Cheesecakes in Ikealand!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Another hot and muggy Sunday afternoon. So much for summer waltzing off into the sunset. I don't mind, just one more chance to use the a/c a little bit more (and enjoy not having to pay the power bill) - hooray! The birds have been happily chattering away out there all day - they're locals so must be used to this stuff. Tho you'd think that after 8 years I'd be used to it too (7 & 3/4 without a/c). No. Humidity + heat = crap no matter where in the world you are. Tho I must be honest, having picked up the a/c so late in the season, I was kind of sad about the weather turning cooler..... So here we are on another hot muggy day - yay! Both the little laptop and I are always eternally grateful to the lil' ol' Pinguino! So we're here basking in a cool breeze with the usual hip n' groovy jazz tunes, and in the spirit of trying new things, we're trying a new white - Taylors Estate Chardonnay - there're a bunch of silver medals across the label so it must be good, surely...... Ahhhh yes, with a/c, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Going through a little quiet streak at the moment, which is fine. I always have stuff to do but there's no mad rush to do it, which

is nice. We're all in the same boat, our little team, so we sometimes spend half the morning solving the problems of the world, or predicting where that poor missing plane ended up........ We'll be moving to a new building in July so every now and then an update will come through the grapevine about how tiny our kennels will be and how the whole floor will be "open plan", a set-up none of us are looking forward to. And all because they're too cheap to spring for higher kennel walls. I suppose it's time to start investigating noise-canceling headphones...... Then again, I always meant to buy a good pair for the plane rides anyways..........! Still no word on the PR or a contract extension - that ol' clock is ticking down - I'm due to finish on the 28th of this month and then the money stops! Eeeeek! I hope a couple of those brain donors down in HR can organize a brain cell or two among them to cough up an extension and get it to payroll in time.......!? Otherwise, all is well. Happy to have the work..... for another two weeks at least! fingers crossed something good happens in the meantime?!

And then there were a couple weekends along the way..... Apologies for not checking in last weekend. It was a busy weekend. Saturday was chores and cheesecake-making for the neighbors to celebrate their new, tiny baby boy! He's sooooooo cute, and so small! And then Sunday was spent with my now ex-neighbor and her adorable little boy at Ikea where she bought a couple bookshelves for their new place. I love my little Rav4 and it's ability to haul everything from three-seater sofas to 7-foot bookcases, even if it does spend most of its time as a lawn ornament......! Then I hung around to babysit and help her build them. It was actually a really nice, fun day. Then again I'm always up for a trip to Ikealand! Thankfully the place was a mob-scene and we were on a mission, so I wasn't able to stand around and look and ponder - that always makes my bank account nervous. This time I managed to walk out with a set of sheets, a shower curtain liner (plus new rings), a set of thin room-divider curtains, and a little lamp for my desk....... A safe trip by the bank's standards! But I do have a very grand idea to give the little apartment a complete makeover, seeing as will be here at least another year trying to get the savings up....... watch this space!

And then this weekend was fairly quiet. Chores and lots of internet surfing getting ideas for how to change this place around and yet not spend a ton of dough, tho I'm not too worried - I'm pretty good at dressing this place up for next to nothing and still have it look good. It's been pretty much the same for what, 6 years, so it's way past time for a change, although not so much the little living room, I like it pretty much as it is, but the rest of the place........ Am thinking "beach hut resort style"..... or something like that. Hmmmmm......! The TV is still dead, so have only been watching a couple things on the computer. I did manage to buy a new vacuum cleaner tho (good lord it was expensive, but a friend has one and it's the best thing since sliced bread - better be, cos it's the last one I'm ever buying. Ever.), so hopefully that will arrive next week........ The one I've had for 7 years is finally falling apart so bad I can barely use it. Ha! I see what I did there - chose a vacuum cleaner over a TV - different priorities I guess! Hell, depending how I do the place up, maybe the next TV will just be a little thing - I'm not that devoted to it....! 

And that's about it really. I was this close to buying my plane ticket today but chickened out because I bought the vacuum cleaner instead. Might see if the ticket price comes back down a little more, will get paid this Wednesday and hopefully I'll hear something about mah job........ I am coming up there for a visit tho - fear not! 

So, hope you're all well up there! Honest, summer really should be on its way and you'll be good to c'mon down any time!!!!! And if you time it right, I may have designed it all with a better way to sleep besides on the couch (tho I've slept on it lots over the years and it's actually pretty good)! C'mon down and try it! And maybe by then I'll have a TV too!

BYE!
J!