Today the lady at the bank flummoxed me.
But I was doing something else at the same time so I didn't realise she'd flummoxed me until I got home.
I said to her
if I lose my credit card in Thailand is there a number I can ring?
and she said
yes, it's on the back of the card
But now I see that thats not really going to work.
Nevermind, because my day 2 plan involved researching phone numbers for mastercard, all the places I can use a mastercard in Thailand, and where to ring if I lose it, phone numbers for local police, tourist police, the australian embassy and hospitals. I have sent copies of all our passports and insurance details to Emjay and filled in my travel journal with her phone number and my brothers details.
Honestly, I should have been a wedding planner. No stone is left unturned.
I have just finished cleaning out the fridge and tomorrow I will give the house a quick hoo ha. Because even though I am a terrible housekeeper, there is nothing worse than coming home after a nice holiday, to a dirty house. I have set up a light on a timer to come on each night so Betty isn't scared and I'm considering setting up the airconditioner to come on for a few hours each day for her so she won't be too hot. I haven't decided yet if this is really needed. Daz thinks it is but he is a city boy. I grew up on a farm where dogs lived on chains and had a log to sleep in.
I have bought our little baggies to put all my dangerous liquids and explosive lipsticks in, I have returned my library books, asked the neighbour to put out our rubbish and I am now about to take off my toenail polish, snip my nails down a bit and coat them with a cheery holiday colour. Which I wish was green but I couldn't find a nice one.
And thats about it for today I think.
If I've forgotten anything, feel free to let me know.
plus pumpkin lasagne.
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I just walked into the kitchen and found Mr FD standing at the bench waiting for the kettle to boil to make his coffee. He was murmuring "My husband and I..." to himself.
I know that I am a goddess, but I have no intention of delivering a Christmas message ... too much caffeine?
January 1st
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Before we go any further, let us all be clear on what a milk maid was - milkmaids were historically women, usually young, who milked cows and supplied milk. They also prepared the dairy products such as cream, butter, and cheese. The term is not a female equivalent of milkman – or any other modern day reconstruction! Though milkmaids did have a reputation as being predisposed to love or sex, or maybe love AND sex.
In 1796, a scientist, Edward Jenner, was told that milk maids with cowpox did not contract smallpox. Jenner then rubbed pus from the milkmaid's cowpox sores into scratches on the arm of an eight- year-old boy. As expected, the boy contracted. cowpox, but after six weeks he made a full recovery. A few weeks later Jenner tried to infect the boy with smallpox, and couldn't. The cowpox virus helped to give smallpox immunity.
“Yawning for the Cheshire Cheese" was a game for tired souls in Cheshire, when towards the hour of midnight, awaiting the New Year, a game of yawning commenced more or less automatically. The one who yawned the widest and longest, but so naturally as to set the others yawning, was declared the winner and took home the cheese as a just reward.
Why Eight Milk Maids ? To represent The Eight Beatitudes of course!
The Eight Beatitudes
1 Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
3 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
4 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
5 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
6 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
7 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
8 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3-10
The book of St. Luke states that, in accordance with Jewish tradition and law, eight days after his birth Jesus was circumcised and named. Mary and Joseph named their son Jesus because the angel told them that "he will save his people". Jesus, in Hebrew Joshua, means "the Lord will save".
In English tradition, January 1st is a day to remember godparents. Children would go to visit their godparents to receive a blessing and a gift. Being a godparent was a serious responsibility, for godparents were not only expected to teach the faith to their godchildren, but they were also the people who would take a child into their own home if the child's parents were to die. Remember that in days of past this was a frequent occurrence. Godcakes, a pastry that could be given either by godparents to their godchildren, or by the children to their godparents were exchanged.
GODCAKE
"God Cakes" of Coventry were very popular. They were of all sizes, some so small they sold for a penny and some so large they sold for a pound, and they were not really cakes at all, but a sort of tart with a filling and cut in a triangle.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup currants
- 1/3 cup lemon peel
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- puff paste or pie dough
DIRECTIONS
Mix the butter and sugar thoroughly, and add the currants, lemon peel, and spices. Heat in a double boiler for a few minutes and then allow the filling to cool before using.
