Tuesday Twins

There's something about Wynona Ryder and Keira Knightley that remind me of each other. The super-skinny body? The voice which, accents aside, has that pre-adolescent boy quality? Does anyone else see it, or is it just me?

I promised Jake photos, and even though my daughter said she uploaded them, I still can't find them. Maybe tomorrow.

I'll entertain you instead with a smattering of questions from Life in the UK Test Practice Questions. I decided after 15 years to apply for British citizenship since I don't seem to be moving back to the US anytime soon, and it sure would be handy to have an EU passport sometimes. Now, you'd think after 15 years in this country, more than 11 of them spent volunteering at the Citizens Advice Bureau where I learned a lot about the UK benefits system, that I would be able to ace these questions. You'd be thinking wrong.

Try figuring out these answers for yourself (those in the US feel free to join in):

1.What is the financial help called that is available to young people from low income families who leave school early?
A. After School Allowance
B. Education Maintenance Allowance
C. Housing Benefit
D. School Leaver's Payment


2. What proportion of young adults in the UK have used illegal drugs at one time or another?
A. One quarter
B One third
C. One half
D. Two thirds

3. Which of the following is not an agreement produced by the UN?
A. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
B. The Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer
C. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
D. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

4. What percentage of Christians in the UK are Roman Catholic?
A. 10%
B. 20%
C. 30%
D. 40%

5. What percentage of the UK population say they attend religious services?
A. Around 10%
B. Around 20%
C. Around 30%
D. Around 40%

How did you do? I'll post the answers tomorrow.

I'm going to pass on the You Made Me Smile blog award kindly given to me by RC to: Kelly, Jenny, Crystal Jigsaw, Vi, and Exmoor Jane. Be sure to make others smile too.

I've been thinking about the etiquette of the blog awarding. Naturally, I think, it's just good manners to thank the person who gave it to you and to pass it on to others. These awards are meaningless in the greater scheme of life, but they bring pleasure and happiness to others, don't they? Sometimes people don't like to single out others and cop out by saying everyone on their blog roll deserves it (and I think I've done that myself). Sometimes the same people seem to get them over and over again (and I think I've done that myself). Sometimes people forget to thank those who bestowed it on them (and I hope I've never done that and apologise if I have, though it's been done to me). These awards, I think, are a way of showing appreciation to those who read and comment on our blogs and whose blogs we read and comment on. Unlike some blogs that are started by creative and clever people as a commercial enterprise (anyone read Dooce?), my humble blog is my attempt to communicate with the world at large. It's not always clever or funny or topical. I don't live in an exotic country and don't have an exotic past. I'm an ordinary human being just getting on with life the best I can, and sharing that experience. As are most of you who read my blog (and thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing so). So have a great Tuesday, everyone, and remember to smile. I'm going to go play with Jake, then get a shower cuz I SMELL after the gym.

His Name is Jake

And he's seven weeks old. He's a bundle of energy one minute and a sleeping baby the next. We got him from a farm in North Wales. It took forever to drive there Friday afternoon. I'd said we were just going for a look, but the longer the trip the more I knew we were bringing a puppy home that night. In fact we almost brought two puppies home. We stopped at an ASDA on the way back and I bought some food, toys, blanket, puppy shampoo, and laundry basket for his bed. He's decided he prefers one of the cats' beds. She never goes in it anyway.

Needless to say, the cats are not impressed. It's upset their whole routine, but they haven't run away -- yet. I'm trying to reassure them and let them know they're still top dog. Jake finds them very amusing and is desperate to play with them. They just hiss at him and run away. He has chewy toys and a ball, but his mouth is still too small for them so he's been trying to chew on my slippers. I don't want him to form any bad habits so I'm not encouraging the chewing. He's already partially house-trained (as long as we take him out every hour and a half or so). He's not so good in the night yet, but he's still young. He knows when he goes to one part of the grass that he's expected to do something and he usually performs, to profuse praise. It's been a long time since I had a dog, but I think he's doing very well. He even sometimes responds to commands like Sit and Stay.

I said last week I was going to start Monday Moaning posts, and I will next week when I tire of poopy patrol. But this week, I'm absolutely besotted. And so is hubby. He said he thought he was doing very well for a non-animal lover. I told him that I always knew that deep, deep down he was an animal lover, but that it had been repressed for a long time. He laughed at that.

