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Move over Trotsky. This morning I swear there was a little man driving an icepick through my left temple. Amazingly I braved the rush-hour Tube, made it into work, and due to the miracle of modern drugs no longer feel an incipient migraine threatening.

Better living through chemistry.

Works for me.

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I am now housesitting for F&J whilst they visit her parents in Malta, making arrangements for their wedding next year [remembers the Nine Month Trauma that constituted The Younger Sibling's wedding arrangements and shudders].

They have SKY TV!

Being a complete cable virgin (none of my London friends have previously had cable), I decided to amuse myself last night by scanning through all the channels, and discovered the braincell-killing hypnotism that is Television Shopping, and the trainwreck fascination that is Religious Broadcasting. I think I shall avoid that end of the station spectrum from now on. Unfortunately F&J don't have any of the movie channels, but they do have the Sci-fi channel (whoohoo! latest Stargate season!), so I'm happy.

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Speaking of F&J's wedding, I'm supposed to be making her tiara and his cufflinks for the Big Day. I've already designed the tiara and gotten the go-ahead, I just need to sit down and work out construction, which will be the pain in the ass part. I'm also going to make her a bracelet and matching necklace, which she won't probably wear on the day but which will be nice to have - tiaras not really being much use afterwards.

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Saturday was frustrating. After a 2 hour-long misadventurous journey out to Slough from north London, I arrived at the estate agent to find the seller's lawyer hadn't given them authority to give me the keys. So I couldn't go inside and measure. The agent very kindly rang the owner in Canada, and despite the fact he knew I had signed a key undertaking contract accepting any damages, merely wished to measure but not move anything, and was sitting there listening, he refused to let me have the keys without his lawyer's sayso. Wanker.

So I toddled quietly off (probably much to the agent's relief) and did some window shopping, then met T. and went for a drink and a snack. She's asked me to be in the royal retinue (i.e. accept what is basically a personal assistant job) in my medieval reenactment group for the next 8 months. It's a nice compliment however and I can't deny I was chuffed. I accepted, so all my swearing off doing anything for the next year or so has come to naught (those of you who know the SCA can now start rolling around on the ground laughing) :-P

So it wasn't a completely wasted day. Just a mostly wasted one. I shall have to repeat the go-to-Slough-pick-up-keys-go-measure excercise this coming Saturday, but hopefully by then I'll actually own the place. Still. Damn frustrating.

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This Is Just To Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

-- William Carlos Williams

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Slime Season is beginning. You know, when the foliage hasn't finished dying and falling, and falling and dying, but the weather has turning grim and drizzly so there's a sodden carpet of slippery gold and red and brown leaves on the pavement. And who knows when the local authorities will get around to cleaning your street?

I had my favorite boots reheeled and resoled last week, but realised today, to my annoyance, I might have to have them redone as they repaired them with smooth soles, rather than the corrugated ones. Anything that slides on leaves is going to be just as bad with ice and snow. I could get new boots for the £27 this will end up costing me, but I've had these boots for 7 years and they're still waterproof and in nice condition. They're ankle-high strap & buckled Windsor Smiths, an Australian brand. Originally they were considered biker boots, but they're excellent quality ones. They were expensive at the time, but then I might be horribly stingy about spending more than 15 quid on shoes or sneakers or sandals, but I'll happily spend ten times that amount on a good pair of boots.

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Tonight - Evanescence!

I'm twitching away the workhours.
(then again, that might just be one too many café mochas)