Girl Guffs in Royal Mail Post Office

We finally make it to the post office this afternoon only to find the local Royal Mail Post Office in our town is in the back of a seedy convenience store. It was equipped with two teller windows and  a counter that could serve two more customers. Normally, in the United States, the postal people are VERY efficient and friendly.  Not only did we wait in a line that wound around the left side of the store, blocking customers from retrieving dairy products from that side, we waited at least fifteen minutes. During fourteen of those fifteen minutes, my adorable and loving daughter hung on me as if her life depended on it.  The entire wait turned into a game where i would snap at her and tell her to get her 90lbs off of me, where she would respond by whining, strategically waiting 30 seconds AND than leaning her 90lbs on me once again. 

I say this only occurred for fourteen minutes b/c she was kind enough to walk away for what amounted to about, one minute, only to return with a horrible, rotten stink. It took me about one minute to notice this stink. What I did notice first was the woman in front of me side shuffling away from us, very slowly and cordially so we wouldn't notice. 

Than I turned and looked behind me and noticed a very big, new space between the person behind me and myself. 

"Did this little person that stinks more than a skunk really come out of me?" I thought, half embarassed and half livid that she didn't stand near the candy longer rather than stinking up this horrible line where peoples nerves were short anyway due to the wait.

Another Unexpected, Early Closure

I FINALLY motivate my lazy, fat ass to get to the gym and drag Emi (to boot) when low and behold upon arrival the navy squid says to me"we're closing". As I stared at him bewildered a head popped out of the reception window which said "we close at 5pm on Fridays". WHAT THE HELL??????? I"m not even going to go into how utterly ridiculous that is. Oh I get it, all of the squids are at the BAR come Friday afternoon.

We went into town for our daily jaunt as Europeans earlier today. I firmly told EMily, "We need prioritize this trip. Unlike last time, we will complete the most important tasks first and than the remaining in order of importance. We will do this in order to avoid an important shop closing before our frequenting it (remember what happened when the butcher closed at 1pm on wed and we came home without any meat for dinner?)". Ten minutes later i'm frantically rifling through the "40-50% off" purse basket in the surf shop when Emily reminds me, "Mom! You said we have to do things in order of importance!" 

Although it BROKE my heart to put down the 12pound bag i had in my hand, since i'm a mature adult I did so and we left the shop and headed to the post office. Where we waited on line for 20 mins and I almost had a coronary.

Upon leaving the Post Office, we passed a goodwill-type store where a "everything on this rack is 2pounds" rack stood in front of the store on the sidewalk. Two pounds!! How could I pass up not one but TWO fleeces for two pounds each???? Now i have an eggplant colored fleece AND a brown one. AND I found a cute pair of brown boots with heels for...you guessed it...TWO pounds! I also found an ADORABLE long, black sweater for...TEN pounds. Now that I think about it I don't think all of that was such a bargain for $32. In pounds it sounds a lot better but than i have to remember to DOUBLE that number...oh well. Tomorrow is a new day and the gym closes at 1pm (????).

15 hours without the hubby

Ok Bunny left this morning at 6:30am and so far he has called me ten times. no joke. In addition everytime he calls he is so sappy and winey "I miss you darling. I want to be there with you." or "what you doing?" "I'm meant to do that with you". I practically hung up on him during our last two minute and thirty six second conversation b/c i couldn't take it. I sent him a message saying "the heat still has not kicked on you don't have to call me back just letting you know". Four seconds later the phone rings.

Don't get me wrong I love, love, LOVE him to pieces too but that's just too much.

In other news Minnie me and I had a nice hike around the Lizard. I made sandwiches and we sat on the rocks overlooking the water and chatted. She asked me, "If you had three wishes what would they be?" and than "If you had to choose only three superpowers what would they be?" It was brilliant! (look at me all britishy).

We walked to the playground after lunch. Poor thing, she is DYING for some friends. she doesn't know how to go about it. It IS a difficult task, making new friends, even for an adult. "how do you make new friends?" she asked me. We sat by the see saw for awhile as these two girls kept looking at us and listening to our conversation. I asked Emi if she wanted me to start talking to them for her but she said no.  I've noticed similar behaviors between kids trying to make friends and singles at bars trying to meet other single people (of the opposite sex)(or same sex if you are homosexual). First, they keep looking over at you obviously interested in what you are doing. Than, they strategically relocate so they are nearer to where you are, perhaps eavesdropping on your conversation. And finally, they go in for the kill.

tomorrow: biking

call number eleven just came through. I insisted he stop calling me. is that bitchy?

motivate me

Now that Bunny has left it's very difficult to get motivated. My only motivation is Emily right now. poor thing has been watching the tele for HOURS. (bad mom)

When I woke up this morning (for the second time)(at 10:30 I might add) there was an eerie feeling in the air that something was missing. and i felt sad. and lonely. than i told myself to snap out of it and a sense of relief came over me: i don't have to make dinner tonight! (unless i want to feed my offspring but pb&j will do her just fine).

Since it is 11:39am i guess i should go get ready for the day...

August 27, 2008-Day 14

Today marks the official two week mark (is there an official two week mark?) of living in the UK! i'm still freezing my ass off though and desperately trying not to be bothered by the lack of sunlight. Damn I miss the sun in the Middle East. i don't miss the brown, dry, dull coloring though.

Although this is only day 2 of my position as "house manager" (i love that title) this is officially day 1 of my eat-healthy-no-more-cider-or-else-i'm-really-going-to-blow-up diet. it's challenging being home and not stuffing my face every five mins. i do think i've been successful today.

In my quest to be perfect little house manager i made the red sauce for spaghetti dinner this afternoon (yummy). of course my neighbor than came over shortly after i had tasted and declared it perfect to invite us over for a barbie (british for barbecue not to play with barbie dolls). HELLO? i need more notice than three hours!!!! i apologetically declined and instead we are going for drinks. It's Bunny's last night before he goes away for...two nights.

Upon walking into town this morning (well it was very late in the morning) (almost the afternoon) like the well adjusted europeans we are i left all of the buying for the way home which turned out to be a HUGE mistake. How was I supposed to know the butcher and the deli would close at 1pm? what self-respecting butcher closes at 1pm? i still have to find out why. hmmm...

oh i have to order the labels for Emily's uniform (and than sew them all in to EVERY article of clothing for the uniform). yawn.