Make a puff paste (or use your richest pie dough) and roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut into 3-inch squares. Place a teaspoon of the filling in one corner of each square. Moisten the edges of the pastry and fold over from corner to corner to make a triangle; seal the edges with a fork.
Bake at 450° F for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° F and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until brown.
Recipe Source: Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1951
At St. Albans cakes were made in the form of a woman and were called locally "pope ladies," but neither legend nor history tell why!
How to Braid a Milkmaid Braid :
http://www.ehow.com/how_4425717_braid-milkmaid-braid.html
Mr FD is giving me a GPS for my car as my Christmas present. He knows that I have no sense of direction and I am quite convinced that he hopes that should I ever decide to run away, that I can run, far, far, away.
The Seventh Day of Christmas – Seven Swans a Swimming
December 31.
Officially it is the last day of the calendar year. However, New Year’s Day was not always celebrated on January 1st. In ancient Rome, the year began on March 1st. Later, in many countries of Europe, the year began on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. The change to January 1st was gradual. Scotland changed in 1600, and England changed when the Gregorian calendar was adopted there in 1752. So basically, to my way of thinking, New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be made on the New Year, they can be made any time – and we shouldn’t feel like we need to make them if we don’t want too! Philosophy according to Flamingo Dancer!
The Egyptians believed swans represented immortality. The Greeks priests , who worshipped the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, were believed to have been descended from swans. The Greeks also associated the swan with wisdom and creativity as they considered that bird related to the nine Muses. It is said that when Apollo was born at Delos, the event was marked with flights of circling swans. It is in the form of a swan that Zeus assaults Leda and in so doing, engenders the twins, the Gemini, Castor and Pollux, who hatched from eggs and also their sisters, the tormented Clytemnestra and the fatefully beautiful Helen, whose elopement with Paris caused the Trojan War.
The myth of a swan who turns into a young woman is known as the motif of the Swan-Maiden, and it appears in both eastern and western cultures. Women who turn into birds and vice versa are popular themes in folklore and literature, too.
Many celtic beliefs centred on the belief that loved ones became enchanted and turned into swans with gold or silver chains around their necks. The transformation took place during the Samhain festival when the gates of other worlds open up and souls are free to pass through.
Therefore, in Indian mythology, the swan (Skt. hamsa) embodies the union of Garuda and Naga, and since those two are enemies, it also stands for the highest wisdom teachings concerning the union of opposites.
Tales of the Thousand and One Nights includes the story of Hasan of Basra, who visits the place of the bird-maidens. When they take off their feather garments, they become beautiful women. Hassan hides the clothes of one of them in order to keep her as his wife, but she manages to regain her feathers and flies away. Hassan sets out on a quest to regain her, and after many adventures finally succeeds.
Sweet Mikhail Ivanovich the Rover is a Slav tale that begins as Mikhail is about to shoot a swan that warns him "Shoot not, else ill-fortune will doom thee for evermore!" When the swan lands, she turns into a beautiful maiden but when Mikhail tries to kiss her she warns him that she is an infidel. However, if he takes her to the holy city of Kiev so that she might be received into the Church, he will then be able to marry her.
In a similar South German folk tale, a swan again speaks to a forester who is about to kill her. In this instance, she says that if he can keep the secret of her existence for one whole year, she will be his but of course, he fails.
In the religious tradition, seven swans a-swimming represents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:
1. Prophecy,
2. Ministry,
3. Teaching,
4. Exhortation,
5. Giving,
6. Leading, and
7. Compassion
Romans 12:6-8
Baby swans (an ugly duckling) grow to become a beautiful swan and Christian growth is when the gifts of Holy Spirit are practiced.
Leonardo da Vinci painting of Leda with The Swan and their children:
http://www.leonardo-da-vinci-biography.com/images/leonardo-da-vinci-painting-leda-and-the-swan.jpg
Tim Minchin says it all for me. Listen to the end ... I cried. I mean, I might have cried if Flamingo Dancers cried, and we don't. So don't even think I did...
