Woo!

I had a brilliant weekend, although I was unwell for much of it. Last week was spent fighting off some sort of virus that made staring at words on a computer screen impossible (I've honestly never experienced that before now) and a sore throat that sat lower in my throat than any other I've ever had before. It was sort of like a sore throat that threatened, and hurt, but never quite realised its full potential (thank the Powers That Be).

I left work early on Friday, a relief given that I was failing to function by that time, and headed home to sleep. Luke later dropped me at my aunt's house, as I had earlier accepted a dinner invitation that morning - which was before the day took a toll on me. Dinner was enjoyable. I can enjoy my aunt's company a lot at times. We discussed Thai green chicken curry recipes (can you guess what was served at dinner?) and I marvelled at the way she rendered brussell sprouts tasty! I was crazy over them! The secret? wok-fried so that they are browned, then lemon squeezed over and tossed before serving! Yum - in no way I would have ever considered possible for a brussell sprout to be! She dropped me at home again shortly afterward as I was feeling unwell. I had a bath, read, and went to bed.

Saturday was quiet and included a brief (all things considered) game of Dungeons and Dragons before I plead tiredness and inability to concentrate. We had a delicious meal of honey-soy pork spare ribs (my father's recipe) that really just hit the spot for all people eating! It was suggested, and agreed, that pork spare ribs are one of those things that people forget how satisfying they are or how much they've secretly been craving them until th ey actually are served some! Unfortunately Luke forgot to get potatoes, so we had rice (still yum anyway!) instead of mashed potato - which I had been craving.

On Sunday, the cats woke Luke up early - 6.30am! - and so he took them out to the loungeroom and bummed around online on the laptop for a bit. When I finally dragged myself out of bed, sporting a neanderthal Miss Universe 2007 hairstyle, he informed me that noirrosaleen was on line. Gods, I've missed Keth's company. We had a brief, using Luke as our go-between, discussion about our WoW characters on the same server and then agreed to play. I logged in and ran about questing and just generally chatting to and with Keth, her husband, and a friend of Keth's known on her journal as Temeraire.

My Tauren warrior on the Destromath server is now level 10! I have arranged to learn mining and blacksmithing. It amuses me that most ore that you find and mine doesn't disappear straight away like the herbs for Herbalists do once gathered. I still haven't quite worked out how to do the blacksmithing thing - or at least, the smelting thing (I'm sure I must be able to create copper bars, etc, out of copper ore) yet. Luke also decided to sign in, which was great! And he caught me up in levels pretty quickly. He has a Tauren hunter, level 8.

Then I made dinner - noodles, mm - and a reprise of the pork ribs for lunch at work. And when we had finished, noirrosaleen was long gone to bed. So, I logged onto my Icecrown server rogue and found some people to party up with there. Hopefully people at my level with whom I can party up regularly - in fact, they told me to add them to my friends list and that they would play with me again soon! Yay! I found out that one of them was only 15 but that their mother played with them as well! They explained to me that they had previously had a higher level character on another server, but decided to come and hang with their level 70 mother on Icecrown! How cute is that? Anyway, I made two levels on that character before my new friends had to log off for the night.

So, I logged into my Thunderlord rogue and cashed in two quests, totalling 14,000 XP together. Not enough to make level 42, but I'm certainly a darned sight closer. Still, I intend to focus on my two lower level characters for a while, so that on Thunderlord Luke will probably manage to catch me - his mage is level 39. That will allow us to do more together as characters.

Then I called it a night! And here I am today, at work. I'm sort of pleased to be here too, after being so unwell. I finally feel more at a point where I can actually be usefull. Huzzah!

PS - noirrosaleen "Accio Wife!" makes me giggle! =P

Oscar and Indigo had their first scrap this morning. Indigo did invite it by attempting yet another steal of Oscar's food. There was "staring down" and then a pounce from Oscar which resulted in a yowl-yelp from one or both, and then sulky, self-directed separation and staring down again. But, that was all. I think Oscar has done remarkably well to limit himself to putting the kitten in her place only once (that I am aware of) since they have been together in the same house for a week and a half now. I'm also glad that it just seemed to be a scrap in the way of telling the kitten she had overstepped but without making it much more worse than telling Indi her place.

He has otherwise let her rule the house.

I'm not sure that's a good thing.

However, it has made for a relatively peaceful household, and for that we are grateful. I did, however, warn them that if I came home to bloodshed, bottoms would be smacked. Or something .... anyway.

Making rough plans to make it to the US, specifically California, in May of 2008. Likely looking to be a visit of 2-3 weeks. I'm not sure how widely we will be able to travel (funds/time etc) but we hope to meet up with a number of people at yayheaven's wedding. We will also visit some others in the general Californian area.

We would like, but again funds/time etc, to travel more but are not sure how much outside of California will be managed. Perhaps a cheapish cross-country flight to visit some family of mine near enough to NYC for daytrips in .... but other than that, I am not sure.

Anyway, that's just a heads up for y'all in California or of a mind to travel that way at that time ... We will advise as more details are clarified or settled.

My parents have another exchange student. Francesco, from Italy. I hope to convince him to visit Sydney. He seems a sweetheart and willing to help with things around the house and take things openly and positively. My mother is tired, though, and my father has just gone to Malaysia for a month. Not sure how much help my brother is.

Exciting!

In reviewing the posts I have made in the last three and a half hours, I am decided on several things:

1. Must study more. There shall be no WoW on Tuesday night because (a) it is Tuesday night, and (b) I need to type up my notes. To that end, note to self - bring folder to work tomorrow and question JHM closely about document searches. Also, remember to email typed up work to course supervisor and query questions.

2. I need a WoW icon for my journal.

3. Some of the questions in my traineeship course are ridiculously vague and unanswerable. They don't make sense they are so vague. This cause needs an overhaul.

4. I intend to make Thai green chicken curry this week. And rosemary/thyme pork chops with mashed potato. And chicken schnitzel with mashed potato. Yum.

5. More mashed potato. .... Curry, mmmm. Maybe also make chicken and veg stir-fried noodles, and also check out soy chicken/potato dish that mio padre makes occasionally. Can't make Bah Ku Tey - can't even spell it for that matter, but just wrote what it sounds like - don't have ingredients. Maybe will check out curry takeaway shop in Lane Cove - smelled tasty when I walked past recently. Yum.

6. Note to self: check out recipe books for things to try. Need more yum in life. Also, make mudcake. Or die trying.



I am also going shopping tonight - need cat food, and ingredients for chicken curry. Imagine somewhat that Luke will fall over self to cut chicken (as opposed to usual negotiations not to cut chicken for dinner) if chicken curry is expected end result. Might try running this past him tonight.

Oh! Oh! And, I ordered a whoop-ass lens for my film SLR (which I have meant to and wanted to do so badly for a while now). That is, more whoop-ass than my original "standard issue" lens (35-80mm). Whoop-ass lens is 75-300mm. Also, discovered that the company that made my camera is no longe rint he film camera industry ... Boo! Woe! Alas! ... but still should be a number of lenses available secondhand (see new whoop-ass lens for proof) and failing that, a number of other brand lenses should fit if I can purchase fittings to make it do so. Fingers-crossed. Terribly, I go through the store I purchased the camera from in Adelaide as they are helpful and advise well, whereas I don't know any stores in Sydney yet, and the one guy I spoke to here in a photo developing shop confused the heck out of me.

Also, I intend to look up photography clubs, and get out and about a bit in Lane Cove/Chatswood. Would be good! Note to self: remember to re-check dance class flyers (but don't look too closely at cleaners flyers as temptation may be too great but house is not so big it can't be cleaned by myself and Luke).