Soon I shall terrorise the law-abiding drivers of North Staffordshire and the world! The DVLA have most unwisely sent me a little mint-coloured card with my passport photo and address on it, a card which entitles me to practise driving in the company of a (preferably reliable and fully insured) driver of 21 years or above who has at least three years' driving experience. If that sounds like you, I will be on your case to take me out in your car. You are free to refuse at will but if you do you'll have to deal with a hysterically weeping female. Your choice. I've rung a nice lady instructor called Pam who lives in Blythe Bridge, and she seems like an unflappable sort of person (there was a misunderstanding regarding the ME and the DVLA, which necessitated me ringing her back to explain, but she was fine about it). I think unflappability is a very good trait in a driving instructor. There is also a chance that she did my sister a good turn many years ago, which would naturally endear her to me.

In other news, I spent most of today at Basoz's and managed an entire, comprehensible - if rather stilted - conversation in Arabic about underwear (ثياب داخلية), face cream, shopping and why I don't care for beans. This may seem like a small thing, but talking to a native speaker of a language I'm learning is incredibly daunting. I have pride. I had intended to go shopping for said underwear today while I was in Hanley but I stayed at Basoz's till closing time so I'll have to go back tomorrow or Friday because...

...The NSSO's summer concert is on Saturday and the ladies are encouraged to wear summer dresses. We're playing Dvorak's Czech Suite so I thought I'd wear my new black dress with the colourful embroidery as it looks suitably kitsch-gypsy-ish. Trouble is the fabric is not very dense and will show my underwear if it's not flesh-coloured. I own no flesh-coloured knickers (I own two semi-suitable bras but one is pink and patterned and the other is beige and embroidered and I want something plainer) and I would rather skip the concert altogether than attend it wearing no underwear, so as I say I will have to go to Hanley before Saturday and acquire some granny underwear in flesh-like tones. But yes, Jubilee Hall (Stoke town hall, opposite Stoke minster church), 7:30pm, Saturday 27th June 2009. Haydn's Clock, a Mozart horn concerto, Dvorak, Grieg's Holberg Suite (yum) and an overture by Rossini. Go on, give yourself a holiday.

SO. The icon has progressed from the previous few 'Jesus wept's to the 'Bawling baby' because of - you guessed it - the benefits agency, with the help of Staffordshire Libraries and Grant & Cutler book suppliers, London. In the post today I received the promised form for me to fill in with details of this godforsaken trip to America. The title at the top of the form is:

Claiming Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance Employment and Support Allowance while you are abroad

Reducing paper waste when changing over to a new system is all very well, but when the type of benefit has changed - not just the name - sending out the previous version's form with the name crossed out and written over in biro is unhelpful. Especially when I was hoping it'd give me some idea of which time period to believe. The various people I've spoken to have advised me that I can stay abroad for 26 weeks, 2 weeks or 4 weeks. No two people have agreed on one permitted length of visit. But this form has a tick box that is only relevant if I intend to stay abroad for more than 6 months. I AM SO CONFUSED. I've emailed Disability Solutions on Mum's advice, and they should ring me back after the weekend. I'm not filling in the form till I've spoken to them. I've talked to Geoff and he said it'd be alright if I just came for the convention. It's a long way to go for two weeks but I can't afford to lose the benefit payments. I desperately don't want to have to talk to the benefits people again because I had the Weeping of Uncontrolledness after yesterday's phone call. When I'd stopped crying I proceeded to ring Cheadle welfare rights people, only to be automatically transferred to Leek's social services department, who in turn gave me the number for another welfare support person. I rang that number and was then talked at by a woman who didn't listen to a thing I said and kept asking me why I'd kept ringing the benefits people after they'd given me an initial answer. BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME TO INFORM THEM OF MY DATES OF TRAVEL, YOU INCOMPETENT [EXPLETIVE], and THEN they gave me a different number of weeks and then didn't get back to me for three days so I rang again and got yet ANOTHER time period. THAT is why. Then for some unfathomable reason she said 'well, if they've told you your holiday is OK, I'd stop making a fuss if I were you.' I'm sorry, at which point did I say they'd told me it's OK? I had been under the impression that I had been saying the exact opposite. I am evidently not very articulate. Gah.

