Naoko's news, views and shoes thread

[Bramblethorn]

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, I am completely unable to sleep. This week I have:
- Been ill, and hampered in recuperating by

Aw, that's no fun. I've come down with a sympathy cold or something. (Had a long-distance air flight, and between the dry air and close quarters and bad sleep, I always seem to catch some sort of bug.)

 

[NaokoSmith]

Naoko!!
You should know better than come out with things like that as this time in the morning
I'm blushing here

One hot woman and one wet woman, what a conundrum!

There were some of those nice little pastries, and they had a pancake-making machine! I was very good, I also ate some of the muesli with fruit and yoghurt, even though I'm sure that hotel muesli and yoghurt probably has nothing very nutritious in it. I eschewed the fried breakfast, although normally I like to eat that, because I know I can do a much nicer one at home. Especially now that I will have enough income to buy the ingredients!

Aw, that's no fun. I've come down with a sympathy cold or something. (Had a long-distance air flight, and between the dry air and close quarters and bad sleep, I always seem to catch some sort of bug.)

Awww, the long distance air travel really plays havoc with sinuses.


I have tried to lie down and get some sleep before I have to set off for the meeting, but I am totally wired here - there's just no way. Hopefully I will come down in time to get some rest on Sunday. But hey, if I blow the interview, then I will take them to a grievance over it anyway, so I figure it's all good

I only want to be made appointable. My colleague, who is currently on holiday, thinks he will be made redundant from one of his contracts, then he will have protected status and get the job however well the rest of us do in the interviews. (Never should have texted him to warn him he might have an email
inviting him to the interview. He is in Barcelona too, swine! He said Cava is £1 per bottle - mind you, he thinks Aldi have a good wine list )

 

[NaokoSmith]

Wow, I think I slept 13 hours last night. I woke up briefly a couple of times, because the cats insisted on coming and cuddling me. Seriously I think they missed me. Anyway, nobody gets cross at being woken up in order to stroke Pussy, do they (Well, apart from the Fella.)

What luck, today is a lovely day so I have been able to go out, rake and mow the lawn. Now I think I might get on my bike and go and buy that paint for the little tables. So many things I can do because I shall have enough money! although I must be careful and not get too excited about spending it all.

Another bit of good news, these guys finally came to check out my small entryway roof and quoted me a price about a third of what I was expecting to fix it! Now all I have to do is inveigle them along to actually do it. They are very good builders so unfortunately they are in constant demand. They are so good that they don't put their phone number on their van, as they don't like being bothered by people asking them to do work all the time! so I am v. lucky they have agreed to do my little roof.

Here is a picture of a little smackerel I had while mowing the lawn. I was quite surprised to find it's spelled 'smackerel', I had rather assumed it would be 'snackerel'. There's something so cosily upper classishly S/M and British about 'smackerel' though, it's exactly right.

When I eat these macaroons, I have the chocolate one first, then the raspberry and finally the vanilla. But do you think it would be better to eat the more delicately flavoured one first perhaps?

 

[curl4ever]

Welcome home!
Glad you're having such a nice day!

 

[NaokoSmith]

Welcome home!
Glad you're having such a nice day!

Thank you, sugar.

 

[stickygirl]

But I thought you had a boring garden?! I can almost see the fairy paths. I was going to goblin paths but...
I took advantage of the day as well, didn't sail because no wind, but instead took a hike up the local hill which I have ignored for months. I knew I was unfit, but now I have aching butt and legs to confirm that.
then
pasta is earned

 

[NaokoSmith]

But I thought you had a boring garden?! I can almost see the fairy paths. I was going to goblin paths but...

pasta!

Well, I have a big patch of garden which I'm slowly transforming. I find that quite interesting.

Photos of it often look as if it is a wee secluded glen-like place, but that's because I don't usually include the busy road and path to the park running down the whole side of the garden.

