Finally finished it!

P visited Monday night and Tuesday night. I worked late last night. Now, finally, tonight, it is finally all finished!

My first finish for me !!! Not as a present - but for me!

Off to bed now ....... just worked six days straight ......

Snowflake

Well the replacement threads came in the mail on Friday and I got an hour's stitching in last night - so all the cotton is complete. Only the backstitching left to do. To my eye the thread is definitely a different dye lot - but hopefully the backstitching might tone that down a bit.

I hope.

Mel's week (rather long winded)

Gee where do I start - I have done NOOOO stitching. Not one stitch - so much for my big plans :)

Last Monday we had 4 people off work - 2 on annual leave and 2 sick. I'm already doing the work of two people as I have all of my cataloguing, plus I've now been given the acquisitions work as that nitwit has taken a job out in a branch.

So Monday Tuesday Wednesday were taken up with my doing the most critical and urgent tasks of five positions. It wasn't stressful - but it was time consuming and exhausting. And I will still getting over the flu so I basically came home and crashed each night.

Thursday I finally caught up and all critical work finished by 5pm - YAY ! As my boss said "You rock Mel!" YAY! I also got to have Friday off :)

Thursday night (late night shopping) Paul and I went straight from work out to the nearest huge shopping centre and we shopped for his mum's birthday. As most of you know I had already stitched her up a bookmark, so I thought it would be kewl to buy her a book to slot the bookmark into.

And we did just that. As Paul is vegetarian, his mum is vegan and I (although a meat eater) actually eat more organic food than both of them, well we have some scintillating conversations about food and the environment. So when I saw this book just released, I knew I needed to buy it for her.

(Incidentally I bought a copy for the library at the same time and I'm now treading the library copy).

The book is: The Ethics of What We Eat

Good read so far!

Anyway where was I .... oh yes Thursday night. we then dropped into my favourite lingerie store which was having a sale .... oh dear - three sets of lingerie later Paul managed to haul me back out of there. We then went and bought clothes for his mum - Paul's present to her.

Came home - crashed out.

Friday I lined up a heap of houses to look at, did the domestic stuff of cleaning, washing, vacuuming mopping etc etc. You all know the drill Then I grabbed Paul and we went house hunting. Started off great - the first house is the one mentioned in the previous blog entry. Ended up badly. It was raining and cold and the last couple of houses ended up being on busy streets in failing light in peak hour traffic - and the streets were weirdly numbered in that suburb. We gave up on the last one - figured that if we couldn't find it then I didn't want it.

Went over to Paul's mums and gave her her gifts and had a long cup of tea! As expected she went gaga over the book. She flipped through it twice before she saw the bookmark and then she went gaga all over again! I love it when work is appreciated :):):):)

she loved the clothes Paul bought her and immediately went and tried them all on. She loved one pair of trousers so much she wanted to go straight back out and buy some more. So we did. Friday night was spent in a repeat on Thursday night, only the lady in question was with us. We gave up dinner plans (we were going to take her out to a restaurant) and ate at the mall's food court in favour of more shopping time. I eventually dropped Paul and his mum off, went home and collapsed.

Saturday, got up filled in an application for the one house I liked, made appointments to view some more and then got a call on my mobile. There's someone sick at work - can you come in. I calculated the overtime rate, saw dollar signs in my eyes, postponed all housing appointments and dropped the application in on the way to work.

After work I dropped past Paul and his mum to discover some of the clothes she had bought the night before didn;t quite fit her as well as thought they would so you guessed it back off to the mall. We stopped by the new prospective house on the way and that's when we saw the fact someone else was living there ..... then off to the mall.

To get the woman into the change rooms, (hey I like shopping as much as the next person - but driving 30 plus kilometres each way for three days running was getting tiring - and expensive - on top of all the petrol I was already spending on the house hunting!) so I also tried on some clothes. She exchanged some clothes and I bought one pair of work clothes and two more work shirts .....

Did I mention that this was getting expensive ......

After that I took them both for coffee. Paul and his mum both seem to be these people who never pay for good food or coffee when out. The blanch at the prices and stay hungry until they get home. Well this time I put my foot down. I herded them into a Starbucks - yes a Starbucks! I sat them down in lovely comfy armchairs listening to some quiet jazz and the murmured sounds from the other patrons who were sipping coffee and chatting. No teenyboppers or rug-rats in sight! I bought them each their favourite type of coffee and a snack and then brought it all over.

They were in heaven! Neither of them had ever actually "done coffee" before - heathens! Its one of my favourite ways to relax with friends! And relax I did ... so restful and homey for me. I recalled for them some of the occasions where I had done such a thing before, like seeing the Kenneth Branaugh four hour Hamlet and then sitting in a coffee shop until 3am discussing it with friends ......

