Morphed.

Went to visit the Hall-Halls in hospital today, with wee baby. We saw her in her little cot with all kinds of tubes attached to her. Only dad was allowed to touch. But even alseep and paralysed and sedated, she was pretty cute looking. I'd be well happy with that! Baby fingernails are always so surprising.

Can't wait til she gets to wake up and go home with them.

* * *

Also went on a nature walk with Damon to the Karori Sanctuary. I've never properly been there. It's pretty neat. We had a cookie break half-way. Would be interesting to do a longer trip and take the Green Path. Though, as Damon pointed out, I would have to wear a different outfit (need to match your outfit to the coloured path you are walking - otherwise you might get lost).

* * *

Cocktail of choice is now anything with honey vodka. The other week Meg made us honey vodka, passionfruit vodka, Chi and mint cocktails. Last night I made honey vodka, lemonade and cranberry cocktails, with mint. Both were lovely. Given my experiences at Dave's birthday party earlier this year, I'm well over Candian Club, which had previously been my drink of choice.

I am so happy for Fish and Sam.

I had left my bag at home by mistake (realised that when I met my colleagues for breakfast and had to get one of them to pay for mine). Then I realised I'd also left my poetry books at home, which I'd especially had returned under awkward circumstances on Monday and was going to take to book club after school. Then I realised I'd not brought anything for lunch, had no money to go to the canteen (no purse) and am their #1 enemy since I still have $1.50 owing from my bill from last term (so wouldn't dare ask for more credit).

So I gave in and drove home during my non-contact.

And I'm so glad I did!

Grabbed my bag, checked my phone and had messages from Fish and Cassie.... and was happy for the rest of the day! Like, every other little and big niggle didn't matter at all 'cause it's just so uplifting to hear good stuff like that. One of those puts-things-in-perspective moments.

Charlotte is one smart little lady - she picked awesome parents.

* * *

Two days to go two days to go two days to go.

I am tired right now. School should just finish already. Let's cancel all classes due to bus complications.....

* * *

So my holidays looks like this:

• Sunday - following Saturday, at basketball nationals with the girls.
• Wednesday - Friday of second week, going in to school to do website stuff and start school magazine.
• Some Other Days - doing marking and prep for next term.

Not quite sure if there'll be time for the usual holiday frivolities..... Feeling quite sorry for myself! I need my sleep-in days and haircuts and shopping and leisurely coffees and short-lived exercise regimes.

* * *

We are loving 'The Big Bang Theory' (new show on TV2, 8pm Wednesday). Geeks rule!

* * *

Book Club is just the cutest thing. All of the gorgeous eccentric kids gathered in one place, having good-spirited debates about whether Sherlock Holmes was straight and giving me cupcakes with pink icing and wearing newspaper hats.

This month's theme was poetry. I took along my favourite books and read out a couple. It's a really sweet thing sitting around with a dozen kids sharing favourite poems and authors. Two girls had ventured to the book fair and bought old anthologies. One of them proudly said she'd read very little, but had found an inscription in the front hand-written in pen saying '1931 - to my wife'. There was a collective, 'Awww!' and sigh at how sweet it is to buy your wife a poetry anthology. Then the next girl had an equally old anthology that had the name 'May' in the front, and May had put stars next to all her favourite poems, but had stopped for some reason half-way through. I love books with mysterious histories and scrawlings in them. You get a real sense of a shared experience. There's something magical about knowing you are casting your eyes over the same words that someone else has, but that all you know about them is a date and name scrawled in the front cover.

The lone boy from down the hill who is game enough to come to book club read out that poem with the line about 'I was not waving, but drowning'. I remember finding that line in a book of quotations when I was in my early-teens and writing it down so I'd always remember it. It really strikes a chord with me. I was the kind of early-teen who enjoyed getting out books of quotations from the library and pouring of them for hours......

Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

I was watching Rove on Friday and he was dropping the line about 'put lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig' in wherever he could.

I am going to make that my mission of the week too.

I have already had a few good in-context reasons to say it :)

Joel's Engagement Party

Had a family-do on Saturday. Essentially it was my dad's wife's grandson's engagement party. He's only 21, but he has two little kids with a girl and now he's finally making an honest man out of himself. It was one of those nice family occasions where everybody put differences aside and all came together (once Joel's fiance forced them to). Lynne's ex-husband and her passed some funny jokes, and both Joel's parents and their new partners appeared to get on for the night. It was a good thing.

