I started reading The God of Small Things yesterday, in the bath. Once I got past the first page or so I really liked it. I read til the water was luke warm.

I kept reading til 2am (in bed now). Outside it was storming with angry wind and rain. I had my window ajar so the blind was puffing in and out and I could feel a tiny bit of rain on my cheek.

I like when a book is that good and the weather is that dramatic.

I wish the wind would stop soon though. At this rate I'll hardly ever get to wear my new billowy summer dress!

Now that I'm 33 year old cougar this is my favourite kind of anecdote...

[Yeah, this is really similar to a previous post but it just proves the trend]

JJ Murphey's waitress: Can I see some ID?
Me: [blank look - I only ordered coffee and corn fritters for lunch]
JJMW: Sorry, we have to ID you to serve you anything on the premesis, if you look under 25.
Me: :)


[I think it's the chubby cheeks - they make me look cherubic and youthful!]

* * *

And these are my favourite songs from my Adele CD.

Tunnel

I was walking home at 2am on Christmas night through the Mt Vic Tunnel. (About four Rosebuds and four Mojitos and a fruit cocktail and a wine.... )

It was so quiet. Probably the whole time I walked through only half a dozen vehicles came (and that's a 6 minute walk or so). I liked it. Oddly peaceful. And I had on my comfy sneakers and my summer dress that swishes as I walk. What is usually the nosiest place in town was the quietest.

I could actually hear noises in there I'd never heard before. Trickling water and a humming noise. I saw a plastic bag floating very American Beauty-esquely down the empty road below.

Three fire engines sped through, no sirens but flashing lights. I wondered where they were going. I suppose it was to the gymnasium fire at Rongotai (as I heard on the radio the next morning).

Today I was walking through again, just after lunch and it was was noisy. I tried singing, really loudly (The Lion Sleeps Tonight, for some reason), and I could barely even hear myself. Kinda liberating singing at the top of your lungs in public without anyone hearing a note of it.

Quite a contrast though. Christmas day is the eeriest time in Wellington city.

It's like the whole populace have had a mass exodus back to their turangawaewae (or at least to the Hutt). Back to their secret home towns that their new urban identities have tried to hide away from public view.... where their labels mean nothing......

* * *

Today is one of those days where I like my friends. Not that I don't always like them, I just had a really nice time with two separate bunches of people. All fairly spontaneously planned. Nice.

>

And I won Trivial Pursuits (with Fishy). The point is that we beat Sam. It is worth noting any time we do that. My knowledge of mid-90s All Blacks trivia was surprising, given I couldn't name more than three players in the team nowadays.

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My friends are smart. That's the way I like them.

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Nice to see Charlotte using presents I gave her as a babe. Hungry Caterpillar DVD (and 'Catch the Moon' - cute). I liked that a lot because Roger McGough was the narrator, I think.

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And a music box thingie that I thought would break after a day or so is still going strong. Woohoo!

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I tried to explain to her that I'd bought them for her last year, but her 2 year old mind did not comprehend that and she looked at me like I was a crazy person and she snatched them back off me, saying 'Charlotte's!' emphatically.

It's a wrap

Done! A ribbon on every one.

My wrapping theme had nothing to do with Christmas really. More a chance to cut up some Frankie magazines and use the rainbow of ribbons I got at Spotlight the other week. And the screeds of awesome old-school brown paper I've had all year.

My brother's getting a gortex jacket from the Kathmandu clearance sale - don't tell him! He walks in the rain heaps.

And my self-presents (dress, cushion and two necklaces and an Adele CD and a tub of peanut-butter icecream, not pictured). Just what I wanted! The dress has pockets and plenty of belly-room for mass eating.

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Also pictured are my birthday-pictures (the framing of which were my birthday blow-out last month) - all by Pete the Painter. One of them's the interior of Fidel's and the original used to hang in my living room in its glory days. He left the prints as a gift last time he stayed (he now has a wee baby called Olive). The others are the Asian lady with graffiti and the street-lamp.

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Merry Christmas to me and the family and you (if you're reading and I like you - you know who you are!).

Christmas is nearer

I rehurt my finger at netball tonight :( It had just got almost full movement back. I had to shoot and pass nine fingered for most of the back to back games I played. It's not swelled up again, but it's regressed about an inch back in recovery.

So.... people who have had Instant Kiwi seasons greetings
- Richard
- Michelle (with two wins!)
- Brendan
- Ben and Anna
- Fish and Sam
- Flatmate Geoff

So far Michelle is the only lucky one (with a free $1 scratchie then a $3 win - she's gonna take the money and run). The netball peeps had not scratched when I saw them, so not sure if they won $10,000. Fingers crossed!

I'm getting my dad a book that has the best science writing of 2010. I ran it by him as an idea and he was surprisingly keen. He's also getting Mad Men Season 1. I think his wife would actually like it more than him - but she already has a couple of presents (Nood shopping basket and Adele CD).