In only tangentially benefit-related news, my parents (esp my dad) are not keen on my description of the Hanley park flat. We're going back to see it on Tuesday morning since the letting agents cancelled yesterday's viewing. I can't decide whether I hope it's sunny or grey - if it's sunny the flat will look nice, if dirty. If it's a grey day I'll get a better idea of what the natural light is like when the blazing sun isn't right overhead as it was last time.

The library's part in today's icon regards ordering books, a service no longer provided by Cheadle library. I don't want to buy them because the only places I can find that sell English/Arabic dual language books are in America and the postage is $30 to the UK. Twice the cost of the books I was going to buy. I thought I'd found a stockist in London but when I rang them for more information it turned out that 'No stock information' on their website means 'Out of stock but we haven't bothered to update our links. Go ahead and order and pay us anyway - we won't stop you!' so I'm back to not having access to the books. I emailed the California stockist where I found them first and they replied very efficiently to tell me that the books are abridged. Do I want an abridged Pride & Prejudice? An abridged Secret Garden wouldn't be so bad, but the website says they only ship internationally on orders over $25, which would mean finding more books and would bring the total to at least $55, which is a week's rent money.

I do not believe this to be a week on which I will look back in laughter.

After sitting on hold with the benefit people twice, I have been informed that my benefit would be paid for four weeks while I'm temporarily abroad, then it would stop and when I got back I'd have to put a new claim in. That being the case, I can't contemplate moving out of here at all till after I get back from America and have gone through the whole process again. Bastards.

So Gorgeous Homes rang this morning to say they can't show us the flat at 5:30 today after all, so I've been ringing parents and agents and parents again to sort something out for Tuesday morning. So the viewing is now at 10:45 on Tuesday. Right. I missed aerobicking yesterday so when I open it up in a bit Maya is going to patronise me, but I can call her names whilst exercising; she'll never know and I'll feel better. Everyone wins. The benefit people STILL have not rung me. If this goes on I am totally taking an unnamed friend's advice and buggering off to America without their input. They've got all the information they need - dates, the address where I'll be staying, etc - and if they aren't getting back to me after three days (their 'goal' is to return calls within three hours) they evidently don't care enough about it for it to be a problem. Grrr.

Oh, and I voted last night because I am Democracy herself, and I drew a few pictures on RateMyDrawings.com and uploaded another bat to www.batchetface.co.cc. I can't be bothered to do the html to make those links work so you'll just have to copy and paste the old-fashioned way. Now I'm going to sit on hold to the benefit agency AGAIN. If their phones are even working, which literally 80% of the times I ring they are not. Man.

I am displeased with the benefit agency. I was not informed that spending more than two weeks outside the country negated benefit claims until today. Indeed, until this afternoon I was reliant on the 'authority' of the benefit advice line employee who told me I could spend up to 26 weeks abroad in any one year (that's 6 months, to save you the fatigue of mental arithmetic). I thought that was a bit extreme at the time, so I got her to check, and she came back with the same figure. 'Odd,' I thought, 'but also yay!', and so I moved on to plan other aspects of the next few months. So things are up in the air, and options are having to be considered. I think I've identified the option I'd prefer but I must check with other relevant people before coming to a final decision. Someone else from the benefit collective is supposed to ring me tomorrow morning so perhaps I'll know more after that. Grrr governmentals.

