Demolition in all shapes and forms.

So, I start the day already feeling exhausted for no apparent reason, which means that I’m going to try to keep today’s recount a little short to hit the sack at a decent time for a change.

I’m reasonably in time during the course of the day, hurrying through the morning rituals to keep it that way and then heading down to the house with a bag of laundry in tow.

Quite a bit of conversation keep big brother, grandpa and me occupied, so I’m rather pleased that I had my exercise yesterday. Otherwise my being in time would have definitely run into being out of it once more.

Laundry’s the first thing on today’s schedule, a big load needs to be taken down now that the weather has turned for the better a bit (sunshine, at least) and it has finally dried the overfull lines. The removal creates room for the new batch that I hang immediately afterwards. Folding, of course cannot be left out, creating a multitude of piles that need to be dispersed between the family members and the baskets inside laundry closet so everyone can take their own along as they pass it.

Yadzia’s breakfast comes next–the new anti-inflammatory painkiller appears to be working, he’s actually cheerful today–after which it is my own turn. The talk continues all the way through the morning chores and meal until big brother and I finally settle down behind our computers to start on today’s work.

It doesn’t take long until we both realize that it isn’t working today, and resigning in the matter we put the machines away several hours before dusk and head on up the mountain to resume the disassembling of the car wreck that is still taking up space in the garden.

For the next few hours we’re unscrewing bolts, removing hinges and in end actually resort to using the sledgehammer in order to retrieve manageable parts that will allow us to cart it all off to the junkyard sometime during the next week. We continue until only the bare frame of the car is left, stepping back with some relief–nursing scraped knuckles and sore muscles–to admire today’s work.

Finally we’ve removed enough to be able to roll the car from it’s place on the barely functioning wheels, needing to put our backs into the chore just to get it backed up far enough to attach a firm rope to the back that will allow for the truck to do the heavy pulling in the end.

The wreck is definitely heavier than we expected, and a strong, one and a half inch thick rope connects the two vehicles together while I slowly begin to back up, putting strain on the rope. It pops and groans but the wreck stays in place.
I can see the brothers walk around, trying to see if it’s stuck somewhere, when suddenly little brother starts laughing and points into the car. The handbrake is still on it. Aaargh.

I roll my eyes at them, patiently waiting until they’ve released it and then slowly start backing out of the gate, pulling the wreck steadily along while rope continues to groan and then…suddenly snaps right in the middle. I gasp at the sight of little brother trying to hold the wreck in place by bracing his feet, skidding over the rocky path while big brother lunges inside and jerks the brake back in place.

Laughter echoes over the rumble of the truck’s engine as little brother calls “Well, if it went all the way down we’d be rid of it too.” What can I say, he’s got a twisted sense of humor, hah.

Finally, after knotting the broken part of the rope together again, I reverse the truck until the wreck clears the gate, and step out so we can remove the rope and start pushing the wreck into an unused section of our property until at some point we can have it towed away entirely.

My knee protests severely during the little stunt, but in the end, by the time dusk arrives, we have accomplished what we set out to do. Pleased, we gather our tools and head back inside for dinner, prepared by little sister.

The mac ‘n cheese with veggies go down well after the progress we made with our efforts, and while eating we watch the last rental DVD, which is once again a major disappointment. (It is scheduled for complete removal from my brain, asap that’s a fact. Hah.)
I ice the knee for a while, that itchy burning sensation once again causing some discomfort. Luckily the ice helps, allowing me to get through the evening without painkillers.

There are some sewing repairs that need to be done to some of little brother’s clothes, and I work on them while big brother decides to give the main PC a thorough cleaning. Before I know it the evening has come to an end and it’s time for me to head on back to my cabin.

I know something is wrong the moment I open the front door and see a flash of white. The dogs respond faster than me, of course, and pounce immediately on the poor wild cat that was stupid enough to intrude into their territory. I jump at the sight of the poor feline dashing into the dead end of my bathroom, and wince when I see Sitabah reach her within seconds.

Melee ensues while the other dogs try to join in on the battle of life and death for the wild critter that has been a frequent visitor on our property, but until now always managed to stay out of reach.
Dog after dog I shove forcefully aside, trying to make my way towards the gray Weimaraner, and just barely manage to jerk her back by her tail, giving the cat a momentary reprieve to head out the cabin in a mad dash.

She’s not fast enough however, what with the bloodthirsty pack going in her pursuit and my momentary lapse on keeping a firm hold Sitabah’s tail, the gray is on her before she manages to clear the porch. She has the feline by the hip, it seems, shaking her like mad, the way she would a rat, and it isn’t until I plant a booted, but flat and controlled, foot against her side to send her sprawling that she releases her prey.