Lynne's son and ex-husband got the formalities going with many waiata and speeches. Even my Dad did a speech (he was already a bit drunk) which went for a loooong time. I slunk into the background, but feedback afterwards was positive. My dad, for those of you who haven't seen him give speeches (which would be most of you) is a quiet man by nature.... but once he has the floor, he doesn't really like to give it up. He gets quite theatrical. Quite good really - but he does like to draw a story out, and it doesn't necessarily have a punch-line after all that :) As I have pointed out many times..... But he's pretty funny. The best touch was that at the end of it he said, 'And I now pass on to Jesse, who would like to say a few words' ... at which point my 18 year old nephew, who was purposefully standing against the back wall away from the proceedings stood in shock and had to mumble his way through something to the effect of, 'Good on ya, bro.'

Then four of the men-folk got out guitars and we had some sing-along-songs. My dad took to thumping his cane on the ground every now and then as his contribution (you can see it in the foreground of the shot - just in front of Joel, the man of honour). I like that the guy next to him is using a beer bottle to make a slide-guitar.... By this stage, Dad was actually quite pissed. He kept having red wine. There was cake and jellybeans (among other things) and any time anyone offered him a jellybean he'd theatrically say, 'What - are you trying to kill me??? [big pause] I'm a diabetic!' I like that he's using his new-found illness of good comedic effect.

Lynne got up and danced with her daughters... the bad back is well and truly better! They were doing the hula to Ten Guitars here.... her daughters are in rapturous laughter.

Both of the photos with me in them are awful... so I have fabricated my own photo to highlight my dress, which got positive feedback from all the rellies. My nephew, once he was well and truly pissed introduced me by saying, 'And this is my aunty.... and she's a teacher.... but she's beautiful and I love her.' By that stage of the night everybody was beautiful and he looooooved us all. He's one of those affectionate drunks! I like how he put the 'but' in there to qualify that I was still a good person, even though I was a teacher :)

7 Little Things

1. C is for Cookies

Reidun made cookies with chocolate chips, sultanas and dried cranberries. Yum! I had mine with a glass of milk (like they do in American TV programmes).

* * *

2. Here, There and Everywhere

Last night we played indoor against a big tall guy (Jon and Morgue will remember him). He's one of those guys that always pops up around Wellington. I'm pretty sure he does a lot of direct marketing on the street (for Barnados and other charities maybe). Me and Cassie were sitting outside at Starbucks waiting for Ant one day, sipping on Frappachinos, and we watched him doing his thing for a good half hour. He compared well to the other street marketers. We dug his style (we were doing a kind of sports commentary on how they were doing from our possie across the road).

And last night he rolled his ankle quite dramatically, but then just hopped off the court - no fuss. And he sat quite calmly on the seats and said to the girl with him that he might need to go to A and E, and showed me the huge lump that had already popped out of his ankle, within minutes. Then a guy from his team was saying, 'Oh - sorry about that!' and he was all, 'Nah mate, no worries. Not your fault.' And then he hopped off down the stairs to go to the hospital. Very good spirited about the whole thing.

I dig his style. One of my pet peeves is when people get injured and lie on the court for quarter of an hour, need to get carted off by a few other people, snapping at everyone around them ... and then by the end of the game they're limping away on their own....... I like tough people. I like to think I'd be one of them (have never had a major injury, but have continued playing on every sprained ankle I've ever had - trying to hide it from my coach so he didn't sub me off).

* * *

3. Bottle it Up

I'm digging the first track on Liam Finn's album right now. It's my car-album of the month. And I don't really like the end of the CD so much, so once I reach a certain track I fast-forward to the first track again.... It's one of my small daily pleasures hearing the bass-line kick in.

* * *

4. Holy Guacamole

My favourite jeans are getting a hole in the knee. The end is nigh. I am watching it grow, sadly. At the moment (I like to think) they're dressy enough to wear to work.... but once the whole kicks in, they're gonna look like I'm going to a Bon Jovi concert.

* * *

5. What's that burning sensation?

I have a scab on my ear. It's not terribly sore. I just noticed one night my ear was kinda itchy and felt a little swollen. And I discovered the scab. It's a slight mystery... but I think maybe I burnt it on my hair-straighteners. Oops. Self-induced pain for vanity - something I swore I'd never buy into when I was an idealistic teenager who refused to pierce her ears on principle.

I used to have principles. Now I have artificially straight hair and pretty earrings.

* * *

6. Save me from the Knowledge City, with its flying monkeys

There is a slight window of opportunity and hope. I was talking to the sports co-ordinator today, and a few girls might not be able to pay their tournament fees..... so they might pull the team out of the basketball Nationals .....

That would mean I didn't have to spend the first week of my holidays in Palmerston North with students.....

Touch wood! If there's one thing you can almost rely on from basketball girls, it's that they'll be disorganised slackers. Don't let me down this time, girls!

