Laugh it up in your tropical climes! I will shiver in my thin coat, like a poor child from the Victorian era. But with perhaps better hair.

How are you dear?

Pretty good, all in all. We're being Offsteded today and tomorrow (well, not actual Ofsted, but an international equivalent - checked out so we can be given Accreditation, whatever that means) which is a bit scary. And I missed lunch and had no appetite for breakfast, so I'm quite hungry now. Also frustrated, because after wolfing through the first two books of the Song of Ice and Fire they don't seem to have the third or fourth available for love or money. Damn it. So I've started reading The Dragonbone Chair, as I've never got around to it. Quite enjoying it, but I wanted to read more George RR Martin, damn it, and this isn't quite scratching that itch.

Um. Possibly a fuller answer than you planned on?

Meanwhile, though, I'm gleefully wallowing in the newfound joy of last.fm, which provides me with a whole 'radio station' of similar folks in response to being told who my favourite musician is. Which is really quite fabulous.

Mmm, accreditation. The bane of every reputable school ever.

Hee. Last.fm is a thing of beauty (I am, unsurprisingly, sathinks on there if you want to nose around and find me). I find pandora.com is what I usually end up using, because I really like the interface. But social music software is really an awesome thing.

I am...not working? Yet? See, I have this big stack of files and tapes for this one particular consultant, who has the absolute worst dictation manner I have ever encountered, which is really saying something because some people seem to think their dictaphone belongs up their ass instead of in front of their face. But his dictation obviously has to be done; I'm just putting it off. Also I'm still really peeved about something that happened over the weekend, while simultaneously trying *not* to be so peeved by it, and I could have used about three more hours of sleep.

Which is probably a fuller reply than *you* were looking for!

Sigh. Mondays. Why, god, why?

SA, it's -11 F here in IL -- be happy you've got positive numbers.

...okay, you win.

I'm linking to this site for the benefit of any Aussie lurkers. I only just heard about it, and there are some excellent, reasonably priced, overseas DVDs for sale, including Wonderfalls.

I gotta admit, their categorisations leave a lot to be desired. I don't know that I'd put Wonderfalls in the "Family" catagory...especially since it doesn't even appear in the "TV Shows" section. However, that's neither here nor there, since they have some terrific other stuff, including The Five Pennies and The Court Jester ...wooooohoooooo!

All together now:

The Pellet with the Poison's....

Oh dear. Well, hope today is a better day!

...meanwhile, last night I was the victim of domestic violence.

From my cat.

Yes, I have a cut and the beginnings of a (very small) black eye as a result of the cat deciding, at 2.30am, that it would be a great idea to stab me in the face. I mean, okay, maybe I was snoring - but he occasionally craps on rugs, and I still don't stab him in the face.

Another inch and he'd have had my frigging eye.

Needless to say, the cat spent the night in the bathroom. And he clearly realised it was merited, because rather than the customary caterwauling of unfairly imprisoned moggy one expects at such times, there were merely a few sorrowful and plaintive little mews.

I got beaten up by a cat.

I think we just established who is the pussy Chez Jay.

I've got a somewhat random question about the British school system. This article [link] refers to a school as a "state primary," but it's a religious school. What does "state primary" mean?