In a hurry and I can't think of a title. Hah.

I’m only a fraction too late this morning, rapidly going through the morning rituals so I can start on the day. Only a little bit of reading, then getting dressed and heading down to the house with the dogs darting around me in their usual melee.

Beautiful weather today: The sun is shining brightly overhead, the temperature is pleasant, and the wind strong but not chilly. Wonderful, and it reminds me of the years when we went to Spain during our travels.

Once inside the house I get to the laundry first, deciding that I might as well get that particular chore behind me and am pleased to see that due to the change in the weather conditions everything has dried properly during the night again.

The usual feeding, and setting the kitchen to rights follows, after which big brother and I settle down with our computers to work on a pitch letter to send to publishers in the near future for one of my full length novels.
It is a slow and tedious process, involving the bare essentials and catchy phrases while still maintaining a professional tone. I hate it, but it has to be done.

A couple of hours later, having eked out a basic letter, we head on out to the car, intending on a trip to the local landfill when we find that something is wrong with the car and it refuses to start. The battery appears to be empty again, causing considerable frustration to us both as we open the hood and take the battery out to see if we can fix the problem by putting another in it’s place.

It doesn’t work, and in the end we resort to placing the old back, and connecting it to the charger while we set out to gather the variety of junk piles that have been placed along the path during the past few months and the projects we’ve been involved in. The truck bed is rapidly filled to full capacity, creating a much wider path for our car to traverse up the mountain on any given day. It is rather nice to see the yard turn neat. Hah.

While we’re hauling junk the wind is rapidly building up to full force, and as dusk descends the temperature starts to drop, making me somewhat chilled by the time we return to the house and eat the meal little brother has prepared. While returning inside, I notice that Yadzia is limping and feel considerable concern when I can’t figure out what is causing it.

He doesn’t appear to be experiencing a lot of pain but since he’s on rather heavy tranquilizers I can’t say if this latest problem is just a matter of some weakness in the limbs or something more severe. I guess I’ll know later tonight by the time the 24th hour of his medication arrives. If he’s in pain then, something is wrong.

During dinner we watch an episode of “The Closer” and after eating I set an old, small coffee table on the kitchen table and start to sand the top and scrape the legs with broken pieces of glass. When finally the last remnants of the old paint are removed the new varnish can be applied, at which time the show is over.

We turn off the TV so we can focus on the papers that need to be filled out for our upcoming passport renewal. It’s a terrible hassle, really, and so unnecessary all things considered, but it needs to be done that’s a fact.

After we get most of it done, we spend another hour or so going over the pitch letter and doing some random writes for the book, when midnight arrives and with it the time available to get everything done.

A long discussion in my room follows, as big brother and I talk about our most recent concerns and plan on what needs to be done in the near future. There is so much to do, and relatively speaking so little time to do it in. It is a rather daunting task that lies ahead, but like everything else in life, it has to be done.

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.