The cat is obviously wounded, dashing–for as far as that is possible with her dragging hind paw–down the incline and onto the roof. While I am shouting at the dogs to cease, and keeping Sitabah in place with a firm grip on the scruff of her neck, I can see Dax and Touri go in the feline’s pursuit. I am pleased to see that the two miniature dogs are too cowardly to attempt more than bark at the cat that has taken refuge on top of the courtyard roof, hissing furiously.

Locking Sitabah in the cabin, I call grandpa over house phone, informing him of what occurred and warning him that he should be looking out for the cat in the morning to see what the damage is. I’m guessing it’s pretty bad, so if she makes it through the night we agree that he’ll take her to the vet to have her put out of her misery.

Nature can be a cruel thing that is a fact, but such is the circle of life, I suppose. The cat has been around here long enough to know not to be on the ground when the dogs are free, and thus it paid the consequences with her foolish action. It is regretful but also unavoidable, all things considered.

For the next half hour or so I spend cleaning up the mess the fight caused. The dogs’ water bowl went all over the floor, and before I can start feeding the dogs this needs to be mopped up properly.

And with that the night has come to an end. An eventful day, but it could have ended with a little less excitement in my opinion, hah.

I passed and survived! WOW

I get called awake this morning by the house phone, after waking at least three times during the night with the rather disconcerting thought “Drat, I could have had that exam question wrong too” and then the next and the next. Very frustrating, not to mention annoying.
So, with the phone ringing, I roll out of bed, snap a quick, “give me a sec” into the mouthpiece and hurry for the door to let the dogs out.

Sucking in a deep breath I address the caller again. As it turns out big brother is on the phone and he informs me that he went online, checked my scores and that I’ve passed the exams. YAY! My breath comes out with a noisy puff then, especially after the dream scares. Gawd…I always said that my mind is my worst enemy in such cases.

By the time I return to my bedroom, it becomes clear that I have missed another phone call, this on my mobile and return it with the knowledge that it’ll be the teach. She informs me that she has gotten the results too and congratulates me with only two errors when I could have had three. We talk for a bit; making plans to meet up soon so we can start on the next stage of our “education” and settle on a schedule where big brother and I will come to the school after the weekend so we can make plans.

With all that settled, and calling grandpa that I finally made it through a quick call to his cottage, I hurry through the morning rituals and do some reading in a book that I’ve read often but felt like revisiting again.
It is most peculiar, but ever since I became a member of the Julie Garwood discussion group at proboards, I’ve come across a strange “problem” with her book “Ransom”.

Now, I have read the book a dozen times in the past and enjoy it on every occasion, but at the discussion group site one of the other members has picked no other than Kevin Sorbo as the appearances of the male hero.
Now, I have nothing against Kevin Sorbo, honest, he’s cute, in a rather modern sort of way, but I’ve found that while reading “Ransom” for the thirteenth time, or so, I am now seeing the hero as friggin’ Hercules, and I don’t know if I’m happy about that, or not. Hah.

Be that as it may, I finish a chapter or two and head on down to the house.
No laundry today–I completely forgot–throughout the preparation of Yadzia’s breakfast, my own and then the computer when I quickly get online and then start editing.

Since I have been so focused on the exams these past weeks, the well of inspiration has been plugged solidly shut, so instead big brother and I decide to work on his project for a bit to see if there are any changes necessary, and perhaps some additions to the scenes he’s created.

It reads well and on the overall it needs only a few changes, since he doesn’t know how to create the necessary shortcuts in the way a sentence can be put down yet, and has sometimes put something down backwards. These are all minor mistakes, and I assure him of that on the multiple times he asks if it reads well and if it is a proper start of a story.
It is rather sweet to know that my opinion matters that much to him.

But anyway, after a few pages I manage to read a few pages of my own fantasy adventure “The Learning of Crysp” before it is time for me to head out to the car once more.

Mom’s doctor’s appointment is coming up and afterwards I need to take Yadzia to the vet again. The poor lab was crying again last night, his back hurting somewhat fierce, so I need to discuss our options once again.

The doctor’s appointment is dealt with rapidly, ending with a prescription as usual, before we drive over to the vet hospital where I take a remarkably happy, but slightly unbalanced Yadzia inside.

Our regular vet was there for a change, and I was happy that he joined in on the discussion as we discussed a change in medication for Yadzia to see if it might work better than the last one. It is a little more expensive, but I don’t mind that if he feels better for it.