And the lovely RC has given me another award. I love awards. This is one for blogs that make people smile. I do hope everyone who reads this one is smiling today. I sure am. I will post some pix of Jake once we download them or upload them or whatever. He's black and white with a tough of tan on his cheeks. His nose is white and pink with a big black freckle. He is just so good-natured too. Maybe I've had cats too long. Don't get me wrong. I still love them dearly, but this guy is special too.

The Happy Couple

I'm going to say the unsayable because I've been thinking the unthinkable.

I have a problem with Hillary. It started back when Bill was running the first time. Not during the "60 Minutes" interview when she said she was no Tammy Wynette standing by her man (though she quite obviously was). It was later on during the campaign when I saw her face on the cover of McCall's magazine touting her recipe for chocolate chip cookies. That grated because she so obviously is not a baking type and why should she pretend to be. I remember seeing it in a bookstore and scoffing at it. A woman standing next to me (who resembled Hillary in her glasses-wearing days) glared at me, as if to say, "You Republican Whore Scumbag. How could you possibly diss Hillary!"

I am not a Republican, for the record, and never have been. I came of age during the Reagan years and could never bring myself to vote Republican.

But could I vote for Hillary? No, and it's not just that she whores herself to get her husband elected. It's that of the two, she is the pragmatic Machiavellian. Apart from Monica Lewinsky, she was behind every scandal that tarnished the Clinton name. Let us not forget that she also voted for the war in Iraq. Her own campaign has been marked by underhanded (though denied) maneuverings designed to drag her opponents through the gutter. And here is her latest action: getting the American GQ magazine to ax a negative article about her campaign by threatening to block access to her husband. .

The day after Clinton moved into the White House, Jim Carvill allegedly told reporters phoning up for interviews: "We don't need you guys anymore." Apparently, in the Clinton camp, that one-way relationship with the press continues. They didn't learn their lesson the first time. Because the Clintons do need the press and will need the press. And hopefully the news media won't roll over and play dead anymore after the nightmare Bush years.

I like Bill, have a lot of respect for him above the waist, think he'll be ranked among the top 20th-century presidents in future years. He has charisma, brains, a heart (or at least can pretend to have one).

Hillary has ambition. Loads and loads and loads of it. It's probably what attracted Bill to her in the first place. It certainly wasn't those glasses. I have a theory about those two. He was Big Man On Campus. She was Geeky Smart Girl in Glasses. He was attracted to her brains. She was attracted to him. She satisfied his intellectual lust, but not his physical lust, hence the affairs. She forgave him in the early days because she loved him. She ignores them now (and the rumours still fly) because she needs him. And he needs her to keep quiet.

I prefer Barack Obama, someone I think I can respect. And I'm so upset that he's that far behind Hillary. Did Hillary pay Jesse Jackson to say negative things about Barack? I wouldn't put it past her.

But my dilemma will be who do I vote for if Hillary gets the Democratic nomination? Certainly not any one of those Republicans. But I don't like Hillary. And that is the unspeakable and the unsayable. I am a traitor to my sex because I don't like this woman.

My Future Son?

I think I'm falling in love. Daughter, Son, and I like the lad on the left. He's Welsh so I think he needs a Welsh name. Like Huw or Elwyn. No one else agrees. We're going to see them tomorrow after school hopefully.

Don't Look in the Mirror

Now here are two faces I'm glad I don't have to see first thing every morning. Plus I'd have to wear jewelry from QVC. I have a friend who bought a brooch from QVC (actually she buys everything from QVC; she watches QVC for relaxation). Anyway, this brooch is a monkey with a ring round its neck that reaches across her chest. It is the most repulsive thing. Just thought I'd share that. I don't know what made me think about Joan Rivers, but on YouTube there's a hilarious interview she did with Brigitte Nielsen.


Yesterday I posted that the rotten correspondent had very kindly bestowed the Blogging that Hits the Mark award upon me. I'd like to pass it on to Pixie, Queen Vixen (who wrote a very original post comparing her blog friends with cheeses. I'm Brie, I think, which is a good thing because I love Brie), Lady Macleod, and DJ Kirby. I love these awards. Don't know what they stand for or if they stand for anything, but it's fun to receive and pass them and see them passed on by the people I've passed them on to (are you still with me?).

UPDATE ON THE PUPPY

No, I don't have one yet, but hubby seems to have finally come round. I explained that I realised I would be the one with the primary responsibility and I mentioned some breeds, well one breed -- border collie. "Oh," he said, "those can be lovely dogs." (I'm no fool, members of his family have had border collies.) Deal done. I thank all of you who voted in my poll. Interestingly, not one person voted "No, your husband will run away."