Anyway, we finally got out of there before I went to sleep! God they have comfy chairs! We showed his mum the place we were going to take her for her birthday dinner - a chinese restaurant that specialises in vegetarian cooking. So she went in, ordered takeaway and paid for it and then we all went back to her place to eat it. Sher said it was her treat for everything Paul and I had done for her this weekend.

The finally I got back to my place and crashed out. After cleaning up the mess from a certain nameless cat who was feeling neglected.

Sunday, got up and went to work! Had a very very bad afternoon. We had an aggressive personality with paranoid delusions in the library and he really really creeped me out! The paranoia I can handle - I'm used to being asked what government control agency do I work for, and why does my necklace take photos of them!

I often wear all black to work and I wear my blouses open to mid-cleavage. I often wear a gold-sheen obsidian pendant. Truly beautiful but it does change colour as it swings around ...

Anyway, where was I - oh yes, the paranoia I can come with - the aggression I can tolerate. I'm usually OK with being firm and standing my ground. But this guy had dead eyes. Its the only way I can describe it. There was no spark, no warmth, the expression at all in those eyes. He really creeped me out. And because I was the officer in charge that day - he decided to give me some special attention. focused his loathing on me. would creep up right behind me blowing on my neck ..... and of course spouting his paranoia - eg by stopping him accessing sex chat lines I was oppressing his rights etc ..... very nasty unbalanced individual.

Anyway that day finally finished and we got him out of the library eventually. And surprise of all surprises he was *not* waiting at my car when I came out the back door. I sat in the car and simply trembled for 5 or so minutes before driving straight to Paul's place and having a couple of cups of tea.

Paul then came over to my place and we cooked dinner (an indian vegetable bargi with spiced rice), and had a convivial "I missed you" evening before yes - collapsing into sleep.


Oh god where am I up to - oh yes Monday. Public holiday. Slept in. Wrote a complete report of the problems associated with the Sunday shift at work and emailed it to my work address. That took 2 hours to get the wording right and all details accounted accurately. Grazed and munched a very leisurely type of breakfast. Had a two hour phone conversation with some interstate friends I hadn't spoken to in months! Paul emerged sometime during the tail end of this conversation. Finally got dressed sometime mid afternoon and went house hunting again. I tell you by this time I'm still tired and my heart isn't it. Retired home early. We put on some punk music and Paul made some dinner while I did the domestic things of ironing, mending packing my bags for work etc. Another evening of "let me show you the myriad ways I love you" followed by collapsing into sleep.

This morning its up shower, dress, grab prepacked bags, down a protein shake and out the door. Spent all morning discussing my Sunday report with senior staff and all afternoon fiction cataloguing. Gave up the whole idea of getting to the gym and came home. Paul had gone back to his place. So it was a quiet dinner and phone cal with a different set of friends. Then online and well here we are.

Yup - about to go collapse in bed.

Many hugs to you all
Mel.

House hunting

Well I've just been reminded that I've been a bit quiet - so here's the latest update on my saga of house hunting.

As you know, 6 weeks ago I found the *perfect* house in the *perfect* location for the right money etc etc and they turned me down because of Trubby - apparently the owners had hassle's with a tenant who had a dog - and now wont even allow goldfish - stupid people Grrrr!

Finally, this last Friday, I think I've found something as good - but in a different way. Its a similar-sized house, its further away from work but the rent is cheaper so the money still works out. But mainly the new place has the same sort of really good vibe. You know like when you walk into a house for the first time and it feels like you are coming home ....

The views out the front are jaw-droppingly good for this part of the world! Its on a quiet street - no through traffic, no yobbos - ah bliss!

The downside is that it is a pole house in the side of a hill - so you have to walk up what seems hundreds of stairs to go into the back door - the views out the front are utterly magnificent - though - once I figure out how to move everything in.

Its only two bedrooms but that's enough space for me. Paul and I don;t want to co-habit which is good! Sharing bills and having someone else comment on where yo spend your money is not good for a relationship .... in my opinion :):)

I put an application in on Saturday morning before being called into work to relieve someone who was heading home sick. On Saturday afternoon Paul and I headed out to the place again to get a better feel for the actually practicalities of moving large pieces of furniture and my never-ending boxes of books up those stairs. That's when we noticed it ....

The house is built in two sections one have over the other - like two stories but the top layer pushed back into the hill. Well I'm renting out the top layer. We were assured by the real estate agent that the lower level was used by the owners for storage purposes only. You can see where this is going ....

Yes we noticed the lower floor has someone actually living in it! There was a bed, with rumpled bed clothes, dishes in the sink, a fry pan toaster etc in clear view ..... and worst of all there was a full ashtray of cigarette butts on a chair on the open porch.

Some of my best friends are smokers. I know what to expect when I visit their homes and that's cool. But I'm not a smoker, and I really can;t stand second-hand cigarette smoke wafting in my front doors from next door. Its one of the most annoying parts of my current neighbours! I cannot open any of my front or side windows, because they smoke outside their front porch constantly day and night - chain smoking whenever they are home - and it sickens me to have my furniture and my stuff inside my house stinking of their cigarette smoke !!!!