And that's all the presents I'm telling (I already told him most of that on the phone, so it's not secret anymore).

Yay to Morgan and Cal and their bubby, Willa.

* * *

I finished reading a book today. Momentous! This one was the 10pm Question. It was high-school reading, but kinda sweet. Spoiler alert....





It's about a guy whose mum has that disorder where you can't leave the house. It made me remember that we were family friends with a woman like that when I was little. She used to come clean our house twice a week, so I didn't really realise. But she'd get really anxious out in town apparently. She had a breakdown in the library once. We used to take her sons to the cricket with us.

* * *

Christmas presents are tricky. I am at the age where I realise the only people who truly like what you give them are kids. Adults are fussy buggers. Other than a couple of CDs I picked right, I don't think my dad and his wife have every particularly used anything I gave them. So I'm gonna still with edibles or experiences for them. Or an Adele CD.

* * *

Me and Michelle are among those who don't have exciting Christmas getaways and are just going to the Hutt for lunch. So we're having grown-up drinks on Christmas night. It gives us an excuse to leave the festivities and blob with cocktails after we've had our family fill :)

* * *

People seem shocked when I say I haven't done my Christmas shopping (going back to that). But I'm a teacher! I still have three full shopping days. And town isn't as busy as people fear on Christmas Eve. I think people all stay home because they think it'll be so crrrraaaazy. And it's actually fairly quiet. In my experience. I speak not of the supermarket, though.

* * *

I have bought Instant Kiwis to give to people randomly as the Christmas spirit takes me. If you are special and see me in the next few days then YOU might get one!

Moore Wilson's has good customer service.

Girl at Counter: Moore Wilson's card?
Me: No.
GaC: ID?
Me: (aside) Hehe
GaC: Whoa - you look good for your age.
Me: See, Michelle. I told you so.

* * *

I'm going to the Wiry Rapper with Cass, Fish and J9. Should be a nice quadrio of people to spend a few chill-out days with and herald in the holidays.

* * *

When I come back I will have a MOUNTAIN of washing that needs attacking.

* * *

My knee is just owie now. It hurts to kneel.

I was taking photos of our final assembly, trying to be unobstructing of views, so I started kneeling down and it hurt a lot.

And a student asked if I wanted her seat (not cause she knew my kneeses had grazes, just cause she's a nice kid). I said, 'Yes, thank you dear,' like an old lady.

* * *

Toffee milks are still pretty freakin' awesome. I got a box from Moore Wilson's and gave them out to my classes as treats. They last ages. And I like how the texture changes from brittle and hard to chewy goodness.

* * *

We had a nice dinner with Justin. He told us the story of his origins (much like a super hero would). Me and Michelle thought it was awesome.

* * *

I should go and get some crap to take to the shared lunch at work tomorrow. I hate shared lunches. I like eating them, but I inevitably leave buying stuff to take til 9pm the night before. Every time!

My bruised finger is beautiful like a sunset.





I will not update the images of my knee.

I only just read to the end of the second-skin instructions where it says 'Warning: Do not apply to open wounds'.

I've had it on all day 'cause I had nothing else big enough and I liked the idea of having a window to my wound ....

My knees are weeping. They are beautiful like raw meat.

My Boo-Boos

At indoor netball I hurt my kneeses. And my finger. My flatmates have given me remedies. But I is still sore.

It hurts to type. But I'm breaking through the pain barrier because I'm brave. And tough.

Since I stopped icing my finger it has swollen a lot more. It has a bump. Washing my hair will be hard. Putting my car into reverse is hard also.

December Already

Things keep rolling on.

I went to Toast Martinborough for the first time. I thought the wine would be cheaper.

I went to the Eastbourne and Thorndon fairs. Fair fudge.

I went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The transvestite guy was good.

I did a quiz at Chicago. We should listen to Morgan more often - he is a Da Vinci Code expert.

I had some christmas lunches already.

I had a birthday.

I watched a sexual thriller with Rich.

I sat underneath the christmas tree and looked up.

I went to the Downsies group. We danced like Abba.

I have been eating lots of strawberries, peas and beetroot salads.

I discovered pear cider and elderflower cordial.

* * *

Today my class debated the moot 'That social networking is good for friendships'. I wanted the negating team to win. It seemed a more interesting case. They didn't.

* * *

For my birthday I got three of my Pete-prints framed properly. In white frames. Apparently they are ready so I can go pick them up tomorrow. Fun.

* * *

A game I often play with myself is the where's-that-from game. I'll look around my room and try to find as many things as I can that are from my childhood, or gifts from people or things I've bought myself.

Anyhow, one of my favourite things from my childhood is a vase that I have. It has tulips painted on it in bright summery colours. At the Thorndon Fair I saw a fundraising calender for sale and my jug was on the cover. It was a calender of jug photos. I tried to find out more about my jug, but there were no additional details.

I had always imagined it was a one-off, so this was a surprise.