I'm around. I am trying to decide what to wear tonight. I want to dress up for the leather meet and greet (which is hapening at the same time as the gay country dancing, for which I would wear cowboy boots and jeans), but don't really want to walk there in that getup, and can't dance in it (but...new leather corset!). These outfits are really not the same.

meara, I love you and your life.

Can you bring the corset outfit and do a quick change?

DIY Mocha, cereal, yogurt. (Cat chowing down on a flossy-pork-stuffed brioche n the belief I have not noticed.)

(((Cash)))

Aw, poor Emmett and his Too Much Pie. That's a learning curve and a half.

If she's not (and I dont' think she is...any of us in NYC and that age and height?), you should date her and make her one, Gris!

So VERY much this. Gris, you're in the same neck of the woods, right? You should definitely get in touch with her. She sounds cracking. (Hell, I nearly got in touch with her, and she's straight AND on the wrong continent.)

ND, what everyone else said. Life is just Too Damn Short. And, having had Parents' Meetings this week, I can say with depressed certainty that some people do not deserve their kids.

(I have this one wee girl, Cindy, whom I fucking love, a real character, rather prickly, gallons of imagination, not terribly good at sitting still or listening, would make a FANTASTIC silent movie actress, good comic timing and physical comedy - Love. Her. We've been rehearsing for the Infants' Christmas Production and she's one of the choir (with a brief turn on the stage in a non-speaking role, which she does very well) and it's decidedly tricky for her to remember to sit still and face the audience, rather than turn round and watch what's going on onstage. She's been yelled at a couple of times by the head of KS1 (who was her teacher last year) for this. Anyway, she's trying, and the other day she just bloody KILLED me - I could glimpse her on the back row, and clearly she was rather bored, but was managing to look in the right direction, and then this !!!! look came over her face, and she dug into her pocket and produced an invisible sandwich, which she proceeded to eat with great evidence of enjoyment and lip-smacking. All for her own private entertainment. Nobody but me noticed, and it totally Cracked. Me. Up. Anyway, yesterday we had Loy Khatong Assembly - it's Loy Khatong on Sunday, which is a Thai festival where you make a little lotus-shaped floating lantern from a slice of banana tree trunk, some leaves, a load of flowers, some incense and a candle and you float it on the waters as a gift to the water spirits and make a wish. At school we were all dressed in Thai traditional clothes and after the assembly (complete with informative presentations and song'n'dance numbers) we had a parade before we made khatongs and floated them on the pool. And during the parade all the mums and dads are eagerly taking pictures of their little darlings, and everyone's beaming. And Cindy's round little full-moon face became crestfallen and then wretched, despite her pretty outfit and hairdo. And I'm all 'what's up? are you okay?' and she said sadly "My mummy didn't want to come." Which is fucking TYPICAL of her lazy-ass mother, who can't be bothered getting the fuck out of bed some mornings, so her kid's half an hour or an hour late to school, and she can't be bothered to come to parents' meetings either.

And then there's the mum who was furious with her kid's 'failure' after receiving his report, and told me that she beat him, and said "what do you go to school for, if you aren't working at the level for your year group?" And beat him for spelling 'also' 'oso' (He's six. He's using his phonic skills, just like we taught him to do. He's sounded the damn word out and had a crack at it.) And then complains that he doesn't think creatively, he doesn't think outside the box. Of course he doesn't, lady. You're beating him when he takes risks.

bangs head on desk. Her head. Stupid cow.

Argh! Better dash - got to get to theatre for matinee. Yesterday's opening night went v. well!

I know, isn't it crazy?

The events are at the same time, so I'd feel kinda silly changing--the idea is to go back and forth between the two rooms. Hrm. Maybe I can wear the corset tomorrow, but I'm not sure what's going on or if I'm attending. Hmmmm.

(And if I wore the non dancing shoes, there will be boot blacks! I could have them polish my boots!)

Fay, this:

I could glimpse her on the back row, and clearly she was rather bored, but was managing to look in the right direction, and then this !!!! look came over her face, and she dug into her pocket and produced an invisible sandwich, which she proceeded to eat with great evidence of enjoyment and lip-smacking. All for her own private entertainment. Nobody but me noticed, and it totally Cracked. Me. Up.

The little boy who gets beaten makes me want to cry.

Greetings.

We had much fun yesterday by not having to host T-Day for the first time in 8 years. Much food & good company.

Right now we're awaiting the arrival of Miss Plei, Paul & the Tickybox. They are bringing some kind of Quince tart...

Oh, they're here!

Holy tired and full!

Hmm, I probably ate as much in leftovers tonight for dinner as I did last night for Thanksgiving but I don't feel like I'm gonna 'splode like I did yesterday. Interesting!

Leftovers are goooood.

I had leftovers and a piece of pumpkin pie for lunch. Now I'm eating a carrot.