That done, and a quick trip to the pharmacy, our little outing is over and we head back home where we’re welcomed by the noisy pack the way we always are. Luckily they settle down soon and I can start on making a quick dinner. Spaghetti with tomato sauce and veggies, it goes down well, but afterwards I start sagging in my sheet, catching my eyes upon dropping shut even as I watch “House”.

This definitely won’t do, so I decide to change in my workout clothes and get my routines done while watching the show, and “The Mentalist” that comes on after it. It goes well, doing an excellent job of waking me up. The evening afterwards goes by pleasantly, especially with the rental DVD of “Eagle Eye”.

The movie was a very pleasant surprise, offering great entertainment, a good story, interesting characters and good action scenes. Not at all what I’d expected, and definitely a form of relaxation I was up for.
It was long, however, so I’m dreadfully late by the time I finally get to my cabin and need to get ready for bed, and write today’s Blog.

Who cares, though? I made the exams!!!! Hahahaha.

Exams: Part II. Aaargh!

So, it was that time of the week. I go to bed early, so I can get a decent night’s sleep, and end up lying awake in bed, my mind spinning at top speed, for hours until I finally drop of to sleep a measly two or three hours before it’s time for me to get up and get ready to go to the dreaded exams.

The alarm shrills me from a peaceful sleep that was long in coming, and I stare at the offensive device owlishly as I try to remember why it is screeching already. The memory slams into me like a sledgehammer and with a groan I huddle deep under the finally warm blankets that did a lousy job of keeping my temperature up this night.

I really don’t want to get up yet, but the alarm keeps screeching, (I can’t reach it from the bed) and I know I’m going to have to face the pre-dawn cold soon anyway. Reluctantly I roll out of bed, letting the dogs out, washing up with cold water, and getting dressed in the clothes I’ve put aside the night before.

Pulling on an old skirt over the Jeans I picked–so the dogs won’t dirty the denim–I head on down to the house to pour some coffee down my gullet while eating a couple of slices of bread.
Big brother, who has gotten up as well since someone needs to be awake with the dogs, and I talk for a bit until it’s time for me to head on up to the car and depart to get to the city in time.

It’s a good thing my driver and I departed a little early since, when we approach the city on the motorway, traffic is rapidly congesting around us, giving us only twenty minutes to spare when I join the rest of the exam-takers in front of the closed fence of the traffic office.

I notice three of my fellow student huddling together against the chilly wind coming from the southwest, and tighten the wrap around me as I leaf through the lesson book for the duration of the wait.

Finally, the gate is opened by a security guard, and with the rest of my companions we stream onto the courtyard to wait for the woman standing in the doorway to call out every individual name on the pile of papers she’s holding.

Basically the same procedure as last week occurs, except that the identity check is more thorough, there are less people taking the exams, and the monitoring women are different than before. Also, I am basically seated in the back near to my fellow students, of which one is a little panicky ‘cause he forgot a pen.

Though the women are going to offer pens to those who forgot them later on, I take pity on him and give him one of mine, which is sticking out from my bag. He takes it gratefully, right until he sees that the pen is blue (our teacher pressed that they needed to be black). I point out that lots of others have blue pens as well but he continues to fret until one of the women assures him “vale, vale” which basically means that it’s fine.

So the test start and the thirty minutes are running. I’m starting to get a little excited when I go through question after question finding out that I actually know the answers without too much trouble. I have to keep reminding myself to keep calm and focus throughout, when a smile threatens to form on my face. (It is going to be soooo annoying if I don’t make it with these.) In the end I only doubt about four, which I consider excellent. It means that I only need to have semi-guessed 1 right to make this round.

I’m definitely keeping my fingers crossed…and I still say that the creators of the tests are bastards for setting the questions up in such a way that you need to have a major in literature just to understand them.

Ah well, I’m feeling pretty positive when I head back for the car and immediately start writing them down so I can go over them with the teach back at school. Of course doubts start to surface by the time I’ve remembered 21 of them, continuing to fret about them all the way to town, through heavy traffic until I’m dropped off at school.

The teach really wants to go over the test, but since it’s a busy day we don’t manage to get all of them covered in the half hour that passes. Other students are constantly dropping in, needing her attention and soon she needs to start on a group lesson, so it’s time for me to head on home and just wait for the results tomorrow.

I drop off the rented DVDs at the video store and manage to get three movies for the next few days that should be interesting. “Max Payne”, ”Burn after reading” and “Eagle Eye”. I don’t know if they’re any good, but at least it’s some relaxation.

My energy levels are seriously dropping by the time I arrive home, and go over the questions with big brother to see if he can say for sure which one I have gotten wrong. We agree that at least 1 isn’t correct, as the teach was contemplating just before she got distracted. Bummer, but still not a disaster…I hope.

