This is fer my fambly, so's they can know what I'm up to. Not much, eh. If you really wanna know, go visit Kif at The Kif Pit or Mom at The rooster farm Ooo! Lookee! Twinkletoes has a blog too! And Becca also/too/as well!
See in the left hand side, under the picture of Casa Manitoba? Remember Real Parenting? I started a MSN Group to sort of track and guide Mom and I through this farming thing we're doing. It's only gonna get worse next year when Mom brings me my goats. And llamas. And George. And Oscar...
Plus, I kind of hate this stream-of-consciousness one-sided monologue. Don't get me wrong, as you all know it's the only way I operate IRL, but online it feels kinda creepy and singular. I miss being able to reply, and having other people start posts even if it is just Mom.
Anyway, it'll either work or not, but it's kept me busy and thinking all morning. Yay for that, at least.
And in this family, that's a bad thing... Kif is still incommunicado, Mom's house fell down (no big bad wolf, and it *was* made of bricks) and every time I go to blog I stop short of hitting 'publish'
R asked me which was cheaper, a llama or a lawnmower. We are now officially llama-bound.
Now I'm only posting to avoid the inevitable; writing a letter to the temp agency letting them know of my availability. I might shoot myself in the foot a little at the start - tell them I am only available part-time nine to three or something like that. I dunno. I keep applying for these public service jobs, which I think are spoiling me because they are higher-end administrative jobs and lots of money. I even applied for one at Veteran's Affairs. It's their own fault for advertising that they need someone 'familiar with their mandate'. Hee hee.
No answer at the hog farms. I suspect they work in the barn all day and I have to call at night.
I volunteered to be a Girl Guide/Scout leader. They are having a signup day on Thursday, and I'm to go in and find 'Cindi' and get some security check forms.
And something called the 'Cluck and Quack Club' is having an exotic poultry sale on Saturday. I'm so there.
Miss Piglet is wandering the house is a purple, red, green, orange and yellow (but mostly purple) fairy princess/witch costume and sparkly dollar-store high heels. She makes random announcements about how beautiful she looks. Everything is what she always wanted.
I got her a storybook too, Princess Stories with traditional Victorian illustrations and the original ending to the Little Mermaid where the Mermaid dies. Disney can get bent.
She's gonna break an ankle in those shoes, though.
The kids got home from school. Both teachers are reported to be 'nice but strict'. Leia said she had three friends then one was mean to her then she had two then she made up with the mean one so now she has three again. Paul made friends with Micheal, son of Manny of the infamous Manny's Live Bait. That's where our mailboxes are.
Then the phone rang, and it was Leia's teacher Estelle. Did Leia report trouble this afternoon? No. Another kid was throwing rocks at her during afternoon recess. The kid was dealt with. And she bonked heads (accidentally, apparently) with another student in the line to get back into school, and cried and was iced down. Nope, I said - all I heard was 'schoolwasgreatIloveitandIcan'twaittogoback!'
I think Estelle likes Leia. "She just picks herself up and dusts herself off, doesn't she?" This is good.
Day one of school, and I have already spoken to Leia's teacher.
No bad news, just Leia's new indoor school shoes were inside the front pocket of her backpack, and that proved too complicated and onerous a search for our Piglet. I got offline and found a voicemail for Paul asking if they were still here. I don't know how he got involved...
So I called to tell them where to look but they had already figured it out. Leia's teacher said that Leia was very... (pregnant pause) ...social. I asked if she had been grabbing people or shrieking at them. The teacher laughed and said no, it's just that she's been here for three hours and already has friends, you'd never know she hasn't been coming here all her life.
Now it's three-fifteen and I am waiting giddily for them to come home and tell me about their day.
No luck on the job front. Wandered the 'Mall' in Steinbach, got Leia some dollar-store dress-up heels for her birthday, and narrowly avoided buying a little grey kitten. Not a single 'Help Wanted' sign until I pulled out and saw one on the Subway restaurant in the parking lot. Fast food... *shudder*... Applied for a bunch of open-to-the-public positions with the Federal Public Service online. They *say* they prefer online applications... we'll see.