I've spent a lot of today on the phone to one agency or another, clarifying and sorting out benefit applications and entitlements, and I can recommend the people the lazy CAB office's automated touch-tone answerbeast put me through to (though I can't remember their name) on 08453 454345. I believe the beast-woman said they're run by LegalAid or similar. Anyway, they give good benefit advice, even if they do ask some rather personal questions for statistical purposes. I talked to them from the relative safety (from the melty sun) of the bench in front of Hanley town hall, and since Mum and I had been wondering academically what the practice was for getting married in a registrar's office I wandered in to find out. Of course the lady behind the inquiries desk assumed I was asking because I wanted to get married there, and to avoid embarrassment I perjured James (sorry, my heart, you were the first person I thought of). I gained some useful insights, including the new-found knowledge that if the prospective spouses live in different register office areas they each have to register their intent to marry with their area's registrar at least 16 (I think) days before the intended ceremony date, wherever they intend the ceremony itself to be held. Handy. It is also apparently a good idea to book well in advance as the registrars' diaries fill up quickly, especially for peak times (like now). Anyway, all questions answered there I feel. I even got a leaflet. I feel so deceitful. Never mind.

I viewed a flat this morning. It was rather dirty and there were slug trails on the bed/sitting room carpet, but that's just cleanliness and (relatively) minor pest control.* There wasn't much natural light but it didn't feel poky, the main room was really quite spacious and it has all the expected white goods* as well as space for a washing machine. It also comes with a sofabed and wardrobe, though I'd want to check both for slug and similar aftermaths before I'd want to use them. It's directly across the road from the top of Hanley park (MAJOR point in its favour with me), diagonally across the road from the college, up the road from Staffs uni and the railway station, a walkable distance from Hanley town centre and Basoz's house and on the number 25 bus route, which serves pretty much everywhere I most often want to go. It even has a not-contemptible back garden. All this weighed against slugs, dirt and lack of natural light. Hmmm.

I have finished wrangling the internet and now I must sleep. Big day tomorrow. I must be mad. I'll let you know how it all goes. Bonne nuit.

* Better than wasps or rats, in my book.

** Except, oddly, a washbasin in the bathroom. There wasn't room for one but there is a perfectly serviceable bath, with a handy mirror over the taps...

Guess how I've been spending my evening.

So, this week. I can't remember very much of the last few months at all so you'll only get what I can dredge up from this week. There was Alton Towers on Friday, that was fun. There are a few benefits to being obliged to use a wheelchair, and those benefits extend to the people nice enough to assist the person in the chair. It was good to have a gander at the park after all these years too, and to finally get on Air, which kept being broken the year I was there last (the year Air was opened. It's been a while). I do miss Aber folks, and it was good to see Harriet again. I don't think either of us could work out which was tireder; she bore up well. I felt decidedly fraudulent when we first arrived because at the time I was well able to walk, but I was very glad of the chair by the end of the day, and of the people pushing me. I even got JTAhugs(TM) again, which I have missed.

I think things happened on Saturday and Sunday but for the life of me I couldn't tell you what. Oh, Mum made Olivia's doll a dress, since I don't do sewing. I'm crocheting muchly. I was going to make sleeves for the coat but I haven't the time/energy/skill/experience (delete as applicable), as the package should have been sent today. I bought one of the dolls in the end; the measurements I had were insufficient for the amount of experience I have (=none in doll sizes and very little in any others) so I was glad of it. It's a decidedly annoying doll though - it gurgles and cries and makes smacking noises when it's drinking, and it sleeps for like 20 seconds at a time. But apparently Olivia is very attached to hers. Mine is a black model. I was being all cynical, thinking it was bad that Toys "R" Us* made an ethnic minority doll to make more sales, but then I got rather more optimistic and thought more about how they wouldn't be able to make more sales with a black doll unless there was a demand for it. Perhaps I shall get my children mixed-race dolls.

On Monday I went to Liverpool to meet James. We ate at Wagamama and it was very very tasty. I recommend them wholeheartedly. Bravissimo was less good - the girl went off to see if they had things in another size but failed to come and tell me that they didn't so I sat in the changing room reading the catalogue for 15 minutes before going to find her. Well done Bravissimo. It was a worthwhile visit though - one of the dresses I thought I liked turns out to be in cheap-looking stretchy material and a couple I didn't think I liked turned out to look really good on me. If I could just find the right size. Which seems to be the biggest they do. This is a matter for some small concern, as I know I'm not the largest-bosomed lady of my acquaintance and if I can only fit into their largest size, what is there for the others?

