotten up and much to my dismay and failure, I just can't do any more. The living room floor is completely covered in toys and stuff. The washing up is already mounting. The laundry had been pulled off the table and admit, I refolded it. There is dog food and kids cereal all over the kitchen floor. The dogs water bowl is full of tissue paper....

But I quit. I just cannot do it today. I'm going to try kicking the kids asses into touch to get them to sort the lounge, but otherwise, everyone else wins.

At least the sun is out...

Housework A-Go-Go

There is something about this house that just generates rubbish. Rubbish, Junk, Toot, Crap, Clutter - not to mention the dust, fluff and hair, all on top of the laundry and dirty dishes and what-have-you.

While I am a very organised person, the chaos in this house is generally organised. I say "generally" thanks to people moving stuff and not putting stuff away. It's the kids mostly, but Jo isn't a neat freak, and when I'm having an off-day, I couldn't give a crap where I dump stuff. Add in the animals, and you've got the perfect mix for a shit-hole.

With Jo being poorly, I'm trying my damnest to keep on top of the housework, but am losing.

Losing badly.

I got up this morning - still armed with my stinking headache - and tripped & stumbled out the bedroom, tripped & stumbled to the loo, stood on sharp things in the hallway and lounge, and had to clear the sofa off before Jaysen could sit on it. Now I am back from a cold grey school run, the harsh light of the day is showing how much crap there is that needs doing today. I've made of the list I should do, but will update it as I get stuff done - armed with my trusty laptop. Suffice to say, Dan will be a busy bunny in Chez 0ddness today...

• Sweeping the downstairs (1: Check - done and done)
  
• Mop the downstairs (2: Check - Done and hurting! Not a good start really)
  
• Vacuum the stairs (11: Check - - without pulling the hoover down on top of me!)
• Put away Tams toys (3: Check - again)
  
• Put away DVDs/PS2 games (4: Check-a-roo)
  
• Vacuum the lounge (5: Check - and no toys sucked up)
  
• Vacuum the landing (6: Check)
  
• Vacuum the up-stairs (Seriously cannot face the kids rooms)
  
• Clean the loo (7: Check - you can now eat out of it... If you want)
  
• Washing (8: In progress... Forever!)
  
• Folding laundry (9: Check - Jo got up and did it while I did #10)
  
• Drying up/Putting away (Screw it - it can dry itself)
  
• Washing up (10: Check - and I look like I've pee'd myself)
  
• Feed Jo & Tam (And done)
  
• Carry laundry downstairs (5: Much hefting, but ouch. Er, Check)
  

And no doubt, all this will be punctuated by phone calls, texts, generic pain, headache... I can't wait...


Edit: Nearly done... for lunch...
Edit2: Done, done and... well, if anyone has a tranquilliser handy, may I point your attention to the large target that is my arse. And it's only 12.10 in the afternoon. Yay School Run in less than two hours.

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

Being that life here in Chez 0ddness is something akin to an SAS Operation over the last couple of days (with no Sunday Morning hangover, I should add), I suspect my internet access today and tomorrow will be spotty, to say the least. Later today we're off to the in-laws as today is one birthday.

We're staying over tonight, Xmas Day chaos, staying over, Boxing Day Chaos, then my mums in the afternoon, then back to the in-laws, home on the 27th, then Friday we're likely going to my dads, quiet weekend coupled with Jo's mums birthday, then New Year kicks in, complete with Jo's brothers birthday on New Years Eve AND a fancy dress party we're going to... Then Jaysen is back to school on the 3rd.

It's never ending, I swear it.

So, I'll take this chance to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas and if I don't get a chance before hand, a wonderful Happy New Year 2008.

For those of you that have been reading the blog a while, thanks for hanging around and supporting me. For those of you new to the blog, thanks for coming over and reading.

2008 may have a couple of new additions to the blog, but we'll see about that ;)

Have a good time all, eat, drink, be merry and especially, be safe.

-Dan, Jo, Jaysen & Tamsyn

Where'd The Week Go?

I'm not entierly sure where the last week has gone. I DO know that is has dragged something awful, and the weekend could not arrive soon enough. And while it's been chaos and hectic, I'm not sure what has gone on.