Deciding to put it aside for the time being, I feed Yadzia, get on the computer while big brother heads back to bed, and mess around online for a bit before starting to write down the full exam for later reference. I manage to remember all 30 questions in the end, though the wording is flawed at the very least, and that does give a slight sense of satisfaction. Maybe I suck at exams, but my memory works just fine. Hah.

I attempt to do a bit of writing but after a couple of paragraphs it become blatantly clear that I’m really too tired to get anything done so I shut the computer down and decide to hang and fold the day’s laundry before curling up on an armchair for some much-needed shut eye.

For two hours, with Touri on my propped up feet, Mosha and Dax on my lap I snooze with a multitude of exam questions that keep flashing through my mind, but I feel somewhat revitalized at least when I wake up and find that the evening has arrived.

Remaining in the chair for a bit–the doggies are sleeping so peacefully–I take my time slowly stretching the kinks from my back and then get up to see what to make for dinner. Though there are some leftovers from yesterday’s curry and sweet ‘n sour dishes, I know that the younger sibs will pretty much annihilate what is still there, requiring a meal for me, mom and big brother.

In the end I settle on noodles with a satay sauce made from crunchy peanut butter. It takes only a short time to prepare and it should do an adequate job of filling our stomachs now that a long day and cold temperatures are taking their toll.

Once dinner’s over and done with and the dishes seen to we decide to put on Mark Whalberg’s “Max Payne” movie.
After watching it I don’t consider it bad, necessarily, but it seriously lacked some depth. A pity really since the idea was nice and images very pretty. Now, if some time and effort had been put in dialog, plot explanations and characterization it would have been a wonderful movie. Alas this wasn’t the case.

What follows is a very exciting episode of “Criminal Minds” and then the night has come to an end.
Just twelve more hours at most and I’ll know how I did on the exams! Whatever the results, I’m going to have enough to keep me distracted tomorrow. Yadzia needs to go to the vet and mom has her monthly visit with the doctor.

We’ll see.

Going a little off track today. "Writing thoughts"

It’s one of those days where nothing really interesting happened. No major disasters, nor small ones. No projects to describe, or an amazing writing efforts, just your run of the mill; I wake up, do my chore, scour the Net a little and get my butt off to school to listen to questions I already know the answers to.
Oh yeah, and we put a new seat on the toilet, which was pretty much the highlight of what occurred.
The day in one word, Boring!!!

So lets see if I can write about something a little more interesting today. Ah yes, I was having a most interesting discussion a few days ago about the finer points of writing and it let to a variety of thoughts that I am simply going to have to explain in a full Blog.

It is mostly a difference of opinion really, nothing vital, or anything, and basically it just says the same thing, but there are slight differences that give a different taste, I think.

Here’s one version, one that is grammatically correct, or so I’ve heard, and I’ve been thinking about the differences. Which one is right and which one feels right that’s what it all boils down to.

So let’s examine them:

#1.
“It was a spring afternoon in a suburb outside of Washington D.C. Late afternoon sun beat down on a trio of St. Bernards whose sudden barking disturbed the peaceful neighborhood.”

#2.
“It was a warm spring day in a nice little suburb just outside Washington DC. The late afternoon sun beat down on the peaceful neighborhood where a triplet of barking dogs disturbed the quiet of day.”

#1 admittedly it says it all perfectly, giving the details of the city, the time, the season and the situation, so what is missing. It doesn’t make you FEEL what’s happening. Yes it tells what’s happening just fine, but it comes across as a sum up. More than anything it doesn’t offer the actual experience.

So I’ll take #2 apart, and see what’s so different about it.

“It was a warm spring day” It gives a warm feeling, creating an image of something ideal and beautiful in whichever way a reader wishes to interpret it.
The way I like to describe it is a panning view of a big city (D.C. in this case) that then zooms in on some random suburban area.

“in a nice little suburb just outside Washington DC.” This gives a general location and creates an image of what the reader sees as a “nice little” suburb, whether that is the “Desperate Housewives” type or whichever the reader considers nice. Now I’ve heard that in literature one doesn’t really say “just outside” but I don’t really know why just “outside” would be any better, but still: In conversation one DOES say “Just outside” and to me that is the most important thing.

I’m not writing old fashioned literature nonetheless, I’m telling a story, much like I would if I were sitting face to face with the one interested enough to want to find out more about it.
It is more like the way a fairytale would be told, I think. Like “Somewhere, in a land far, far away a—“ well, you get my drift.
Where was I? Oh yes:
“The late afternoon sun beat down on the peaceful neighborhood where a triplet of barking dogs disturbed the quiet of day.” This shows time and creates location. A neighborhood, or a surrounding area of the place I want to take you.