Anyway, I was rung by the Real Estate this morning at 9:45am (we had a public holiday yesterday so I reckoned they probably spend a whole hour checking my application before ringing me) and advised me my application was successful. The house was mine when do I want to come and pay the bond?

I stated that I would like some answers first before I accepted the place. I explained what I saw and asked what the deal was. The RE agent was completely flustered. They knew nothing about this! The owners have not sublet it via *their* RE agency - it must be the owners themselves!

Well, I asked, am I renting the whole property or just the top floor - will I get the courtesy of written notification by the owners before they enter the property - or are they free to come and go or even live in the lower story if they so choose? Oh no, says the RE agent, they wouldn't do something like that! Can you get that in writing me, I ask. Certainly says the agent, I will call the owners get right back to you.

That was at 9:45am this morning. Its now close to 9:45pm .... I still haven't received that call ....

Mystery IX update

Well just as I'm getting over my bout of the flu, Paul comes down with it!

So I spent most of the day on my own and decided to hell with it all - and I sat on my lounge and stitched for most of the day. I caught up in Mystery IX and got part 5 completed. Now to start part 6 tomorrow.

Going to bed now - its way after midnight and I'm back to work tomorrow afternoon.

Hugs
Mel.

Scholar's Bookshelf

Hmmm - I am very very tempted to give this company a piece of my mind and never deal with them again. Can someone who is more familiar with the US postal system please explain the following:

----- Original Message -----
To:

Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 1:51 AM

Subject: Unexplained delivery?





Good morning,



I am a customer of yours but I have not bought anything in over six
months. Much to my surprise the mailman arrived ten minutes ago with a
United States postal service mail bag.



Inside were around 130 copies of a leaflet called "Abuse and Neglect of
Vulnerable Adult Populations".



The two mail tags attached to the neck of the bag state quite clearly that
the sack is from Scholar's Bookshelf and was posted 04 April 2006 and
addressed to me.



I did not request such an order - nor was I billed for one - and the
postage cost for 10.91 pounds to Australia would have been considerable!



Can you please advise why I was sent so many copies of a single leaflet!
A leaflet for which I have no interest in?



If you wish I can attach scans of the leaflet and the mail tags.



Regards

Melissa Hicks




-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Re: Unexplained delivery?
Date:	Thu, 1 Jun 2006 09:12:55 -0400
From:	Rosanne/The Scholar's Bookshelf

Dear Miss Hicks,

I apologize that you received that package. Could you see if there is a 
packing slip in the bag that might have one of our numbers on it. Maybe an 
order number.

Sincerely,
Rosanna
Scholar's Bookshelf


-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Re: Unexplained delivery?
Date:	Thu, 1 Jun 2006 09:21:27 -0400
From:	Rosanne/The Scholar's Bookshelf

Dear Miss Hicks,

I just spoke to my manager and she said that what probably happened is that
the post office must have put one of our tags on that bag because we do not
have any leaflets of that matter. You can send it back to the post office
and see if they know who it should go to.

Sincerely,
Rosanna
Scholar's Bookshelf

----- Original Message ----- 
To: "Rosanne/The Scholar's Bookshelf" 
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: Unexplained delivery?

Rosanne,

I am in Australia.  My Post Office is quite convinced that this parcel
was sent from you to me and thus are convinced they supplied it to the
correct address.

As I do not deal with many international suppliers I highly doubt your
local post office accidentally attached one of your tags onto a bag that
was coincidentally being sent to me by another company.

If you are suggesting that your local post office accidentally sent a
tag with my address on it on this parcel - then please explain how
*they* would have my address in the first place!

I have attached scans of all three tags that were attached to the
mailbag and a copy of the front page of the leaflet.

I strongly encourage you to look at your in-house mail distribution 
system.

Regards
Melissa.


-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Re: Unexplained delivery?
Date:	Thu, 1 Jun 2006 12:38:22 -0400
From:	Rosanne/The Scholar's Bookshelf

Dear Miss Hicks,

My manager looked at all of the tags and saw that the tag #1 shows that the
post office in Oakland California was the one who for some reason put the
label that had your address on it on the bag with the leaflets. We do not
know anything about the leaflets so you can just throw them out. I apologize
but we did not send that mail bag to you.

Sincerely,
Rosanna
Scholar's Bookshelf

***************************************************************

Now can someone kindly explain to me how/why a post office in 
Oakland california would have my address to send me such a 
parcel and claim it was from this company?

Snowflake and the flu

Well after pushing myself to work all week I gave up today and spent the day at home. I slept in, made a proper cooked brekky, felt better and cleaned the house a bit, then gave in and slept some more. Spent late this afternoon doing some cross stitch.

So now I've run out of the metallic thread that Patti so kindly supplied. I'm taking tomorrow off work as well and I might start work on Mystery MIX again.

I'm off to bed again.