Oh! I am so nervous already about my interview tomorrow! I hope I get some sleep tonight. I hope I don't giggle and say anything stupid. I get so anxious that they are going to say something like 'but ... can you teach statistics?' or 'do you really think you can debate the uses of social science?' that I sometimes blurt out something really stupid in anticipation of it.

But, I think, tomorrow I am going to really storm it

 

[Handley_Page]

pasta!

Oh! I am so nervous already about my interview tomorrow! I hope I get some sleep tonight. I hope I don't giggle and say anything stupid. I get so anxious that they are going to say something like 'but ... can you teach statistics?' or 'do you really think you can debate the uses of social science?' that I sometimes blurt out something really stupid in anticipation of it.

But, I think, tomorrow I am going to really storm it

Good Luck, girl.
Not that you'll need much 'luck'; you're too good!

 

[NaokoSmith]

PS Eowyn the younger cat brought in a small squirrel today! We are all in amazement, as the only other thing she has ever brought in is a moth. It was still very much alive and protesting loudly. We got her to drop it and tried to drive it outside, but it assumed an attack position at the top of the stairs. I got the broom and it leapt at it and clung to the bristles, biting them and glowering at me. As it continued to cling to the broom bristles, I was able to carry it outside - holding it at a distance - and let it go up one of the oak trees. Later I saw it high in the oak tree, chattering rude words at Lakhi who ignored it superbly.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Good Luck, girl.
Not that you'll need much 'luck'; you're too good!

Awwww, thank you so much!

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Monday now for you...Best Wishes for a successful outcome. I know you deserve it, and know you can do it. To quote Oprah, "You go girl!"

 

[ishtat]

PS Eowyn the younger cat brought in a small squirrel today! We are all in amazement, as the only other thing she has ever brought in is a moth. It was still very much alive and protesting loudly. We got her to drop it and tried to drive it outside, but it assumed an attack position at the top of the stairs. I got the broom and it leapt at it and clung to the bristles, biting them and glowering at me. As it continued to cling to the broom bristles, I was able to carry it outside - holding it at a distance - and let it go up one of the oak trees. Later I saw it high in the oak tree, chattering rude words at Lakhi who ignored it superbly.

It used to be illegal to release a grey squirrel if you caught one. Dunno whether that regulation is still in force. And what did they expect anyone to do with a cross squirrel? Doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[Hypoxia]

It used to be illegal to release a grey squirrel if you caught one. Dunno whether that regulation is still in force. And what did they expect anyone to do with a cross squirrel? Doesn't bear thinking about.

I was formerly active on a minor camera forum. One top member specialized in shooting squirrels - photographically, not ballistically. He lured and fed the wee beasts, tamed them, almost had them posing for photos. Wotta perv.

Y'all should know that squirrels chasing each other about are NOT merely playing. Those are angry females running other bitches off their turf. Sound familiar? Yes, squirrel-girls are all corner whores, driving off the competition, fucking whichever males bring the most swag. And it's not just a rodent thing. Female butterflies prostitute themselves for nectar.

But I digress. I was going to talk about living out of a duffel bag. We've been on extended trips in our new little housecar. All my clothes fit in a duffel under the king bed in back. Every night, I stoop to drag out tomorrow's clothes. Then we get home for a few weeks and it's easiest to just leave the duffel open and dress from it. Good thing we have a home laundry.

 

[TxRad]

I was formerly active on a minor camera forum. One top member specialized in shooting squirrels - photographically, not ballistically. He lured and fed the wee beasts, tamed them, almost had them posing for photos. Wotta perv.

Y'all should know that squirrels chasing each other about are NOT merely playing. Those are angry females running other bitches off their turf. Sound familiar? Yes, squirrel-girls are all corner whores, driving off the competition, fucking whichever males bring the most swag. And it's not just a rodent thing. Female butterflies prostitute themselves for nectar.