* * *

7. Thank me later

I seened Sam at indoor netball tonight. He shot a two and missed it, then Dave got the rebound and passed it back out, so he shot again and got it in.

He didn't seen me. I was being sleuth. But I made him get the 2-pointer in. He may have felt that telekinetic power of mine as he took the shot..... or he may have been deluded, and taken the credit all for himself.

I love how people think you'll do something when you say 'Look - I'm writing it on my hand'.

* * *

Banana cake is almost all gone.

* * *

I am triple-booked for tomorrow.

* * *

Jon is now officially my 'friend'. How long will it take Michelle to follow? Facebook will inherit the earth.

* * *

After all these years, sleep is one thing I just never get sick of.

* * *

Turtle-neck and plaid. My preppy look.

* * *

I have been reading the same book all year. I am a slow reader.

SHOPPING - vitamins and impulses

There seems to be a broccoli shortage at the moment.

I went to the markets today with Reidun and alls I really wanted to get was apples, carrots and a broccoli. And not a single stall had brocollis! Reidun asked one of the store-workers and he said he'd sold all his to New World. It seemed some sort of conspiracy.

Damn those big supermarket chains.

So I had to buy one at Pak 'n Save. And it was almost $3. And it was mangy and will have to be eaten in the next couple of days.

First peanuts, now broccoli.... what will be next???

It really did quite disturb me that they didn't have any at the markets. It was possibly the first time in my life I have had a broccoli craving.... and it was not immediately satiated. It may never happen again now... and I will become surrounded by cheap, lush broccoli and not care at all.

* * *

In less mundane news (possibly), we went on an outing to the Southern Cross for lunch and coffee yesterday (and we found out they now have hot water bottles you can borrow while you're sitting in the garden bar - cute!). And then some shopping....

And I bought a dress. Totally on impulse. I love buying dresses on impulse. Some girls like buying handbags or shoes.... I like dresses. Reidun talked me into it.

Me: Oh, that's a kinda pretty dress....
Reidun: Try it on.
Me: Oh, but I have no need for a new dress....
Reidun: Go on! Just for fun....
Me: Oh, ok...............
[a few minutes later]
Me: (sheepishly peering out for my changing room) .... what do you think?
Reidun: Buy it!
Me: Really?
Reidun: Yes. Buy it.

Then I rationalised it as a dress I could wear to an upcoming baby shower, engagement party and even to work if I was in a girly mood. Practical and multi-purpose. And it's very 1950s house wife (though from Illicit, so house-wife meets funk - it's the shop associated with the graffiti artist Miss Misery, let Marty tell you the story about his $10 Miss Misery bargain sketch some time....). And black, so I can wear it to a funeral, should the ocassion arise. And pretty enough that I could wear it to a funeral and meet some exotic foreign man (obviously not a blood relative) and start an illicit affair with him because I looked strangely alluring in my preppy-yet-sophisticated black sailor dress. That scenario just came to me.....

I would actually never have walked into Illicit, beings as it looks all emo and trendy.... but they have really gorgeous feminine dresses with high waists (which suits me fine!). I am glad I have discovered this haven of girliness - will revisit it when it comes time to splash out on my yearly birthday-come-prize-giving outfit......

I'd say wearing dresses is one of my favourite things about being a girl. Something oddly empowering about wearing a lovely swishy dress. The last impulse dress I bought was my blue-dress, which has come in very handy. I love my blue-dress. I need more excuses to wear it!

* * *

We are being EROed this week. Bleh. That will make for a slightly tense staff..... I hope we get a morning tea shout at the end of the week!

* * *

I rang Dad for father's day. The first thing he said was, 'Oh - I'd forgotten it was Father's Day!' (and he wasn't being sarcastic - men in my family don't remember events and dates). The second thing he said was, 'Who reminded you about it?' To which I replied, 'I'm insulted, Father! [pause] .... Reidun.'

Even Kyle had rung his dad up (he'd only planned on sending a text). They all put me to shame.....

Had a Chang-tastic dinner last night. Nicky and her beau were in town (limited time only).

Nicky somehow forgot that in NZ 'byo' usually doesn't mean beer. She was saying that in the UK lots of people don't even know what 'byo' stands for - not so common there.

At our dinner there were many teachers (6 - representing 3 different schools) and many Hutt citizens (past and present). Then there was Jamie. He coped well.

I am just no rediscovering remnants of food I evidently dropped on my lap during the course of the dinner..... Darned chopsticks.

I don't like it being THAT cold. My classroom was so cold yesterday that we were all shivering and discovered that the hallway outside the classroom was actually warmer..... We migrated to warmer parts after that realisation.