I have now experienced my first ever paid sick day. It’s only a cold but I realised, hey, I don’t have to go in. Reader, it was amazing. Nothing untoward happened while I was gone, though the trouble with the pegasii continues. They’ve now started sleeping really late so their deliveries are also increasingly late. They claim the increased summer sun has a soporific effect on them. They say this every year of course.
That on top of the dragons going mad over sales of as much as 50% on select helmets, goblets and whole treasure chests, means there’s been an increase in singed ears. There’s a particular breed, Flaming Whingnuts, who get especially agitated when the pegasii in Ireland, which we have particular trouble with, don’t show up for return collections on time. Still, we’ve all survived so far and the gremlins have been kept well-supplied with whisky so they’ve been behaving for the most part.
Today I had a day off. In the morning I had a bass lesson. I’m currently learning the bass line for Picture This by Blondie, along with several other songs. (The song choices are from Radio’s other students. Because I’m the only bass student at the moment I have to learn all the bass lines for the student get-togethers). So the lyrics for Picture This, they are not great and do not make much sense but I’m starting to grow strangely fond of them because I’ve heard them so much. Also, Debbie Harry’s voice is just so nice no matter what.
Then I pretty much spent the rest of the day weeding. The bluebells are now well past their prime and are all falling about the garden turning brown and, in many cases, slimy. I got the majority of them out today in the back garden. The ones in the front garden must wait for the weekend.
I did much of the weeding while listening to an audiobook of War and Peace. I’m rather delighted by how this is working out. I downloaded it because I’ve been meaning to read it and I realised I could slowly work my way through it on my walks to and from work/whenever I get the notion in my head to go jogging. It totals 61+ hours so it’s going to take a while but so far it’s hilarious. The way the narrator describes people and what they’re doing, and what they’re actually doing, is excellent and very dry. I got through 3 hours of it today while weeding.
Dangerous Beans helped in the garden by sunning herself and being American Psycho, the bird edition. Realism came out eventually too and mowed the grassy bit. Jalapeño stayed inside and finished playing a game called Nooki the Flying Horse or somesuch.
I’m just kidding, it’s called Ni no Kuni II and it was very pretty.
The kids are here and suffering through the last two weeks of school before the summer holidays. There is a weird phenomena surrounding kids doing dishes. Everything can be going along fine, then the kids start doing the washing up, and somehow, suddenly, things turn sour amongst them. To be fair to the other two, this usually has something to do with Vault Boy. But I do remember exactly the same thing happening with the Owedazzler and the Hannimal and myself when we were little and doing the dishes. I guess it just offers such opportunities for pettiness if you happen to resent what you’re doing.
I’m currently reading a book called We Want Everything by Nanni Balestrini about a worker from southern Italy moving to northern Italy in 1869 to work in a Fiat factory and getting involved in the worker/student strikes/protest there.
No, I’m off to support live music with Strigine!
Where You're Not 