Now, the problem appeared to be the triplet of dogs, this seemed to set the discussion participant aback as she wondered if that was the correct way to describe it. Participant wanted to know what kind of dogs were they? Why are they barking? Which adds a nice little bonus to me (the writer) since that means that this particular sentence makes the reader wonder what kind and why, practically forcing the reader to continue to see what happens next.
But that’s beside the point, let me explain what is:

Let’s take the movie example again and pretend we’re zooming in on a particular street, the warm and peaceful one, remember?
So the camera’s going down the street, not focusing on a particular place as of yet, when the sound of dogs barking suddenly disturbs the quiet day, without actually showing the dogs. You know the sound, and at this particular moment, you don’t really need to know what breed they are since you don’t even know whether or not those dogs are going to be important to the story.

It’s like when you’re jogging down the street and you hear some annoying little mutt bark in someone’s backyard. Are you going to check it out, or do you just imagine some indistinct breed that makes an annoying sound and move one? My point exactly.

So let’s continue with the paragraph that “created” the image, and inspired the questions.

“It was a warm spring day in a nice little suburb just outside Washington DC. The late afternoon sun beat down on the peaceful neighborhood where a triplet of barking dogs disturbed the quiet of day.”

The scene continues with this:

“It was a frequent occurrence and a cheerful sight for whoever passed bye, to see the two Golden retrievers, and their scrubby mutt companion, bounce up and down behind the white picket fence.”

This brings a few little details into focus and offers a glimpse into what is slowly turning out to be the place where I’m trying to take you.
Not much, I know, but these were the first couple of paragraphs, what else did you expect. It’s not like I can perform miracles and create magic in just a handful of words.

So this brings today’s Blog to a conclusion. It isn’t my usual type of writing through this wonderful web medium, but since I need to distract myself from the dreaded e-x-a-m-s tomorrow, I thought it did a nice job…right until I wrote this closing sentence, of course. Drat!

Busy days continue.

Gawd, I’m running so late I don’t know how I’m going to manage today’s recording, so I’m just going to let the fingers fly and see where it leads.

Started off already running late. I really need to find a different alarm clock; it’s so hard to find just the right spot for it to go off when I want it to. Though it was late going off, I still could have turned over and snoozed the day away if there weren’t more pressing matters to take care off.

I really ought to do my workout today, but every fiber in my body protests at the mere thought, making me decide to skip it and stop worrying about it. The schedule this week is atrocious to say the least, so the way I figure, slackening the reigns just a bit won’t do much harm.

A big stash of laundry is waiting for me in the laundry room, and the lines, which are overfull, need to be sorted through in hopes of getting at least a moderate amount of semi-dry stuff. The air has been moist and chilly for days now, so denims have to stay up while sheets and Tees can be taken down, at least creating enough line-space for the three new batches.

While I’m lugging the piles inside and start folding, I have tricked myself long enough and quickly change into workout clothes so I can start on today’s exercises before the brain starts objecting again. It is really the only way that works, convincing myself to skip the day and then doing them anyway, that way I don’t have to go through the hassle of convincing myself to actually do them.

It goes well, even though jumping still hurts. By the time I reached eighty I had to stop for a minute to massage the throbbing knee and then shake it off to move on to the next routines. Luckily punching, jabbing and anything with the upper body is no longer a problem, so I rigorously go through that particular part of workout, before doing the stomach exercises along with some mild leg movements that don’t put too much strain on the sore knee.

Seventy minutes after commencing, I’m done and head for the shower hot and sweaty even though the air is pretty chilly. The best exercises make me forget that it’s a cold day, so this one definitely went well.

Yadzia gets his food and the painkiller, after which I eat a few slices of bread, pour my coffee and head for the table to set up the computer while grandpa and big brother continue to discuss today’s topic.

Now, it would be a marvelous subject to write about in today’s Blog, but since it’s a big one, I’m going to have to save it for later lest I’m still writing an hour from now, just to get it all down.

I’m even more behind, since the exercise session took longer than an hour, and since I won’t be able to get any writing done in the hour that is left to me before I need to get ready to depart, I decide to get online for a quick round of the messages and chat forums.

Before I know it, I need to hurry on up to the cabin for a change of clothes and fifteen minutes later settle in the car with big brother and little sister as we head for town. While I will be dropped off at school the two of them will pay a visit to several stores…grocery day! Yay…Not!

Since I only have an hour, at most, I head for the computers immediately, going over the errors I made in previous tests and then adding three thirty question tests more before my time’s up. I just barely manage to ask the teach one question–as it turns out the computer had it wrong–when through the open doors I can see the truck already waiting for me on the curb.

