aussie.emjay's blog

Princess turns 21 .....

~

Cross Posted on Aussie Emjay

The fact that the Princess was turning 21 this month was a major factor in me deciding to cash in some of the Manservant's frequent flyer miles and visit home for September.

Today is the Princess's birthday -  if I was back in DC I would dredge up some baby photos and post them to compare the baby to the adult.   You will just have to take my word that she was a real cutie and after 2 boys it was nice to have a little human that I could dress up!

The people in her office made a big fuss of her:

Princess at work

 

When I was out looking for a card I found the perfect one -  I'm sure I made a squeal of delight when I saw this one as I've been referring to her as the Princess since the beginning of those "delightful" teenage years: 

IMG_4845a

One of her brothers gave her a box that contained some hand selected Lindt chocolates and money:

IMG_4857

She did not want a party (thank goodness!) - just a family dinner at an extremely popular Italian restaurant.  From the left we have: Miss A (my daughter in law),  the Locksmith,  the Economist,  Emjay, absent behind the camera Manservant,  the Princess and her boyfriend Nick. 

IMG_4848a

The food was great -  I had lamb cutlets - yeah,  I know that doesn't sound very Italian but when I see lamb on a menu that's usually what I order because I have it so rarely.   My two sons shared a half-metre pizza! (they have metre long pizzas too)

IMG_4865a

The end of the night for Emjay  (& the Manservant)  -  the youngsters continued onto a nightclub while they were still young enough to enjoy it!  

IMG_4866a

 

 

50 book challenge - August Reads

~
In all the kerfuffle with vox closing I forgot to post the August contribution to 50 books in 52 weeks challenge; 

 

Rage

Sergio Bizzio

Rage was a really strange book about a man who hides out in the house where his girlfriend works and lives without her knowledge.   He spies on her and the family she works for and he gradually deteriorates physically and mentally.

The Risk of Infidelity Index: A Vincent Calvino Crime Novel (Vincent Calvino Novels)

Christopher G. Moore

  The Risk of Infidelity Index is the second Vincent Calvino one I've read.  Calvino is a private investigator in Thailand.  I enjoyed this enough to explore more Christopher Moore books. 

The Lovers: A Charlie Parker Thriller (Charlie Parker Thrillers)

John Connolly

I really enjoyed The Lovers.  It is the second Charlie Parker I've read -  I read the first one in the series and then skipped a few.    

Then I got back to the Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke.  I started at the beginning of the series a couple of months ago and this month I got through the following.  I am reading them in sequence:

Black Cherry Blues: A Dave Robicheaux Novel

James Lee Burke

Morning for Flamingoes

A Stained White Radiance (A Dave Robicheaux Novel)

James Lee Burke

Where have all my voxers gone...

~

I could not get anything to work with the TypePad import - probably because everyone was trying to move their blogs at the same time. 

Most of my neighbours seem to be going to wordpress ...... so I'm also going to try there.  If you are not going to wordpress or if you see that I haven't added you to my Readomattic thingy (though I'm not sure how you could tell whether I did or not)    please send me an email and tell me how to find you: 

aussie.emjay@yahoo.com

I will be at aussieemjay.wordpress.com    

.

Bad day all round.....

~

This was the conversation in our house this morning:  (I'm sure it sounds familiar to many of you).

Emjay:  Our TV sound is working but there is no picture.

Manservant:   You must've pressed something on the remote.

***** 

Emjay:  Oh - by the way  - there is no hot water this morning.

Manservant:   What's wrong with it?

********

Then I get to work and someone says:  Can I ask you a question? 

Then I get home and find that vox is closing!!!

God, this first glass of wine tastes good tonight!!

Well,   here is the next set of the photo-a-day for 365-days photos...   I guess these might be the last ones on vox:

221  - Medi-evil looking row houses

221:365

222 - this was some funky fungi growing in the park near my office.  I was in business dress otherwise I would've  changed the setting to "macro" and got down closer.

222:365

223 - the ceiling of a metro station.  I wonder how many hours over 10 years I've looked at the honeycomb type structure.

223:365

224 -  this is how the manservant leaves and returns

224:365

225 - another stormy sky

225:365

226 - this skirt is the lightest silk imaginable.  It can be the stillest day out and this will blow around a la Marilyn.  I keep thinking I should put some pennies in the hem.

