traditional fare for the holiday : oliebollen

Today, I had actually planned on writing a piece for Lost in Transit, nothing cosmic, just my usual little housewifely type of thing. The problem is, though, that I can’t spell worth beans and I always used IE Spell-Checker ( with many thanks to Danelle ). As the name implies, IE Spell-Checker is for use with IE. I had actually opened up Internet Explorer, for the first time in many days, when my firm resolve to never use it again took control. You see, I blame IE for most of the computer problems that I have had during the past few months. Have to blame something, and blaming IE in many ways simply makes life easier. If you know what I mean ( “…it hasn’t been the same since…”)

Well, I thought to myself, there has to be a Spell Check for Firebird. There went the time to put together a piece for LIT. Many, many hours later, I now have spell check on Firebird. Because I tend to screw things up many, many times before they finally work, I am not quite sure how I did this. I do believe that I first downloaded-installed-whatever the 0.3.5 mentioned here
and then a dictionary ( American English) from here.

Now to check it out.

Sh*t, it missed the 2 l’s I used on the word ‘control’. Another day pissed down the drain…..

The status of my little room of my own has been resolved. To refresh memories, the status of the room came into question when ’someone’ decided to buy a computer ( rather than a laptop, which had my vote, and despite my very precise and strongly worded objections : I don’t want another computer in my room) and the only place to put it is here, in my very own little room.

The room will not become the generic computer room, or perhaps ‘the office’. It remains my room.

This resolution did not come easily, peacefully. But some things are worth a confrontation or two.

And my little room of my own is one of them.

We spent this morning driving around to various nurseries, trying to find a Venus Fly Trap for The Boy. He mentioned the other day that he would like to have one, and- truth be told- I have always wanted one. I decided many years ago that if I ever got one, I would name it Inge, after an old flame of The Father’s. Can’t remember the joke behind it, but I would still name the plant Inge.

Unfortunately, there were none to be found. I then did a quick check through Google and found this very nifty place. But- being practical, I have to wonder what would happen to all of those little monsters when the kids and I take off for a month to the States.

Nice FAQ on Venus Fly Traps here

I have found it very interesting to read what various people think about Christmas, how stressful Christmas can be, how empty of meaning. For the most part, I’m sure that they are right. I found Christmas to be very stressful, I’m only realizing now just how stressful it all was as my allergies kept me awake most of the night last night. They are worse when I’m under stress and take a while to calm down.

I loathe getting gifts and said repeatedly to The Father that this Christmas was in itself my Christmas gift, let me do it my way and it was. Most of the family was here, there were piles of gifts, all inexpensive ( except for the one ‘big one’ for each child) and so thoughtful it would simply make Scrooge gag. It was a fine evening. And while Opa loved his CD’s, what both Oma and Opa appreciated most was having a Christmas all together with their rather boisterous family once again, a Christmas of the sort they have not had the energy to arrange for the last few years. I could give them a family Christmas. Pow ! That is some present.

I mentioned under the photo of The Baby and Danique that both of my parents were only children, which means I haven’t any Aunts or Uncles or cousins. My Grandmother’s names were Bucky and Frenchy. Grandmothers with names like Bucky and Frenchy don’t bake Christmas cookies, believe me. I have always envied big, rowdy families, littered with Aunts, Uncles, children, Grandparents. Families like The Father’s. In fact, my Dad calls them ‘The Waltons’.

And we had a perfect Walton Christmas and I hope that we can every year from now on. But perhaps I should start preparing for it a bit earlier.

Like next week.

In the past, I basically have not cared a rat’s ass how this page looks in other browsers. I still don’t have that as a high priority on my list of things-to-do.

However, this page – to put it simply- stinks in firebird and I have come to like firebird very much indeed. It is especially easy to use if you tend to have about 10 windows open at once, as I usually do. Nice, nice browser but it means that I have to make a new stinking template.

This is something I enjoy only slightly more than shoveling up mounds of still-steaming dog shit. Oh, and how are those wee dogs of ours ? I’m on a photo-strike until The Father bathes the wee, reeking beasts, but we have given Buddy a nickname : Budzilla. All of those months and months that I spent trying to find the perfect puppies for us have paid off : these are without a doubt, the biggest, most beautiful and sweetest Newfs that we have ever had.

Although Elvis is still a bit goofy.
Beautiful Newfs at Kennel of the Thatchroof

The Baby with danique

David has filled me in : yes, I must actually type in the link code. By hand. Oh well. Thanks, David !

The Father and I are listening to the radio quite a bit now, for you see ( here I go, typing it in with my own lily white fingers -) Radio 2 has started it’s Top 2000 tunes of all time. You can listen to it live ( pick a link from here
or for broadband, click here . )

Or, simply save a lot of time and cheat, like I just did, and look at the list.

In a rather wistful mode, The Father asked me this evening if there wasn’t some way I could get a copy of all of this. Well, I said, I’ll look around.

Every day, at about the same time, I find myself thinking the same thing. Have I ever mentioned that factories/ assembly lines fascinate me ? Well, they do.

But every day now, for months, I have had this same idea float up into my mind and- in the hope that voicing it will make it ‘go away’- I shall share it with you : can you think of any more disgusting job than working at the plant that makes Whiska’s cat food ? I mean, the stuff is revolting beyond all words- the smell, the look. And someone has to spend day after day, watching whatever goes into those cans being…’processed’. Yukkus is a pale start indeed.

On the same sort of scuzzy topic, I have heard ( poor, poor Karan) that BSE has popped it’s nasty head up in America.

What can I say ? A while ago I discovered that I am not allowed to give blood in America. I can’t recall if it was because I may have eaten a BSE burger while traveling in England or a tainted Happy Meal here. But there it is, I can’t donate my blood to the American public because of BSE.

Should I ever find the link button for MT here on Firebird, I just might exert myself and look for that info.

But- if I were you- I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

Is it getting to be that time of the year again ?

I have so enjoyed all of the shit-slinging it has stirred up, year after year, and I for one hope we will have another grand showing this year.

As an aside, I now have Firebird up as well as Opera. Must say, suppose that I shall have to meander over to MT and see if there is some way to make MT work correctly in either of the two. I really want to stop using IE.

And Ho-Ho-Ho to all of you as well. Except Brian, for Brian I send a hearty ‘Bah !Humbug!’

Have I mentioned that my very favorite day of the year ( well, after my birthday) is New Year’s Eve ?