We head for Iceland next. Frozen veggies are so much cheaper there that it pays to buy large supplies in one visit, that will see is through the next couple of weeks, if not longer. That done we drive half a block down the road, to a department store. I need some new underwear, and though it takes some searching, I do finally find what I need in the right designs hidden under atrocious patterns and colors.

I end up with black and white polka dots (yuck) and bright red. Definitely not my taste, but at least they’re the right kind, hah. Since this is the second bargain month, lots of prices are down, so big brother manages to pick up four sets of linen trousers that will get him through the summer, and little sister finds shorts for herself and middle sister, along with two T-shirts for little brother. After we’re all set and pay for our purchases, we head back out to the car in the misty rain that’s started up.

Our regular supermarket is running low on supplies, but except for fresh produce and bread we manage to stock up on pretty much everything we need, and some extras since this month’s “tryout” section is offering a large selection of Asian goodies that are so damn cheap that we decide to buy enough to get us through at least a month of wonderful experimental cooking.

Sweet and sour sauces, curries, coconut milk, mango chutneys all for decent prices for a change. Delicious! I see some wonderful meals coming up in the near future, and little brother will be just as thrilled.

Though closing time is rapidly approaching we still need to get our fresh produce, and head back the way we came to a different supermarket, farther into town that shares prices similar to the one we frequent. Strangely enough that one is low on supplies to, but we manage to get most of what we need anyway. It won’t hold for two to three weeks, but one should be doable.

By the end of this fourth store, my feet (and knee) are killing me–I was stupid enough to pick my high-heeled boots for today–so by the time we’re heading back home my feet are tingling from the strain and more than ready to kick up in some decent relaxation.

The first thing I do when arriving at the house is change into more comfortable shoes and clothes, and then the fun part starts: Unloading. It takes a joint effort to get the multitude of bags down to the kitchen, and up to an hour to get everything stored in the right place (oh man, I love the new kitchen, even all the extras we bought today don’t overflow the supply closet shelves) before we all release a relieved sigh and declare ourselves done.

Leftover pizza from yesterday fills our empty stomachs effectively, and while we put on a rented DVD, I get out the sewing kit to repair some holes in my sweater while I watch. No sense in just sitting there doing nothing when I might as well keep my hands busy.

“The Forbidden Kingdom”. It was much better than I’d expected. Sort of like an older movie with characteristics that, for some reason remind me of “The Never Ending Story”. I actually enjoyed it, even though it made me half an hour later heading on up to my cabin.

After I’ve fed the dogs, giving Yadzia his kibble and tuna mix before supplying him with his painkiller (the medicine can’t be given on an empty stomach) I go through a rushed evening ritual of reading and then changing into the pjs before I finally settle behind the computer to finish the evening off.

One more lesson tomorrow, and then the dreaded exam day has arrived once more. Ah well…we’ll see how it goes.

Strange dream and some rambling.

A strange dream flashed past this night. I remember running over rooftops during the night. Corrugated aluminum surfaces thundering under my feet, I leap, miss and slide down the sharp incline only to manage to catch myself just barely before the end of canted surface.
Breathing hard I lay there on the edge, staring at the starlit sky, wondering how the heck I’m going to get off the roof when a strange sound from my right startles me. I turn my head and see this woman, dressed in what appears to be a joker outfit. She is climbing some sort of street lantern, which starts to bend like a reed until she’s hanging right beside me, upside down. She’s laughing like a lunatic and I’m just grimacing as I look from her, down to the ground that’s at least nine feet below me.
Now, I don’t know what the heck that means, but it sure was weird. Hah.

I’m a little late this morning, for some reason I set the alarm wrong last night, but since today is not an exercise day anyway, and I was dreadfully late getting to sleep it really doesn’t matter. I hurry through the morning rituals, getting some reading done and then head to the house so I can feed Yadzia his breakfast, and give him his pain medicine.

That done, I have my own and watch the coffee percolate distractedly, needing my caffeine boost pretty bad, since I can’t stop yawning. Talk between big brother and grandpa becomes more animated with every second. Today’s subject appears to be Socialism and the way it is rapidly taking over the world.

Strange how this particular movement is gaining ground when it is basically communism wrapped in a new word. Everyone seems to forget that the worst dictators through history come from extreme left. Napoleon was for the people, Saddam, Castro and then I’m not even mentioning the disaster of communism in China and the former USSR. Heck, I believe even Hitler started out in a labor party.
Gawd, all those folks started out with the promise of a better world for all and look where it led. Eeewwww.