I miss my Dad.
Back on track. But so hot here today. And windy. And stuffy.
So today is get all the final little bits and pieces I want to add to the pile.
I know it looks like there's a lot of wet ones there but I'll be the one laughing when there's no toilet paper somewhere we go. They they'll all be calling for me.
Muesli bars because Emjay has convinced me I must never eat on a plane for fear of food poisoning. Because then there will only be 2 toilets between hundreds of people. And my wet ones would be in high demand then.
Diarrhoea tablets, because..... well because its starting to sound like I have some fixation with toilets and bowels.
Lots of antiseptic handwash, allergy tabs because I always get itchy and ear wax because my ears get sore in water. I think I only need to add panadol and mylanta.
I'm sure I can buy all this stuff over there for half the price. I should have been a girl guide. Apprently you can get all your prescription meds there with no prescription really cheap.
And I'm cashed up in baht now. I felt like I was carrying a brick around in my handbag. Just enough for us all to get through a few days.
And now I'm off to take up my temple pants. Bought a pair of light white longs in case we go anywhere where they like you to be fully covered.
Which means getting out the trusty old sewing kit. Look, it even has white cotton.
Then its off to my doctor to see what he thinks about what the hospital doctor told me and advised.
DOMINO? YOU MEAN DOMI-YES
dominorecordco.com
You know, I honestly don't know how Ryan does it, keeping up with the various 'tweets'. I personally think twitter become absolutely useless if you have more than 50 friends. There's also so much spam on twitter!
So, I mostly just have it filtered to reading our own twitter to discover new freebies. So below was sent out a few days ago:
weheartmusicWe♥Music
Check out the @DominoRecordCo Xmas Sampler - http://bit.ly/53Thv0 - Final Fantasy, Wild Beasts, The Kills, Franz Ferdinand & King Creosote.
11:49 AM Dec 14th from web
I also really dig Joker's Daughter (for non-comic book nerds, yes the Joker had a daughter - I think she mostly fought the 70s Teen Titans). I love "classic" pop girl-group sound, and this band has the vocals and melodies. Although the subject of Gremlins and "Bouncing Liquorish Bears" may be on the weirder side.
OF DOVES AND FISH
harveysidfisher.com
Dovecote Records gathered three of their recording artists to do a mini-tribute to Harvey Sid Fisher. While I don't know much about Fisher, based on hearing the three covers by Mason Proper, Tim Williams, and Trevor Giuliani, I have concluded that Fisher was a bit of a strange songwriter and has a bit of an interesting "older" man's vocals... each of the modern artists do try and emulate the singing style.
My personal favorite is Tim Williams' rendition. Nice backup vocals and the repetitive "hit another wall" refrain.
If you want to hear these songs for yourself - head over to dovecoterecords.com and click on the "Download Now" link. There's no catch either, none of that "give us your email" thing. Just a nice little free EP.
OLD WAVE MIXTAPE
nouvellesvagues.com
Cover lover band of approval, Nouvelle Vague, made a 10-track free mixtape at whenyouawake.com.
Most of the tracks are by American artists, some classic from Roy Orbison ("You Got It"), Louis Armstrong ("We Have All The Time In The World"), Johnny Cash ("Ring Of Fire"), etc. There are a few weird ones (weird as in didn't fit in) like Sufjan Stevens and Rolling Stones... however, I will admit tapping my feet when I heard the intro to "Let's Spend The Night Together". There is the token French artist Serge Gainsbourg on the mixtape for good measure.