226:365

227 - favours from the wedding I recently attended

227:365

228 - this shot was taken on a Sunday - as I was on my walk I thought "it's Sunday so I should do my photo of the day of a church?

228:365

     228b  And then I thought "I should take two churches"....  

228b:365

229 - the house across the alley  (as this house has been the subject of many of my photos  I am going to be rather sad if it is ever sold and repaired!) 

229:365

230 - my sister, Cat went to Thailand and I got a lovely cushion. 

230:365

 

Irritating, Curious, Good and 211-220

~

The irritating:  Why do people call or come up to my Reception desk and say: "Can I ask a question?" ??  Just get on with asking it people!

The curious:  I wonder if the house across the alley is plagued with bed bugs.  They are always throwing mattresses, pillows and bed linens out in the alley. Why do we get itchy when we even think of pests like bed bugs?

The good:  After 3 weeks away the manservant comes home early tomorrow morning. During his absence I have not hurt myself once.  As there are still a few hours to go on my own I probably should go and lie down quietly.

********  

211  I've already complained about my new neighbour's front yard  ...  this was before it was cut:  I've now met her and she knows the "rules"  :-)    She moved in today!

211:365

212   This is what I was drinking in July - a friend gave me some of these - they were pretty good: 

212:365

213   There's something evil sprouting from the attic .....  the continuation of the pop-up extension across the road: 

213:365

214a   I think we can paint ours a nice green without upsetting anyone.... ours is one of the grey ones and I want to snazzy it up..... 

214a:365

215    Arlington County ads continue to entertain me on the metro platform:

215:365

216  Someone has a green thumb:

216:365

217  Church I walk past in the mornings.

217:365

218  Different section of the church of yesterday: 

218:365

219  The Princess did this in crayons when she was 10 years old - she will be 21 on Sept 11.  Her art brightens up our hallway:

219:365

220  well, when can I park? 

220:365

201-210 closing the gap between shooting and posting:

~

Well, I bowed to Vox-group-pressure and went back to Mom & Pop Antiques and checked out those lights - they are $172 + tax  - more than I was hoping so they are still hanging in the shop window! 

On the photo-a-day-project I am now less than a month between the shooting of photos and the posting of them! 

201  -  Storm gathering...  along our alley

201:365

202  -  We unintentionally killed the first  free tree we were given by DC Government,  so were surprised when our application to adopt a second tree was approved.  That ugly brown thing is a water collar - we fill it with water and it leaks out over 7-10 days.  Recently someone stole our collar....  even though they cost $50 to replace the dept agreed to giving us a second one for free.  They will be starting some sort of file on us soon.....

202:365

  203 -  on my walk from metro to the office  -  another storm coming.

203:365

  204 -  Billboard on metro station:  More than 3% of DC residents have HIV or AIDS - that's scary and sad.  According to the District's HIV/AIDS Administration -  that figure is on par with rates in countries of West Africa.

204:365

205 - This was my birthday day!!  23 July  ..... one of the things I really miss are Smarties so my mother sent these for my birthday.  I opened and finished them on the same day!

205:365

206 -  the Princess gave me a sushi set for my birthday!  Now I won't have to eat off the black plastic tray....   she gave me two so the manservant can have one too but his didn't make the photo....

206:365

207 & 207a -  There's a theme of storm clouds running through this set of photos.  These were taken from my back deck as the sky got darker.    

207:365

207a:365

208 -  summer dresses laid out and waiting for me to decide which to wear to work this day:  

208:365

209 -  new umbrella - bought on the way home because I'd gone off to work on a day when no rain was predicted but came anyway .... the photo is obviously taken at home because I would not stand barefoot in a store! 

209:365

210 -  Oh no -  a pop-up is emerging on the house across the street!  Talk about taking character away from a building.  Since this (crooked) shot was taken there is more structure and it is covered in beige siding!!!  What a horror - no attempt has been made to fit the style of the building.

210:365

 
 

Fright on film...

~

This is what happens when a policeman sneaks up and asks "what are you doing?"   just as you press the shutter button:

IMG_4571

Once I'd explained that I was just looking for my photo of the day and not actually casing the trash & treasure store for a future robbery I took another shot.  I think I want these lights!!  (those discs are mirrors)  

IMG_4572

Now I'm going to start that cleaning I promised myself I would do.  I also want to pick all the ripe peppers today and preserve them in some form or other...