It proclaims caring for all, along with equality that will allow everyone, whether they work hard or not, to live in the same amount of comfort, meaning that those who work their butts off are working solely to provide for those who don’t. Talk about misguided and sneaky. Taking away wealth from the “evil” capitalists to give it to the people and then it turns out that “the people” really just means those at the top of the power chain. Smart on their part, I have to admit.

Sure, for those who don’t like to work hard it is certainly the answer since they’ll get their money no matter what, but for those who work hard to provide for their families, it is promising to be hell on earth. I mean, a social safety net is all nice and fine, but you can overdo it. There are lots of people out there who would much rather sit on their butts and get that monthly check in without effort on their part.

As is usually the case with socialism and communism, taxes for the rich (or richer) will go up, making working hard a rather useless endeavor, since you’re loosing too much of it to taxes demanded from you to support those who can’t…or won’t. For those who can’t it’s perfect, for those who won’t, well, it’ll just breed laziness, doesn’t it?
I mean, seriously, why make a million dollars through hard work when half of that will go to taxes? Might as well work less, make less and loose less when it’s all said and done.

If the upcoming trend continues to grow with present speed, I see a world rapidly degrading because there are not all that many people willing to work hard without some form of compensation. Besides, taking money from the rich (the way CNN so grandly compared it with Robin Hood the other day…idiots) and using it for present needs rather than investing it in endurable companies that’ll provide work and products for the future, is like pissing it all away. Sure, everyone will have their cake right now, but once you’ve drained the so-called rich, what then?

But enough of the ramble, such thoughts tumble through my mind at random, and I dismiss them so I can set up my computer and get to work.
It doesn’t go well today, I fear. I sit behind the monitor for hours and only manage a page or three without ever getting into the flow I so desperately need.

By the time five in the evening arrives, I give up and head for the kitchen to start on the pizzas I promised to make from what is left of our supplies.
While I start on the dough, little sister arrives and begins cutting the veggies and cheese while I pound and shape the dough until it is ready to be rolled out into the square oven dishes until we’ve got two yards of pizza crust to shove into the oven.

Pre-baking the dough, little brother mixes up a sauce, so little sister and I can start to cover the pies less than ten minutes after they were first shoved into the heat. Sauce, cheese, corn, mushrooms, onions, peas, peppers green beans and more cheese, finished off by spices and herbs before one by one they are returned to the oven and bake until a golden crust forms.

An undeniable success tonight that’s a fact. Six feet of dinner rapidly dwindles down to three. The leftovers are bound to feed us through the next couple of days. No more cooking for me in the near future, hah. This is a good thing, since today’s little exploit took almost two hours…but it was worth it, every delicious bite was.

That done there are some chores to go through, and once I get those done I settle down to watch “Medium”. It has been quite a while since we last saw the final episode of the season, but the new episode certainly offers it’s usual entertainment as the evening rapidly advances and leaves us with “Supernatural” as I get on my computer to do some more work.

This time behind the computer doesn’t go well either, but at least I get some done, if nothing other than editing. Afterwards I do some studying, too. No way around it, really. What has to be done has to be done, nonetheless. I do feel a tad stressed about going for exams again in two days.

Fortuyn has some minor blisters on his skin from yesterday’s accident with the deodorant and gas stoves, and though he is moving about tentatively, he doesn’t seem too badly impaired. He’s probably going to need some ointment to make him a little more comfortable, though.

But anyways…Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day. Lessons, groceries and more groceries, just like every two weeks. I get exhausted even thinking about it…so I won’t, until it actually becomes necessary. Hah.

Oh yes, last night I posted my review for Bitter Moon I: Triane’s Son Rising, by Amy Lane on Amazon. Very nice reading, I’m definitely curious how part two will compare, and if the author likes the review, naturally.
I do have to say that writing a review and an honest one at that isn’t all that easy. It takes time and effort to actually describe a story and the impressions it gives without writing down spoilers. It is an interesting concept, though, and considering that I still need to do several others in the near future that is a good thing.

So tonight I will probably start on a new book to review. Wonder what kind of thoughts this one is going to provoke.

What a day!

I woke right on the dot for a change, hah. The alarm shrilled and the dogs bound away, leaving only Chaos and Yadzia–he wanted on the bed last night and stuck around–lounging beside me as I stretch and yawn against the night’s stiffness. There was ridiculously little room what with Yadzia joining in, but I could hardly deny him access when he was looking at me so pitifully. Heck, he hasn’t wanted on the bed since Knight II joined my pack.

I pat both canines on the head, throw the blankets off and roll out of bed…to shiver violently against the obvious chill of the day. The sky outside is covered with thick heavy clouds and the moment I open the door, tiny pearls of rain start falling down, darkening the porch boards right before my eyes.