Monday Moaning

Well, I've been kicking around an idea for Monday posts for a while. Having been inspired by DJ's Wordless Wednesday and RC's Thursday Three, I decided to come up with Monday Moaning. The idea is that if you're going to have a bad day, it's probably going to be Monday, what with going back to work, school, etc. And if you just have a bit of a moan about whatever it is that gripes you, you can move on. I'm even going to attempt to come up with a button for it once I visit the site recommended by british national party (who I'm sure isn't a regular visitor). If anyone else has ideas for where and how to generate the button, I'm open to them.

So I'll get the ball rolling. Here's my Monday Moaning: I stupidly allowed my daughter to have a sleepover last night since she doesn't have school today. I warned her that her dad has to go to bed at 8 p.m. and get up at 2 a.m. to drive back to London, and the girls need to keep quiet. I then stupidly rented The Grudge for them all to watch, then had to watch it with them because they were screaming with fright. I then was awakened by them at 2 a.m. (after going in and telling them twice to keep it down). Now I'm bleary eyed, it's raining, hubby won't be back till Friday night (he usually comes home on Thursday). I have 7 girls to get breakfast for. Oh, and I finally made jam yesterday with the blackcurrants I picked and froze in July. It was taking so long to set that I thought I'd just check out some puppies on the internet and rang one woman about rough collies (Lassie dogs). Then I smelled something. The jam was burning! I still managed to get about 5 slightly burned-tasting jars but the bottom of my BRAND NEW AND NOT INEXPENSIVE jam pan is covered with industrial-strength burned blackcurrants. DAMN!!! And I teach Sunday School (don't laugh) on a rota basis. If someone can't make it, they arrange to swap with someone. I have filled in any number of times for people, but the one time I can't do my day, NO ONE was available to bail me out. I practically had to threaten to quit before someone would take my place.

There. That's my Monday Moaning, and I feel so much better. Your turn.



UPDATE: I won DJ Kirby's Wordless Wednesday last week. Hurrah! Here's my button:

I also received an award from RC, which you can see on the right. I'll post tomorrow about that.

The Blog Family Tree

I am sitting here feeling very damp after a couple of hours at an un-air-conditioned gym. I smell not too fragrant, and I should get a shower. But the washing machine is on, and in my house you can either shower or wash clothes, but not at the same time.

So I thought I'd catch up on some blogs. I find it interesting that this blogging world is so large, yet so small also. When I met Pixie for lunch, we talked about blogs we read, of course. She and I both read Darth Sardonicus, but we found him in different ways. She found him doing a random search of blogs. I found him through Lady Macleod. I found Lady Macleod (or did she find me? can't remember) through Wife in the North. I read about Wife in the North in the Times. Lady M. was the first person to comment on my blog, though I don't know if she visits that regularly anymore. She is a busy woman, though, and much in demand.

So I found Pixie through Darth. I found Queen Vixen and Vi through Pixie. I found Snuffleupagus through Lady Macleod, I think. And Debio as well. I think I found Stayathomedad and Omega Mum through Wife in the North or Lady Macleod. Mind the gap found me, but I found Enidd through her. I don't remember how I found Jenny, but I think I found Bossy either through her or Darth. I never comment on Bossy's blog but love to read it anyway. I don't remember how I found Crystal Jigsaw or Kelly. I found Queeny through Snuffleupagus. I found Snickollet and Rev. Mom through a random search. I think J. found me. Marymaryquitecontrary seems to have retired her blog for now.

I may have found DJ through Pixie. I don't remember how I found Laurie, but I found Kaycie and the rotten correspondent through her, I think. After a while, I forget because a lot of us comment on the same blogs.

What started me thinking about this was a comment Laurie left saying she commented frequently on Enidd's blog, which I knew. And I wondered how she found enidd. Sometimes I visit a blog and have the best of intentions in keeping up and following it, but forget the link or how I found it. If I don't add it to my blogroll immediately, it can be lost forever. And most of those I've added are people who have commented on my blog at one time or another. Some seem to visit for a while and then move on. Others have become firm friends.

And that must be the beauty of blogging. There's no obligation of friendship, necessarily, though it's great if that happens. And I like to think of all of you as friends, some closer and some further away, but friends nonetheless.