While I'm not entirely sure about the legality of this free download, I think it's good promotions for the bands mentioned on the tape. Plus, it's a nice boost of ego, you know?
daffodilpublicity.com confirms these are their forth-coming North American tour dates:
|
Friday, Jan. 22, Philadelphia, PA, World Café Saturday, Jan. 23, New York, NY, Webster Hall Sunday, Jan. 24, Boston, MA, Somerset Tuesday, Jan. 25, Montreal, PQ, Metropolis Wednesday, Jan. 27, Toronto, ONT, Opera House Thursday, Jan. 28, Detroit, MI, Crofoot Ballroom Friday, Jan. 29, Chicago, IL, Logan Square Monday, Feb. 1, Denver, CO, Bluebird Tuesday, Feb. 2, Salt Lake City, UT, Urban Lounge Thursday, Feb. 4, Seattle, WA, King Cat |
Friday, Feb. 5, Vancouver, BC, Venue Sunday, Feb. 7, San Francisco, CA, Regency Monday, Feb. 8, Sant Cruz, CA, Rio Theater Tuesday, Feb. 9, Los Angeles, CA, Henry Fonda Friday, Feb. 12, Dallas, TX, Granada Saturday, Feb. 13, Austin, TX, Mohawk Sunday, Feb. 14, New Orleans, LA, Republic Tuesday, Feb. 16, Miami, FL, Revolution Wednesday, Feb. 17, Orlando, FL, Firestone Thursday, Feb. 18, Atlanta, GA, Loft Saturday, Feb. 20, Washington DC, 9:30 Club |
YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO SAVE MONEY
I don't work for Best Buy, but I wanted to pass along this deal, since it is almost a crime to not buy it. It is $140 for HANNspree 23" HD LCD 16:9 Widescreen Monitor. That's cheap, considering the same monitor would've cost at least $700 a few years ago.
I did buy it and setup was very plug-and-play easy. It came with a disc for a Windows Vista driver, but if you just have XP, it would just recognize the monitor. Hooking it up on the PS3 using the HDMI cable (not included) was also easy - however I did not like the long pauses as PS3 auto adjust when it plays bluray discs (I suspect this has to do with determining that it's a compliant display since HDMI is notorious for anti-piracy junk).
Compare to the old CRT monster monitors, this 23" is superlight - even Mr Burns can easily move the monitor around. The product page lists 9.9lbs, but it feels like it's only one or two pounds.
The monitor does have built-in speakers, but it sounds tinny. Not exactly awesome audio, but for $140, that's just a bonus. I recommend buying monitor headphones and plugging it in the monitor for clearer audio. And speaking of audio, since this is marketed as purely a monitor - there is also no remote control access. If you need to turn down the audio, you have to adjust it on the monitor itself.
Despite my complaint, this is one of best image display I've own. It's native 1920x1080 is pretty sweet when I'm playing Dragon Age (since now I can have more items in the "quick" slots at the bottom).
* practically free
12/16/2009 11:25:14 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
Dear Ms Hairdresser,
A little numerical work on the fingers has confirmed that you have been styling my hair for almost 7 years. I think that 7 years is entirely enough time to mutual agreement that, Yes, my hair does grow quickly and Yes, my hair is very thick. So do we really have to go through the routine every time I am in your salon? I am really tired of being made to feel as though I am a freak from a sideshow with a social disease because my hair is thick and full of body and bounce.
I also object to your inference that you are doing me some gigantic favour by taming my wayward locks. I am not going to thank you for performing some sort of miracle in the name of communty spirit. It is a hair cut, and I pay you. I pay you very well.
I am a grown woman. I am intelligent. I don't think that I should be expected to gush and squeal when you flourish a mirror at the end to show me the back of my own head. It is not brain surgery. I think that you do a fine job - otherwise I would not have been your client for 7 years, though once or twice I have thought that perhaps you could snip a little more off the length, or flourish the blades to thin my hair just a little more and assist me in actually making it 6 weeks to my next cut, without looking like an English Sheepdog. I understand though, as I know most women fear a bad hair cut - for me it only takes a week for it to grow over!
So, unless you want me to get a severe case of the 7 year itch and move onto new scissors, may I suggest that you SHUT UP about my hair's rate of growth and density, or run the risk of me tearing that pair of scissors from your hands and thrusting them into your heart before I leave your pretentious hair salon in search of hair understanding.
Yours most earnestly
FD.
[yes, I did get my hair cut today. I am exhausted from pretending to be nice and holding my true nature in behind a facade of politness. I am glad that I don't have to go out more.]
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