Adventures

I love toast

The British love their hot drinks, don't they? They love them so much, in fact, that the one small appliance that my flat's kitchen is equipped with is a kettle.

No toaster.

But how does one heat one's crumpets and muffins? Like the accommodation management, i imagined that i could survive happily without that particular convenience.

I was wrong.

Warm brown bread with melting butter. I missed it so. And no, i wasn't going to use the oven/broiler/grill; that's a recipe for disastrous burnt stuff.

So, i finally bought a toaster yesterday; i just couldn't live toastless for any longer. And now i am happy.

Photo credit: abbyladybug

Hat

Some of you know that i have been knitting a hat for the past week or so. I started it merely so that L at work could see how something is knit in a circle. Last night i stayed up late and finished it (you know, when the finish line is in view, you can't just stop) to my complete dissatisfaction.

I think i may have created the ugliest hat ever. I say this completely without disappointment, because i knew it wasn't likely to turn out to be fantastic in the first place (and i had no driving need for a hat i actually wanted to wear).

I took it to work to show everyone today, and the responses were telling. Before i pulled it out of my bag (because i certainly wasn't going to wear it to go to work), i prefaced the unveiling with a warning of the hat's deficiency in the pulchritude department.

L couldn't lie, although she did try it on and check how she looked in the mirror in the bathroom. Her uncomfortable smile and nod accompanying the hat as she handed it back to me were words enough.

K said it reminded him of rainbow sherbet, which he then went on to drool over for a few minutes, having not had rainbow sherbet in a long time.

When D came in, she said 'I like your hat.' To which i replied, 'Liar! It's the ugliest hat ever produced.' This prompted a chorus of 'No's. I conceded that it may not be the ugliest, but it was certainly in the running. This prompted silent contemplation from everyone; a tacit agreement.

We collectively decided to keep it at work as the CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency) mascot hat. I'll probably take it apart when the job is finished :-)

To see an uncensored photo of me in the hat (assuming you're on my Flickr friends & family list), go here.

Happy Birthday

Today is Andy's birthday, so i called him at the crack of dawn (for him) to wish him a happy one. I think it is a happy one this year.When we were talking yesterday, he told me about this really cool sound thing that he and a colleague figured out how to do in the game they are working on (sorry, i can't spill any of details). He was really happy about being able to do it, and the reaction he got from the rest of the team was great. Even just being described to me on the phone, i could tell it was a big deal in the video game world and that it would have a major impact on the players' experience (and i'm not a gamer).

I told him i was really glad he took that job, and he said he was glad, too. It's so nice to hear him happy in his work after slogging through some tough years.

Happy birthday, honey. I love you xxx

Phew

Crossposted on Popes!

I just finished writing a teeny, tiny, short paper for Dr M, and i feel like it sucked the blood right out of me. I finished with it sooner than i anticipated, and it is probably worse than it should be (as usual). I'm just glad to be moving on from Gregory VII, the most over-analyzed pope ever.

Bring on Victor III!

Fireworks

Actual ones, not metaphorical ones.Those of us at home at about 8:15 this evening were treated to a rather nice, 5-minute fireworks show courtesy of the SECC. I'm not sure why they had fireworks tonight (the only thing on their schedule is Disney on Ice featuring Disney-Pixar's The Incredibles), but they sure were pretty. One of my flatmates filmed (taped? recorded? video-ed?) them, but i think fireworks are really just for enjoying in the moment. They're no fun on a monitor.