Took them out to the road, stood in the sunshine in the driveway, talked about bus safety and manners. Saw a bus way down the road (this is Manitoba, you can see FAR) but headed the wrong way. Heard the backup beeps as it turned around. Held Piglet's hand as we crossed and helped her up that big first step. She hopped into the very first seat behind the driver, and Paul got in next to her. Spoke briefly to the driver about timings (might be earlier tomorrow) and told them to be good. Crossed back and waved at goofball Piglet smiling in her new Ramona The Pest haircut and pink corduroy blazer. Tongues were stuck out. Moose-antlers made with thumbs to temples and fingers waggling. They pulled away.
Man, how jealous am I that my Uncle William is living out my adolescent fantasy of driving around hippy-style in a converted old bus?
I showed off my old bus, but you just can't beat 'runs good' as a recommendation for busdom.
You can check out the 'Crew' page to read about William's traveling buddy, whom Leia calls Pooh-Bear because of his t-shirt. Last night we let the kids stay up late to see Pooh-Bear juggle fire. In a thunderstorm. Afterwards as they were being tucked in Paul complained about not getting a story.
"Gee Paul, all you got was to stand outside in a thunderstorm in the pitch dark and watch a man spin fires on the ends of chains. Poor you."
I shall have to content myself with being the hippy with the cool spread. It's not so bad really. Takes both kinds. Travelin' hippies and Homesteadin' hippies. Circle of life, man.
Hee hee, how much fun am I having, eh?
Oh yeah, and the kids start school tomorrow too. YAY! Then I be a workin' hippy, with any luck. Lots of hog farms are hiring. I wonder if I'm strong enough to work on a hog farm.
Went b-day shopping for Leia. It was not a rousing success. For some reason I am just not very impressed with the clothes available out there, and what I do like does not come in her size. Granted, her size is part of the problem. Piglet is 20%ile for height and 5%ile for weight. She is a baby bird.
Oh, and if anyone thinks I'm a mean old mom for getting the kid clothes for her birthday... uh, no. This kid changes outfit five times a day. Dressing is how she plays. It's what's fun.
So I went looking for a bridesmaid's dress, because those are usually the best value for princess-y dressup. But all I found were goofy pastel polyester at The Bay. The cuts were weird - the bodices were very wide and the skirts were very short. Everyone who has ever played princess knows princesses do *not* have ankles. They have LONG poofy skirts. Duh.
So I will send R out into a proper bridal shop... after work, when he is all dusty and gross... to pick out something *he* thinks is pretty. It's all just too perfect.
Meanwhile, I found something for Paul. It is essentially one of those marble-drop toys that we all love so much, but this one has cabling, braces, struts, spacers... and ELEVATORS. I bought out The Bay, all three set (the last of their stock) at 70% off. This morning we made one of the basic starter projects, then a big spiral drop. It is the most fun to start dropping marbles and see where they jump the track, fix it, and try again. Sometimes you get a 'lull' where one marble just sits there... until the next marble comes along and demonstrates conservation of momentum.
Man, there's nothing like a classic. Watched Terminator 2 with the kids tonight. Debriefed The Boy first on the meaning of 'Come with me if you want to live', and the high points of Terminator 1, but basically 2 stands on its own.
It also has an age 10-ish male protagonist. Needless to say The Boy was sold.
Not so much the Piglet. She spent the last ten minutes of the movie bawling. Granted it is late; past her bedtime, and her wails of despair were punctuated by yawns of exhaustion... but she found the sacrifice of the T-100 just a bit too harsh.
'It is my *favourite* Terminator!' She cries *sob sob sob*
I am unsympathetic as ever. 'It's not even a real robot. It's just the governor of California, pretending to be a robot.'
Also, my favourite character is Sarah Connor, and she lives. Paul asked if she makes it...
"Sarah Connor is too HARD to die!"
Now the kids are safely abed, Paul dreaming of survivalism and Leia lamenting her large, robotic, emotionally vacant, very kid-attentive hero (hey, I think I know why she liked him...) I am off to watch more Margaret Cho. I love Margaret Cho. And Blockbuster's 2$ for a week old movie rentals. Cause there's nothing like a classic.
Mom asked who he was. He's a danish actor whose best-known role was as the leader of the runaway simulants in Blade Runner. He is an older gentleman now, but didn't used to be. I last saw him in Sin City, but didn't recognize him because he was creepy and evil and not hot at all.
As you can see from the pictures he has that nordic light hair/blue eyes thing. He is one of those actors who when you see them on the box of a B-movie you can rest assured it will be worthwhile. His best B-movie was Blood of Heroes with the ineffable Joan Chen. Gotta find *that* on DVD.
