things that are new

Ray of sunlight and new furnishings

There's nothing quite like that new furniture smell, is there (or is that just me)? The rest of my new furniture arrived late last week. Also, I did a spot of cushion shopping after work on Friday (which is a brilliant way to end the working week - I thoroughly recommend it). 

And my house is beginning to feel a bit more like a home. I've got quite a bit still to do, but I'm definitely on the way.

Here's to sunshine and new things.

New stuff

songs that get stuck in your head: temper trap's "love lost"

Temper Trap, "Love Lost". Image source.

So you know that thing where you hear a song and immediately you're transported to a specific time and place? Well, this song ("Love Lost" by Temper Trap) immediately transports me to not one, but two distinct times and places.

Sometimes when I listen to it, I'm transported to Falls Festival, Marion Bay December/January 2010 (that's quite specific, no?) and I can actually smell the squished hot chips + tomato sauce and the crisp, dry grass and the stale beer and I can feel the 30+ degrees heat (feck it was hot).

And then, sometimes when I listen to it I'm smack bang in North London on the train from the city to Cricklewood, later that same year. I can hear the voiceover on the train in that efficient British accent, and the beepbeepbeep before the doors swish open and the clickety-clack of the tracks.

When the song pops up on shuffle I never know quite which place it's going to take me and it often swaps several times through the course of the song. It's a little bit awesome and a little bit freaky at the same time. Have you ever experienced anything like that before?

wintersun

View from the front door

View from my study

Don't you just love those chilly, sunny Winter days? The kind where your body aches for a bit of sunshine and mother nature comes along to the party? 

Yep. I do.

happy face :)

Study wall

A couple of things that are making my face happy at the moment are my study wall and a great design blog.

There's a picture of my study wall above for your perusal. I really really like it. (Small things, small things). {And, apparently, I'm so in heart with it that I posted this picture already. Huh. Whaddya know? At least I'm consistent.}

Then there's Bri Emery's Design Love Fest. It's awesomesauce. I want to be just like her when I grow up. She does these brilliant Photoshop for blogging workshops, called Blogshop in the States (and some other lucky places). They look like so much fun it should be criminal. Maybe one day they'll do some Down Under?! A girl can dream. Her blog is incredible. The design is lovely and her photos are divine. You really should check it out sometime, you won't regret it, promise.

Feel free to tell me about what's making your face happy today (yunno, or not, whatever floats your boat).

Calm before the storm

Sick day.

Coffee on my day off

Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy

Just after I moved house I got sick with the flu. Then we had a mid-term break at school.

It felt like the calm before the storm.

Now I'm marking exam and test papers like crazy. Next I'll be writing reports like crazy. Then before I know it, it will be September school holidays and I'll be being lazy like crazy.

Bring it on.

my place

Unpacking

Somewhere to sleep

Somewhere to sleep

Somewhere to work

Somewhere to work

Something to look at, somewhere to work

things what have happened lately...

Me being a responsible Drama teacher.

So I finally moved back into my house. Which is great. Or will be, when the rest of my furniture arrives. Hopefully soon-ish.

The last month has basically sucked dog's balls (excuse my French). I had a crappy time at work trying to direct that bloody Senior Drama performance that I've been whingeing about constantly. There's even a four-page email extravaganza from a parent to prove it. No joke. At least they're on exams now, so all they have to do is whinge about the fact they have an exam in the first place. Sigh. After that, I'm bloody well done with them. I felt very conflicted when they gave me a flower and a thank you card and some chocolates. Those are all things I like, but the whole experience has been so mind-numbingly, head-shakingly horrid, that I decided all those things could stay at my desk at work so I don't have to be constantly reminded of it all.

Yes. So that was crap.

Then I moved. Which was fine. The painting got done and it was everything I'd wanted and I love it. So that's cool.

Then I got sick. That was definitely not cool. It only lasted about a week, but it was dodgy as. The one day I had off work because of it, I was asleep in my room and the painter was in the house going about his daily paintering business and I didn't even notice. Seriously, he had this massive steel plank thingy that he had to drill into the brickwork downstairs right near my room ... didn't hear a thing. I was out cold. But I was hot (with the fever and all).

Lastly, the Senior Drama rehearsals and performance has meant that all my other classes (and of course, the marking for them) have been seriously neglected. Which means I'll have to be not neglecting them from now on. And that's great. Except for the marking, which I'll be doing every weekend for the next, oh, two months? But, hey. Holidays are coming up in September! It's not that far away really, when you think about it. When you really really really think about it (and try to convince yourself, which is what I'm doing).

Pretty soon I'll be posting some photos from the move and refurbishment. I'm rather excited about that. Things look noice, I reckon.

focusing on the positives with banjo & bill

One of mine. See it here.

Okay. So. Having a bit of a shitty week. After having a bit of a shitty week the week before that. But I've decided to focus on the positives.

Things that are good that happened today:

• I went to buy a microwave and they thought it wasn't in their stockroom & they'd have to get it in from their warehouse & I'd have to go back & pick it up later. But it *was* in the stockroom, so I got to take it with me right there and then {you might like to be aware that this is a list of small things that mean big things to me right now}.
• I had some students say nice things to me.
• I had my new Year 10 SOSE class and they seem like a pretty good bunch of kids.
• By not being at my desk hardly at all today and yesterday (and tomorrow & all into next week), my stash of chocolate to help with marking has not been diminished.
• Some people said some nice things about the photo above on my Flickr site.
• I have electricity connected at my house and the painter said there should be no reason it won't be finished by Friday {that's *two* things, did you notice?}

Did anyone else have some nice things happen to them today? Feel free to share.

things that cheer me up

Image source

I Get What You Get in 10 years, In 2 days.   (clipped to polyvore.com)

I has a ninja name. It's Tokamorinki. You can has one too.

Share ninja names. If you want. It would cheer me up.

{I need cheering up.}

blogging on the run

Delish Fine Foods, Wivenhoe

Delish Fine Foods, Wivenhoe

Much done. Much to do. So far this weekend I have picked up the keys to my house, talked to the painter about the painting, bought a bunch of necessities (like a kettle, toaster, etc, etc) and had lunch with the parents at Delish.

Tonight I am heading out for birthday dinner and drinks with a few awesome friends and colleagues from work.

Tomorrow I am finishing off some marking and taking a few more boxes over to the house.

Monday I am beginning the process of striking fear into the hearts of the senior drama students because they are performing in less than ten days and still don't know their lines and still aren't turning up to class or to rehearsals. There will be hell to pay.