Monday, July 23, 2007

delay of gratification

I got an email from Amazon Saturday telling me I wouldn't have my copy of "Deathly Hallows" til July 30-31. I was absolutely gobsmacked, at first. I thought it would be a few days after release, but ten days?! I tried to cancel the order, but it's not elgible for return. I thought about just buying a copy at Foodland, where I went to buy tea yesterday morning, but then decided against it. See, here's what's going on...I'm only frantic like this, because I don't want to encounter spoilers on the web, or run into people who want to talk about it. Even at Foodland, the checkers were talking about the book, though they kindly respected my request for no spoilers while I was in line.

Other than the worry that it'll all be blown for me (and it won't really - I just want to savor the deliciousness - knowing what happens will put me in a race to get to "certain events" in my reading)I will enjoy my leisurely re-read of "Half-Blood Prince" and spend less time on the computer. That can only be a good thing,no? Funny, one of my favorite lj blogs is very Harrycentric, and I so have to avoid reading her for a couple of weeks. Then, though, the after-the-fact catchup will be an added pleasure.

So what am I doing with myself while I wait for Amazon to get my book to me? Much of it focuses on getting myself ready to be no longer on vacation, alas. The baking and freezing of bran muffins and mini quiche thingys for on-the-fly breakfasts. Laundry and the ironing and mending of school clothes, as I've lived my past few weeks in the rattiest of paint-stained shorts and holey tee shirts. Today I'm going in to the classroom (or my rather large cubicle) to wash the place down with Murphy's oil soap, as it's covered with a layer of dust and grime. Being in Kailua, being sweaty and dirty, will give me an excuse for a quick swim at the beach, though recent shark attack and drowning on the Windward beaches is a bit of a damper...

I might try and do a bit of sewing later this week, as my knitting mojo has up and left me with a big stash, a lot of patterns and no itch whatsoever to knit. Might as well do other things.

Friday, July 20, 2007

the door blew open

It's been swinging between opressively still and stinkin' humid, and briskly breezy around here, the past few days. I was walking Cricket yesterday morning, and it was raining, and I was sweating anyway. Ugh. I do like the brisk breezes better.

Last week, though, a big gust blew our front door open and I went out to take a look at what the hillside was offering.


Bouganvilla is my new favorite flower. I love the papery, delicate petals, and the real flower, which is the little cream center. We only have these lipstick red ones, but I've seen a combination planting of this color and magenta, that's heartbreakingly gorgeous.


Some potted jade, hardy stuff, that jade, resisting my neglect, and tinged with a little blush. Little Rainbo, the deceased cockatiel used to love nothing more than to get out of his cage and chew our indoor jade plants into oblivion. I guess that succulent plant was a tasty treat to him.



Our mystery citrus, which has refused to set fruit up to this point, in spite of blossoms. I was hoping for a lime, for the cocktails and cooking, but it's thrown its full effort into making one orange.

Finally, the plumeria tree, which is my great Hawaiian botanical love. Fragrant, shady and proof enough that sometimes, it's downright paradisical around here.

Other breaking news...Eleanor is off the needles but unfringed and unblocked for now. Pictures coming soon. I got a job at my same old school (hmmmm...) as a reading and math resource teacher. No problem, I'm okay with it. My own space, and working with much more collaborative teachers than last year. Still...my summer vacation ends in a week. One week!!

After all the swirling drama of my headachiness, I was diagnosed with arthritis of the cervical spine - not very advanced, my course of the muscle relaxants went well and I've been pretty much pain free. Of course I'm also kind of stress free these days, so go figure. I've been getting massage, and am feeling pretty fine - hoping to maintain it for awhile.

Summer has flown by, a flurry of snorkeling, clacking needles, and lots of dog training; today I had a private obedience lesson with Cricket, in which we worked on aggression issues, focus and general compliance. He was pronounced "trying very hard, he's so responsive, he's in the game". Ahh, Cricket, with his funky charm, Dogtor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde himself. The private lesson was well worth the cost, and we have some things to work on for a few weeks.

I am submerging with the ongoing re-reads of the Harry Potter books, books I meant to be finished with last week. I'm starting "Half-Blood Prince" tonight. Fortunately (foolishly) I ordered book 7 from Amazon, and I seriously doubt I'll see it here before mid week, so I'll be off the internets til all this is resolved. Til then, it's all Harry, all the time.