Yesterday I was at Basoz's house and then at the job centre, who were almost entirely un-helpful. Impressive, je crois. I toiled down the hill to see if the CAB was open but it was appointments only so I went back up and caught a bus home. I crocheted quite a bit and went to bed with a good book (the last in Orson Scott Card's Homecoming series). Today I was once more at Basoz's, this time for the whole afternoon. It was really good, we spoke much English and some Arabic and discussed various topics. And then there was dolma. I like dolma. This circumstance is fortunate, as they insisted on my taking three full plates of it. Generous (كريم - like the name Karim/Kareem) people. :) I watched some Arabic children's television and then the whole family took me home. I'm going back next Wednesday before my Arabic class. I wasn't going to continue with the class but if I've already paid for the day ticket to see Basoz I might as well go to Arabic and prevent Gerald being in a class of his own, as it were.

I am looking forward to a few days in which all I have to do is post crochet to Milton Keynes and practise my fiddle for orchestra on Monday. I should see about arranging another meeting with Mr Williams and possibly friend(s). Yay Aber. Which reminds me: one thing I did get out of my visit to the job centre was the realisation that I could be eligible for housing benefit if my ESA goes through alright, and I am looking in Stoke, Liverpool and Aber. I looked in the Middlesbrough area but suitable pickings were slim. Aberystwyth seems to have no properties to let whatsoever, but Aber agents may well not have bothered putting vacancies online since there's no shortage of potential tenants right there in the town. Damn students. I'll get my people on the ground to check what's available. Yay contacts. Bedtime.

* DAMN YOUR POOR PUNCTUATION SKILLS YOU SORRY PACK OF AMERICAN CAPITALISTS. And why the hell is the R backwards?? [rant/]

We are experiencing some technical difficulties with the Anne C001 model. We regret to inform our subscribers that Anne C001 will be withdrawn from sale indefinitely, and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.



( Basic information about the weekend enclosed. It is not advised that you contact your supplier until further notice. )

Wow. That was really bad. I know I must have been to worse theatrical productions because I've been to several school nativity plays. The accents were ... hit and miss, to be charitable. The actor playing Adam ranged between English, south-western England, stereotypical pirate, Irish and various American accents, including 'nondescript', and sang either very quietly or with much booming. The singing wasn't bad overall, and the dancing would have been alright if the choreography had been better, but the acting was pretty awful, the stage was too small for the set plus all the people dancing around it, and most of the songs that aren't in the film were dire.

My sister and I were surprised at how many people left the theatre saying how good the production had been. It was an evening of torment for me and has made me exceedingly apprehensive about the Southport production I'm going to on Friday because this evening's entertainment was by a professional theatre company and their accents and acting were very nearly unendurable. Had there not been the three other members of our party between me and the end of the row I would have spent the evening in the foyer. It was so bad that I spent a lot of time either with my eyes closed or looking at my hands, and I distracted myself by coming up with things to write in a LiveJournal entry. Voila. And now someone has corrected my Arabic on OkCupid and that has not increased my good humour.

In reverse order:

There is a space in that title, it only just occurred to me that it might look like there shouldn't be one. I assure you the space is legitimate. It's because I've been musing on the wider meanings of words recently. For example, I wrote a long entry in my stylus journal the other week about the implications of 'judgement', and today a friend asked me to define 'condemnation' and that has started me thinking too. It is very good to have people to ask this sort of question - how else would important considerations like this come to mind? I won't go into my thoughts on either subject, I just wanted to record that they had taken/were taking place.