Sighing at the wet day ahead, I return to the bedroom to help Chaos off–Yadzia did it himself and easily trotted out the door–and quickly pull the blankets up before wet furry bodies return from their morning jaunt and dirty the sheets.

That done, I quickly go through the morning rituals, wanting to take advantage of the early start to get my workout done properly (the knee’s much better, only a slight discomfort now, really) and still have time left to get some writing time in on the computer.

Half an hour later the dogs and I arrive in the house. Big brother is still hosing down the patio, and I’m just about to lock Knight II in the pantry to prevent a noisy collision of packs when the door at the top of the stairs opens and the first wave of dogs comes flying down the stairs.
There’s short tussle between Knight II and Tallis (a white/brown crossbreed) before I manage to grab the Great Dane’s collar and haul him off to the pantry.

I’ve just closed the door when big brother finishes his descend and looks Tallis over a little worriedly to make sure that Knight II didn’t do him damage. All seems well, and with that I grab my workout clothes and change into them so I can get started.

Though jumping is a little iffy today (it sends a rather piercing ache through my entire leg) I still manage to do eighty before I switch to the other routines. I’m still not doing any kicks, knowing full well that if jumping’s a problem those are bound to be disastrous, but other than that all exercises go smoothly and within the usual time.

Seventy minutes after commencing I’m done, breathing deeply and only a slight reddening of perspiring skin when I head for the shower to wash up. Clean and dressed again, I make Yadzia’s meal and give him his painkiller while I’m chewing on my own breakfast.

With the usual coffee and OJ already in place on a side table, I set up the computer and get down to work. It doesn’t go bad, especially not considering the way I’ve been distracted this past week, and I end up with four brand new pages to add to the ongoing vampire project. It ain’t perfect that’s a fact, but it’ll get there after some rigorous edits in the near future, I’m sure.

By the time dusk arrives, I put the computer away to see about dinner. Reheating yesterday’s leftover rice, and adding some peas, corn and red bell pepper today’s meal is taken care of in a satisfactory manner, leaving me free to settle at the table once more to sew the multitude of holes in my favorite winter vest. It appears to be slowly falling apart at the seams by now, two years after purchasing it, but I like it too much to mind either the many repairs or that it is now three sizes too big.

That done, I head for the laundry room to get the day’s laundry. Since I wanted my workout this morning I’d postponed it ‘till now, forcing me to look into the two lanterns that no longer provide light in the courtyard. Apparently the two energy saving bulbs inside gave the spirit sometime during the last week, and I replace them before I start hanging the three batches on the lines that are rapidly filling up because nothing will dry in this weather. Drat.

I’m almost done when I hear a dog squeal inside, followed by shouts from the sibs. Little brother comes running outside, saying that a deodorant bottle exploded, sending a flare of fire into the living area that singed the hair and belly of Fortuyn (white/black pointer), and wets a blanket under the tap to douse the flames.
Once inside I find big brother and middle sister already having gone in the poor panicky dog’s pursuit and the flames dosed without actual damage.

Apparently one of the dogs got his teeth into the deodorant bottle during the evening, bursting the side, which then proceeded to empty into the air without notice until reaching the gas heaters that stand in the enclosed area of the living area. This caused a considerable explosion.

Luckily no real damage is done. Fortuyn is obviously a little shocked, singed all over his body, but no massive burns or anything like that. A good spraying with cold water has him calm down considerably. This is followed by a solid dose of painkilling and anti-inflammatory medicine, which has him settle down in a quiet corner to sleep it off.

We do a thorough check of his entire body, but only find his skin to be slightly pinker than usual, bringing instant relief. After airing out the room now filled with the smell of burnt deodorant we all settle down to watch and episode of “The Closer”.

Entertaining as usual, but afterwards we shut the TV down so big brother and I can do some studying. Me for my repeat theory exams in a couple of days, and he for the next stage of our “education”. We immerse ourselves in the badly written scripts for a couple of hours, and then, feeling brain-bruised, decide to watch an episode of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” before calling it a night.

I head on up to my cabin and feed the dogs while big brother comes up too, so we can discuss some more of the lessons and make plans for tomorrow to boot. At last I’m done with the dogs and spend another thirty minutes or so just talking before I state that I really need to start on the evening rituals if I want to be in time for bed, in just a few hours.

With a glance at the clock big brother departs to start on his own evening rituals, leaving me to do my habitual reading before I get online and start on today’s Blog.

And eventful day, for sure and though I could have done without the near miss with Fortuyn, it was a good one, on the overall.