Guess it's the whole "Christmas is Looming" thing.

In fact, out of the whole week, only three "occurances" spring to mind; a bitch of a migraine Friday daytime (and sleeping pretty much all afternoon), getting a bit tipsy Friday night (and staying up till 6am gassing), and being invited to become a guest author at the site About:Blank that I visit most days.

The migraine - nothing to report. I started to make itself known around 11am Friday morning, and by 1pm, I was out on the sofa wanting someone to just remove my head and flush it away. Aside from an interlude of inviting Jaysen in (worlds noisiest child), it was gone by about 7pm, leaving just that dull "I've had a cramp in my brain" ache.

Later that evening, someone turns up, and we all sit together having a laugh, getting drunk and talking the night away. One person flaked around 1am, the next one flaked at 3am, leaving me bored and wide awake. So another drunk a million miles away in some dodgy town in Bedford kept me company. Until I fell asleep mid-conversation at almost 6am. Oopsie.

No, amazingly, it wasn't the booze. I had Jack Daniels, Beer, WKD Blue, even Absinthe, but I was fine. I was, however, very very tired, even though I got up a few hours later at 11am. And no, I didn't have a hang over. I wonder if my migraine meds helped fight it off.... Hmmmm...

And yes, me. Guest Author on a proper webpage. I've been visiting About:Blank for a good while now, and occasionally even post stuff I find there on here. I submitted a link during the week, and the site owner replied, has been here before and apparently I post some "great stuff on my site"

Me? On this site? hehe So here I am, wondering what I could post on a site with half a million visitors, knowing that whatever I post will be seen by a lot of people. More's the point, aside from you lot here, who on earth would both read AND enjoy what I write? Would my very presence be the iceberg to the good ship about:blank?

This is why I don't act - I get up on the stage, the spotlight hits me, and I babble before either passing out of taking off like a greyhound after a fake bunny.

So, anyway, while I consider that - tomorrow is Jaysens 9th birthday. That's scary (in that I've not murdered him before now) and makes me feel older than I am. And by the weekend, we should (all things being "normal") have our Xmas Decorations up. We need a new tree as our last one was destroyed by the joint brute-force attacks of kittens, toddler, kids wanting chocolate, gravity, and a large fat guy sick of Xmas almost bending it trying to get it down last year.

Oops.

So, new tree, new decorations... We shall see.

Busy Bee

In the true styles of a certain lasagne-eating cat, yesterday was a constant crapfest. I had to face the town, so the less said about that the better for all. We didn't get back in till gone half two in the afternoon, which gave me 15 minutes to put shopping away, grab something to eat (a doughnut), and then run out again into the Arctic Wilds of Basildonia to grab the boy from school.

The house is a tip, we've got Cel stealing out laundry so we don't run out of the necessities - I mean, do you WANT me walking around naked, plus we're trying to deal with Xmas and everything else. Joy.

In other news, Jo's foot is now officially on the mend and she can walk about without much hassle. On the other hand, while she was at the erotica show on Sunday, there was a woman looking for volunteers to demonstrate a new tongue-piercing technique. Guess who now also has a hole in their tongue.

Some people just can't think of their own trend to follow.

Where her tongue is a little swollen she sounds like she has a bit of a lisp, but on the bright side, it's making her form her words properly so she doesn't sound like a common old trout for once. She sounds like a real Essex Girl most days, but for the time being, she is actually pronouncing words correctly.

And last night, in celebration of Lane getting a new job, the girls went out to Bas Vegas and partied. Which left me with the moody kids. Again. *huff*

Once again, I had issues coming up with a Musical Monday song, but I hope to fix that shortly with a bit of creative date editing and posting something. He says, hopefully.

Aside from all that, I've been dodging a migraine for the last few days - it keeps looming behind my eye, and I pop enough pills to push it back, but I can feel it building a while later. I think I might let the bastard just come out, get it over with...

Damn It!

As if it wasn't mad enough here, as if lack of sleep, lack of pain killers, idiot animals, extra housework and everything else, I found another surprise this morning.

My mobile has been cut off. So till Monday, I can't post from my mobile, can't send texts, can't call out. DAAAAAMN IT!!