I have bought many things this fortnight. Several books for educational projects, wool, (uncomfortable) shoes (sigh) and a dress which I hope will arrive before I get back from Aberystwyth on Sunday. The dress and shoes together come to under £55, and for an outfit I don't think that's too bad at all. The books are yet to arrive, in the main, but the one that has is proving very helpful and I'm looking forward to receiving the others if when the shop (based in California) gets back to me. There are surprisingly few Arabic-English dual language novels out there. Several sites offering Qur'anic literature but not your common-or-garden English literature in dual language format. I think I'll stop going to Arabic: it's not helping me learn, it wears me out and the bus fare is £4.20 a week, which adds up. I shall await my Arabic-English Secret Garden and Little Women and practise on my own. I bought two lots of 4 ply wool but there wasn't a complementary colour in 4 ply so I got it in DK and am experimenting. It's OK so far, it's possible that it'll show up later but it's only a tiny bit thicker than the 4 ply to look at (it feels monstrously bigger to work with) and the section I've done so far looks pretty good. The colours are just right I think, it looks like toffee and fudge. :)

Had a Gemma staying this weekend, was really good to see her. :) Did Gladstone, bien sur, and each made a pot. Gemma made a flower too because she is crafty. She even went in the lift with me at the station because she is brave. Hurrah for Gemmas. I'm very very tired, all this gadding about and then playing through the trio a couple of times today have taken their toll and I must go and rest to the music of Herren Bruch und Mendelssohn.

Played the trio this afternoon. Left hand fingertips a little sore, as is to be expected, but I am otherwise unharmed, and it went well. I normally stand to practise but looking down at the piano music stand was causing back pain so I sat down, and it magically went away. I shall sit down to practise in future. Realised after a while that my legs kept crossing and uncrossing without my conscious direction. This is like some years ago when I didn't breathe whilst playing - I didn't notice that till one day after a particularly long passage. I fixed that, so perhaps I shall fix the legs, though it's not doing anyone any harm and I don't do it in orchestral rehearsals so I may just let my body get on with it. Two movements of the Pergolesi are written out, and I'm working on the lyrics for the Fac ut ardeat cor meum. Minor hyphenation issue but I've found a near-satisfactory workaround for it till the forum chappies get back to me. Nice person called 'thomas' replied asking for more information about the problem so perhaps he'll be able to help. Today has been a good day overall (except for the weather, of course) - as well as the trio going well and nice people helping me after I've been all productive, I rang Bravissimo's helpline and they will accept returns after the 28 days are up so the basque things are going back tomorrow. I'll get nearly £80 back for that, so it's a significant extra plus for today. Not to mention some good Top Gears and an Arctic expedition in Extreme Dreams on Dave. Have eaten hardly at all, somehow I just haven't been hungry. Mum's putting the tea on now though, so the stomach will probably start rumbling in anticipation. TTFN.

I finished the first read-through of my current proofreading project this afternoon, and am taking a bit of a break before starting the second. This morning's good mood had dissipated and I put the computer on to play a peaceful game of solitaire patience and listen to something on Spotify. The last track on my randomised Steeleye Span playlist was The Shaking of the Sheets. I'm sure there must be a worse song to put on when feeling gloomy, but it's not coming to mind. The current one is some Scottish whinge about losing to the English, which just makes me feel superior for being from a country whose traditional music is NOT one long complaint about how we were rubbish and then were astonished when we got punished for murdering people (see Anything At All by Any Irish Bard). The Scots can't possibly compete with the Irish, who seem to have spent the last several centuries positively enjoying whining about the English. Wales is best for good non-political songs, and not many Welsh songs I've come across have been bawdy either. Refreshing.

I really want to cancel the trio. I rang Mr Williams this morning but got the answerbeast. It's orchestra in a bit, I'll ring him again before I go and see if it's possible to move it back a week or more. This week has thrown up so many projects and deadlines and the trio was the only one I'd planned for. Unfortunately that plan rather included being physically capable of playing my fiddle to practise, which ended up not being the case after everything else. I read the gospel in Arabic at church yesterday (Orthodox Easter - it's tradtional to have the gospel read in as many languages as possible. Fr Simeon made up for any nervous speedreading in the other readers by really enjoying intoning the Greek), and it was very well received. I lost count of how many words I missed out or mispronounced, but the overall effect on non-Arabic speakers seems to have been evocative, which is what a gospel reading ought to be. If you know what the reader's saying, that is a nice bonus. Whether or not the reader knows what she's saying seems largely irrelevant. Which is for the best in this case. I've downloaded the entire Bible in Arabic because I know the better part of it well already so I've got a reference point for things I just can't grasp. Reading it aloud helped to focus the vocabulary and structure in my mind too, so maybe I'll spend my days learning the Bible by heart in Arabic...

