In Loving Memory...

Thursday Morning...preparations...

Well, the highlight of this morning was hiring Margaret's costume for the sci-fi convention! She's going as Romana - the 2nd one; the girl who married "her" Doctor! For any Dr.Who fans out there, she'll be wearing an approximation of the cossie from City of Death - the story filmed in Paris. I'll be dressed as Tom Baker's Doctor, of course. The convention is called ARMAGEDDON 2008; and will feature stars from Stargate SG1; Star Trek: Enterprise; and Heroes. I've been asked to get the autograph of Christopher Judge from Stargate, so I get to meet another celeb - it's a fun job, being a Dr.Who freak! :)

I'm really looking forward to having a "Who-Girl" on my arm at Armageddon...last year I was brave; went on my own! Well, I think I was brave - wandering around amongst thousands of people looking like something out of the TARDIS takes a bit o' courage!

The Burial of Slinkypuss

Well, this morning we dug a hole under The Cherry Tree, for Slinkypuss's remains. This wasn't an easy task, as the ground was as hard to shift as Robert Mugabe. After going down 3 - 4 inches, we filled the hole with water for an hour or so, to try & soften the earth. Eventually, this worked, and we dug down another 8 inches; then Margaret tipped what was left of Slinky in. Margaret said "Quick! Cover him up!" So Jamie & I shovelled dirt upon his remains quickly, so Ben couldn't see the guts & organs that were formerly Slinky. Ouch. Honestly, I could only be sure it was him, 'cause of his collar... I'll miss him very much. Pantherpuss was smarter, because he'd never cross the road - Slinky tried to cross NZ's main Highway when it was busy, which is scary enough for us humans! We might try & replace him in the Spring...or mid-Summer. Bye bye, Slinkypuss.....you won't be forgotten. I'll try & find a nice pic of him to post.

R.I.P. Slinkypuss

About an hour ago, I got a call from a neighbour..he thought it was our cat, Slinky, out on the main road....State Highway 1 is very busy. By the time I got there, he must have been run over hundreds of times......poor little puss...he was a lovely cat...he would always came when I called him.....I'll really miss him!

McCarthy, McCarthy, McCarthy...Joe McCarthy!

OK, I'll admit it....I haven't found this first semester back studying, so easy...and I've stuffed up...a bit! However, I'm recovering.....

The Situation
I'm embarrassed to admit it; but when I saw the words "Reading 1" in my 'varsity binder, I didn't click that I was required to Take Notes - hey, it's been 12 years since I've studied, OK?
I used to roll in to lectures, sit down, and take notes! I'll definitely take notes on the Readings I get, next Semester.... Anyway, I finished reading all the Readings on Thursday; and I thought it would be a good idea to ring up the Course Controller, to "touch base", and get some ideas about writing the first Assignment! So, I rang him - Kerry - at Massey University, which is aprox. 380 miles away. He was very helpful, saying I was welcome to send him a First Draft of my Assignment by email, and he would give me some notes/suggestions on it. They really go outta there way to encourage Extra-Mural students! :)

Last night, I put 2 more items on Trademe; a Family Guy can cooler, and a Spiky Light...and I was DETERMINED to begin my Assignment. And I Did!! I am now so much more relaxed. This Assignment won't be a breeze - but I will Get It Done. And that's the important thing! Getting started was always the hardest part! What's it about? Well, my brief is to write about the relationship between McCarthyism and Hollywood; and whether or not Tinseltown (H/wood) was more the perpetrator or the victim of McCarthyism. Any comments are welcome!

Hedgehog Used As Weapon

Oh, wow......this headline is right up there with "Cow Stuck In Washing Machine!" LOL! A 27-year-old man (a North Islander, fortunately - I'd be embarrassed if a Mainlander did this) threw a Hedgehog at the leg of a 15-year-old boy! There was no word as to the status of the Hedgehog at the time of the attack, but soon after, the poor li'l creature was dead. A huge red welt appeared on the boys' leg, and the attacker appeared in court. Personally, I have a soft spot for Hedgehogs...I think they are one of nature's more interesting little animals. I've seen them scurrying around our property at night, and they are welcome here.

School Classroom is...a Japanese Restaurant?!?

OK, it's been a LONG time since I've blogged...and I have no excuse!! So, I thought, the first thing I'd write about, would be the experience we had recently at Jamie's school.

About 9 days ago, we popped along to Jamie's school - Waimataitai Primary School - to check out the "Japanese Restaurant" in Jamie's classroom! They had been studying Japanese culture. We had to book in advance; and tell an 8-year-old child what we wanted. She didn't quite understand my wife, so our separate bookings ended up being written down as a double booking!
The waitress (a child dressed in a dressing gown) came over and asked, "Do you want two chickens, two cheesecakes & two coffees?" "No," I answered patiently, "My wife is coming later. I want ONE chicken teriaki; ONE cheesecake, and ONE coffee." The diminutive waitress disappeared over to the "kitchen," returned, and said: "So - you want 2 chickens, 2 cheesecakes, and 2 coffees?" ::) Got it sorted eventually....
Never mind... I ended up sitting with a couple we know, which made the experience a bit easier. I had the Chicken Teriaki, which is a kind of Sushi. I'd never had Sushi before, and it was....okay! I'm not a fan of cold food, but it was kind of quite nice. I also had cheesecake for dessert ,& instant coffee.
Oh, how education has changed.