You can guarantee when everything is going pearshaped, something else will jump on the bandwagon!

In other news, we had to pop to the doctors this morning to collect our prescriptions. The surgery is on Noak Bridge, an estate around here that many many years ago was Little Dans stomping ground. Shows how much time changes all things, as after working it out, I was six or seven when I used to charge around and play with my friends. Now, Jaysen is eight and I wouldnt dream of letting him out - too many weirdos.

But, wandering around Noak Bridge, seeing my old school, the old shop, the pond and park, even the streets - I don't know, it was nice to take a trip down memory lane. It's scary how much of that estate has remained as I remember it!

And so, phoneless and knackered, I need to sort out some laundry :(

Sniped Out of Nowhere!

Dagnabbit. So, I'd not long dragged my exhausted ass out of bed this morning, stumbled through the house and sat at my computer to check my mail. Yesterday, we finished up in the garden, weeded some flowerbeds (scary thought), and had a tidy up. We decided to have a little bonfire as well which was nice, sitting in the twilight, just me and Jaysen... But anyway, yesterday was busy.

Back to this morning. I'm sitting here answering silly questions from a certain Pompey Lass, when the phone goes. Jo is chatting to her parents who - as planned - are off to GenCon UK this week, and we (as usual) drew the short-house-sitting straw. Jo reminds me we're there this weekend. Great.

Despite being asked to house sit for the weekend, Jo's face drops. They leave tomorrow and we're expect there tomorrow to boot. So now we're in panic-mode clearing up our house and packing bags for a Wednesday-to-Sunday stay.

I hate it when stuff comes out of no where :(

House Work Day

Over here in Old Blighty, today is Bank Holiday Monday. Which means precisely squat to me, but a lot of others in the country get the day off, some shops are closed, and, well - search Bank Holiday in Wikipedia or on here for more info.

However, today I've been pottering around the house, clearing up the devestation left in the wake of Tamsyn. And Jo, being that she's a messy person too. And you can bet every time I've come back to a computer I've missed a message from someone. I am sure ya'll can live without me for a bit!

In non-Bank Holiday traditions, the weather has actually been really good - which aside from meaning "Yay no rain!" it also means I'm sweating like a... well, like a busy fat man in summer. The upside to this means that the last week of school holidays will be nice weather. The downside means it'll be hot sweaty weather when school returns.

And did I mention the sweatiness? hehe

Now it's cooled down a bit, this old man has to do some gardening. Lawns need mowing, flowers need watering, rubbish needs "removing". I'm trying to convince Jo to let me have a bonfire, but she thinks I'm more likely to burn my head.

We shall see...

And yes, another bimbo for a post image!

Hectic

These last couple of days have been constant, non-stop go-go-go style days. What with having to buy stuff, sort stuff, fix stuff, kid stuff, pet stuff and everything else, I've not had fifteen minutes to sit down, put my feet up and think "Ahhh peaceful". Even now, with Tam sitting quietly, Jo out and about, and Jaysen at school, I am trying to type with Chuck Norris beating seven bells of crap out of my keyboard and mouse.

If you find any typos or random characters/letters in this post, I have photographic evidence as to why:


The mighty hunter indeed. The mouse is bigger than he is.

So anyway - we had a school assembly to attend yesterday morning for Jaysen - 50 adults packed into a little hall to watch about seven minutes of 35 eight year olds forget their lines and pull faces at one another. Joy. Last night we spent an hour with our friend Jim, who fitted me out with a steel backplate for when I go Roleplaying next month - so that should prevent some major ouchies. Yes, it's a safe hobby, but accidents happen.

We've been shopping, Tam has been moody as hell over the last couple of days, plus where people keep "popping in" unannounced, the house looks like a bomb has hit it.

Of course, lack of sleep and being so busy has taken it's toll, and today I could not wake up, and can hardly move. Seriously, I feel like I've been hit by a truck and can hardly move, so it's veg-out-and-hope-for-the-best today.

So now I have to go feed Tam (who still has the hump) and try to finish this post with a kitten attacking the keyboard and the mouse pointer on the screen. Ugh.