Or perhaps I won't. To orchestra.

( I am F# major. )

I don't think I'm THAT much of a monster of self-centredness. I wonder what result I'd have got if I hadn't answered the last question with self-centredness being my main fault. *checks* Nope, still there. Could have been the first question ('best quality' - I answered 'individuality and acerbic wit'; the other options were: 'positive outlook in life' [ha]; 'intuition'; 'flexibility and adaptability'; 'ability to completely believe in things, persons, and ideas — hence, faith' [ha]; and 'ability to see things as they really are' [what?]. Let me know if I should have picked one of the others). *checks* Yep, that was it. Without that I'm ( E major. ) I don't know that I wouldn't rather be an F sharp. E Majors sound whiny. I'm not organised and as many of you will know I haven't a clue when/if I'm going to do what I want to do (though I suppose I do know how to do it so maybe that one's OK), and it is a bright day in Hades when I am too selfless. And as for getting along with all other key signatures... Judge for yourself. It's not a bad meme though, Proofreading Self aside. Find it here.

The Bearmonster t-shirt my mother ordered for me as an Easter present arrived yesterday and is great. :)

There doesn't seem to be a wish list option on the TopatoCo website so I'm making my own Questionable Content webcomic merchandise wish list here. Should you get the urge to purchase any of the below for me,* it's safe to assume that I want a feminine-style t-shirt in the biggest size they do. No, stupid Wii Fit, I am not obese. I am:



I like this shirt but I think it would probably upset small children or otherwise cause a public nuisance, so I don't actively want to wear it. Shame.



This one is of the most awesome, but they don't do it in my size YET. View it, appreciate it and bear it in mind but do not under any circumstances buy it for me:



* I hereby invent an official birthday around the middle of June sometime to make up for my natural one being but four weeks from Christmas. For the sake of your future children, do not conceive in late winter/early spring. It's just not kind.

I haven't slept enough recently. Goodnight.

Chapter 1: Commonsense Bathroom Use

Do Not Slam The Window. Slamming a bathroom skylight will have negative consequences both immediate and longer-term: it will make it bounce back so you have to close it again* and cause it not to shut as firmly, and over time it will weaken the locking mechanism and the vibrations will weaken other parts of the window. It will also wake any sleepers within a wide radius and incur dire wrath.

If The Bathroom Is Steamy, Create Air Flow. Opening the window a crack will not create sufficient air flow to de-mist the bathroom unless the door is also open. Tip: opening the door is in general a good way to air a room, particularly if a strong, freezing wind makes it inadvisable to open the window.

Do Not Invalidate Bath Cleaning. If you spend a long time (a LONG time) cleaning every particle of non-whiteness off the bath, do not then throw the floor mat over the side of the bath to dry, as this does very efficiently transfer dirt and other uncleannesses from the floor to the bath you just cleaned so thoroughly. The next person to use the bath will have to clean it again.

The Bathroom Can Be Shared. Bathrooms contain various different points of use. For example, my own bathroom at home has a mirror behind the door as well as above the wash basin, so that one person may, for instance, arrange their hair while another washes their hands or brushes their teeth, thereby maximising bathroom use efficiency and minimising fruitless irritation at 'being kept away from the sink'.

Keep Spare Toilet Rolls Near The Toilet. A good place to keep replacement rolls is in their waterproof wrapping in the conveniently-proportioned gap between the toilet and the wall. Less advisable potential storage options include: outside the bathroom; on top of the high cupboard; single rolls taken out of their plastic wrapping and placed where they will get damp. Corollary: Change The Toilet Roll When It Is Finished. It is wasteful to change the roll when there are still 5 or 6 sheets left, and it is best to replace a roll you finish rather than expecting the next person to do it.**

* It may appear to you to be best to slam it even harder to make it shut a second time, but note that this is highly unlikely to have the desired effect, whilst being very likely to increase the aforementioned 'dire wrath'.
** The next person's displeasure at having to change the roll will be increased if the first part of this point of bathroom usage advice is not properly observed, particularly if they don't notice straight away.