A day of cleaning coming up....

~

I get alert emails from DC Government and today I received this one.  Tomorrow looks like it might be a good day to stay home and clean!
 

(Washington, DC) – As the Nation’s Capital, the District is frequently the location for special events and demonstrations. On Saturday, August 28, 2010, the District will host four (4) First Amendment rights events. 

• Students Finding Solutions (Next Generation) March/Rally
• Tea Party Patriots Rally
• Restoring Honor Rally (Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin)
• Reclaim the Dream March/Rally (National Action Network)
 
Residents, visitors and commuters are advised to allow for additional travel time.  Expect heavy usage of the mass transit systems in the District and be mindful of potential changes in traffic patterns that may impact vehicular movement throughout the city. 
 

Getting closer to catching up... a photo a day project

~
Well this group covers days 191-200  - shot 200 was taken on July 18 so I'm only just more than a month behind in the posting! 

191 and 191a  - two photos this day - I just love all the lines and angles in both of them.  191a is the view out my back door:  

191:365

191a:365

192 -    The home improvement place looks like it could do with some improvement itself!  (I hope someone saves that sign!).  To the right of it a Manny & Olga's pizza place is coming!  As that is less than a 5 minute walk from home I'm sure we are going to be patrons:   

192:365

193 -  Lying beside the footpath  - at first I thought it was beer! 

193:365

194 - the building where I went for physical therapy on both my foot (2008/2009) and my shoulder 2010.   I hope I never set foot in here again!!  Though that's probably not likely.

194:365

195 - church that I walk past every morning from station to office. I like the quaint overshadowed by the modern, ugly, building. 

195:365

196  - this day I left work early to go to the dentist and came across a middle of the day farmer's market:  

196:365

197 -  Huge glass building in Arlington. It must feel like a tomato glasshouse when the sun hits and the air conditioning is broken: 

197:365

198  - my pizza dinner.  This must've been a Friday.   When the manservant is not travelling Friday is our movie night.  We choose between Pizza,  Thai, or Sushi for dinner and then settle down to watch our Netflix movie.  This is my pizza  - how do I know?  Well, it has no horrible meaty things on it!  

198:365

199 - this place looks like the developer has just stuck a lot of prefabricated boxes together and invited people to live close together -  but in  anonymity.  Imagine how truly depressing this will look in a few years time! 

199:365

200 -  The owners of this little garage have gone to a lot of trouble to make it look snazzy.  Perhaps it is their weekend cottage.... 

200:365

  .

 

Just things ....

~

This morning I had already waited at my "spot" on the platform for 8 minutes when a girl about 30 years younger than me came and stood right beside me.  As the train pulled into the station she stepped into my personal space and almost dug an elbow into my side in her effort to get in the door before me.   I just wanted to slap her!   Hasn't she heard of giving way to the elderly!    

***

Weirdest metro message this week.  A driver announced:  "Did you know that a 6 car train is longer than 150 yards.  And that's why you shouldn't run to get in a door.  By the time the electronic message, that you are stuck, gets to me....  well, you are totally jammed in that door. "

***

Yesterday I took some peppers across the street to my elderly neighbor Miss Elise.  I love the southern practise of it being okay to call old ladies by their first name as long as you put "Miss" in-front.   Miss Elise is in her late 80's, has only a couple of teeth and a sometimes obvious disdain of underwear, but she is a lovely old soul who sits on her front porch and when I get home she shouts a greeting and waves gaily.  I had not seen her for a couple of weeks, but assumed that the heat was keeping her inside.  

As I gave her the peppers she said "oh I was so worried that you might have thought I'd died" .... 

I felt a bit guilty that, actually, that thought had not occurred to me!!   She is a a tough old girl and I'm pretty sure she is going to live to 100.   Anyway,  she'd been away because she had a pacemaker inserted  - now she's going to live to 110.

***
As I was a couple of doors from home this afternoon I met Rose,  a lovely Filipino lady who used to live 3 doors down (not far in a row house).  She had to sell because her husband was too elderly/sick to get up the stairs but she told me that she misses her little house so much she comes by quite often just to look at it.  They now live in a condo - and both really miss a garden so I invited her to take some peppers from mine.
 
I love that others are getting pleasure out of the peppers: This is what I picked this afternoon:      

IMG_1450