But I digress. I was going to talk about living out of a duffel bag. We've been on extended trips in our new little housecar. All my clothes fit in a duffel under the king bed in back. Every night, I stoop to drag out tomorrow's clothes. Then we get home for a few weeks and it's easiest to just leave the duffel open and dress from it. Good thing we have a home laundry.

In the case of the red or fox squirrel, that long line of squirrels chasing each other are all males after a female in heat. Talk about your gangbangs in nature.

 

[Hypoxia]

In the case of the red or fox squirrel, that long line of squirrels chasing each other are all males after a female in heat. Talk about your gangbangs in nature.

I'm in grey squirrel territory here around Lake Tahoe. There's no shortage of them. Whatever works...

A personal note: I was very young when the Disney movie PERRY (about a squirrel) came out. The folks took me to see it a the Fox Theater in downtown Pomona CA, which has more recently been a concert venue. Yeah, Jeff Beck played his sublime Les Paul tribute show there. Anyway, after the movie, the folks gave me a Perry kit to glue together and decorate. 'Decorate' meant to choose the color of flocking to glue onto the critter. I chose badly. It haunts me even today. My hormones fluster whenever I see a squirrel. Damn you, Perry!

Later, at the same theater, I saw CHARTREUSE CABOOSE and the terrible Pat Boone film APRIL LOVE where he shows up in his skivvies. Totally ruined me.

 

[R. Richard]

A female squirrel will attract males and then run from them, through the trees. Only the male who can catch her is worthy to breed the next generation.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Gordon Bennet, I am exhausted after that interview. I talked my head off. Over-ran by 13 minutes. Is that good? I think that's probably good? it was because the tutorial presentation I mocked up for them had a lot of good detail in it.

Hopefully I will be like my cat Eowyn, and bring back the shrieking squirrel

I mostly felt like I was just ticking the boxes. I don't mean they were asking easy questions, but I felt like I had much better answers than they had questions! like when they asked: what is the biggest change in OU teaching in recent years. Which is like, Duh! our shift to teaching online of course! and then I was talking about how the experts say you must consider the medium, you can't just translate a face-to-face tutorial straight into an online tutorial. You have to consider what is it that you want the learning event to do, how can you reproduce that in online mode because it's so different to face-to-face. Plus, when the university thinks about online learning, they automatically think this means online tutorials. They forget that there are forums too - which are a very useful way for students to learn because they are a-synchronous.

Does that sound good to you?

Fingers crossed, everyone! (and legs wide open ). Like I say, if they don't make me appointable, I will go for them because I've had to do this interview in the worst possible period of the whole year, at extremely short notice. But I know even if I am made appointable, I might not get a contract just because someone-else might have prior status if they have lost a contract recently.

 

[curl4ever]

Well done!!!

Best wishes for a great outcome!

 

[sheablue]

It sounds as if you did really well! Good luck! I hope you hear soon, and don't have to wait for too long on pins and needles.

 

[Handley_Page]

Fingers Crossed

 

[oggbashan]

Fingers Crossed

And mine. If they don't appoint Naoko they need a good kicking (with a high-heeled boot).

 

[stickygirl]

Fingers Crossed

Legs wide open ( apparently this counts as well ^^ )

 

[Handley_Page]

Legs wide open ( apparently this counts as well ^^ )

Erm. . . . that's not really possible at present.
Maybe when I've had me bypass and the new hip's working right. . . . .
Don't let me stop you, though, me dear. . . . .

 

[oggbashan]

Erm. . . . that's not really possible at present.
Maybe when I've had me bypass and the new hip's working right. . . . .
Don't let me stop you, though, me dear. . . . .

It's possible for me. I have to spread my legs as wide as I can as part of the annual check on the progress of my ankylosing spondilitis. This year I achieved an impressive 5 cm more than last. I think it was just down to wearing looser jeans.

But I can't see the point of spreading my legs. I don't think that would help Naoko's prospect of success.

 

[stickygirl]

It's a bit drafty in here - how long do we have to sit like this?
This waiting game is agony
So is sitting like this