A few of you will know that I've been congratulating myself on the extension of my basic abilities in Linux. Unfortunately, recently-acquired knowledge means I cannot continue to extend my knowledge in that direction. This does not cause me to be a happy otter. I must continue my Linux self-education in other directions I suppose.

( Rosetta Stone mini-rant. )

Some books sold from Ebay and Amazon and I've posted all but two, the payment for one of which has yet to clear. The other one I'll pack up and post today or tomorrow. It's a bit of money coming in. If I sell all the books I'm advertising I might make enough for a third of a Rosetta Stone course.** I need to do something about my overdraft, especially since I've arranged to meet Mr Williams and his violinist friend for an afternoon's trio-ing in a couple of weeks (train fare to Aber+accommodation now Mary's moved=arg). I really can't play that trio. I've tried, but my fingers just won't go where they're meant to at the speed they're meant to get there. The concert was good, by the way, in case I didn't mention it already. The Bruckner even grew on me over the course of the day. It's still aimless and rather dull, but less so. With the impending Aber trip in mind I must go and practise that trio. Oh, and wrap that book and take it to the post office. And maybe eat something. Knew there was something I'd forgotten. TTFN.

* £90.60 return flight from Manchester to Charles de Gaulle, £171 for 7 nights at the most luxurious youth hostel ever, not far from central Paris. Not bad.

** This rankles somewhat, but fortunately no one would notice from my apparent calm acceptance of the fact. *growls*

My sister's cat brought a small creature into the house some hours ago and it very sensibly climbed up to the curtain rail out of her reach. Unfortunately it is still there, despite the cat having been shut in the kitchen (whence she continues to complain loudly and scratch the door) and the French windows having been opened fully to provide a vast escape route and, incidentally, freeze the house. Mum's rung the council about it, which I would have preferred her not to do - they'll only want to kill it, and I've spent all this time trying to save it. If I didn't mind whether it lived or died I wouldn't have shut the moggy in the kitchen. I shall champion the canny wee beastie's right to life. It's doing no one any harm after all and the cat has food in the kitchen. Housebricks are underrated as comparably desirable pets to cats.

Edit: I believe the mouse-like beastie has escaped. I checked carefully and shut the doors before letting Tilly out. She nosed around and complained a lot but didn't yowl or try to climb the curtains so I'm assuming her prey is gone. She is now washing herself grumpily on my bed. Cats can be vile creatures, even with their winning warm fuzziness and with their little pink tongues sticking out.

From an OkCupid user today:

hellow good day !

hai can you be friend or more than a friends a long life relationship
hai nice to mate you im [name] from Philippines
Davao city ... male 22 interested in a long life relationship i am a pro den men , or nice person,/ good since / and down to earth men . . . living in a simple life . .. i am find woman who love me forever , don't matter the age , the important is to love and have a commitment in life

i am willling to have long life relationship with you dont matter the age bracket but the important that you and me is interested to each other in a long life relationship

My response:

Hello. I'm only interested in finding friends on here. I wouldn't say I wanted a life-long relationship immediately anyway. Your profile says nothing about you so I can't say I'm interested in a relationship with you.

Mmm, dating spam.

Crochet coming along nicely, played unexciting Bruckner exceedingly badly this evening, going to bed. Resting tomorrow, and for the rest of the week (no Arabic on Wednesday because Mounir's at a conference or meeting or something), because the concert and associated 3-hour final rehearsal are on Saturday. 7:30 at the Jubilee Hall in Stoke (the old town hall building opposite Stoke church, which is now known as Stoke Minster), if you want to attend. The first half of the programme is beautiful and entertaining, and the latter two movements of the Bruckner show more promise than the first two, so the concert should end well. It's worth the travel and ticket money, and the hall is a short walk from the railway station - you can see it from the train as you pull in. Go on, be a devil and come to my concert.