Saturday...March 24, 1984.
Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois.60062.

Dear Mr. Vernon...We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong. What we did WAS wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are, what do you care? You see us as you want to see us...in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at seven o'clock this morning. We were brainwashed.

So what's happening 24th March 2004?

Okay Ormskirk kiddies.
Tomorrow is pancake day.
I like pancakes.
I am willing to make lots of them tomorrow night.
Leave me a note as to what fillings you like and I will go and buy them tomorrow afternoon.
Then come round here tomorrow night and we can eat pancakes till we're sick
(you can clean up your own sick though)
I/We could also make some kind of savoury pancakes first to reduce the sickliness if you wish.
Personally I fancy some kind of broccoli/ricotta concoction, followed by ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce, and maybe some lemon and sugar thing too, but the choice is yours.
Let me know by about 3ish and I'll go shopping, and if you haven't left a comment, don't whine if I've not bought it

This offer is of course open to Non-Ormskirk kiddies, but I'm not expecting anyone to want to travel up here for pancakes

In other news, I've been in Sheffield all week. It was ace.

R.I.P. Mr/Mrs Mouse.

The life of Mr/Mrs Mouse was tragically cut short at around 7:55 this evening by a cheese primed trap.

The remains (of mouse and trap) were bravely disposed of by myself, as Porl was rehearsing.

I feel like a cruel cruel woman

We now have 2 mousetraps primed and positioned. If there is a snap, Porl is dealing with it.
We've seen the mouse already today, so we know he's still in this room. Hopefully it'll soon all be over and I won't feel terrorised in my own home anymore.

I would take pictures of the actual traps, but on Friday someone stole Porls new coat, which had my camera in the pocket. So we're about £230 down, I'm unbelievably annoyed. My Dad bought me the camera for Christmas last year, I got my love of photography off him, and over the years he's bought or given me several very nice cameras. I'm going to see if the insurance will cover it, but as it was stolen while outside the house I'm not holding out much hope.

Grrr I hate people at times. Bloody Friday 13th

Well today has been yesterday was rubbish.

I've got a stinking cold, which has gone straight to my chest, doing wonders for my asthma, and making me cough up thing which really shouldn't be in a humans lungs.

This means I'm at home missing To Amy with Love, and the Shirokuma single launch party, you know, that little event that we've been building towards for the past year.

So what have I done instead?

Well I was planning a quiet night in, sulking and listening to girlie music. I watched 'Once More with Feeling', was looking for something else to watch, when Duke came in with a present.

An alive mouse.

So I've spent the past hour and a half trying to catch it. The cats have helped. But we're all rubbish and have failed.

So the room is a mess... nothing is where it should be, but there are less mouse sized hidie holes. I suspect that the mouse is in the alcove behind the telly which is the one area where a girl with a bad back should not go hunting. Or I'd be severely shouted at by a boyfriend who isn't around when he's needed.

I'm waiting for them to phone and say how the gig went. Then I'm getting out of this room, shutting the door and going to bed. My bedroom door is curently shut with a towel across the bottom of it in crude mouse prevention style.

It's not that I don't like mice. I think they're great. When they're in the wild, or as pets in a cage which don't run or jump as quickly as this one did. But a wild mouse in my house is not good. It's very very bad.

And just for the record I always sit with my feet on top of my computer case. Okay I rarely wear shoes in the house and I never tuck my trousers in my shoes, but they're very baggy trousers and I didn't want to trip over them whilst mouse hunting.

Why did I say earlier that Friday 13th has never worried me? Stupid girl tempting fate!

Life is pottering along in the usual way. Very busy, but I can never think what is worth talking about, a few highlights though.

Following the house valuation the other day we've sat down with Porl's Dad and worked out a plan of action about buying it off him so that we can then sell up and move to Manchester/Stockport. It's complicated, and scary. I'm not sure which bit I find most scary though, the fact that I will have a house and a mortgage, and lots of grown up responsibilities, or the fact that before moving we're going to have to have a massive sort out and chuck out of lots of junk that we've acquired. Porl just seems scared about how the cats will cope with the move.

Last week were the Shirokuma warm up gigs. Wednesday at the Barons had multiple hiccups, but Thursday at Edge Hell went wonderfully. The Record Label were there and they were very impressed. Future plans are now being re-negotiated and it should all be much easier from here on in *fingers crossed*. The official single launch is on Friday at Amy. The single "Moonlight in the Afternoon" is released on 16th February, on Faith & Hope Records, go, find, buy.
The record label were also extremely happy with the website, so I'm a happy little bunny. I'll be even happier when the pay negotiations have been done and I know what I'll be getting.

I've also started getting some physio for my back. One of the perks of working for the NHS is that following a visit to Occupational Health waiting lists for physio can suddenly drop from 13 weeks down to 2 days. It seems likely that when I hurt my back when I was 18 I cracked a disc in my lower back. The pain I have now is nerve damage from that injury. I've also got a wonky pelvis because I'm holding myself strangely to try to relieve the pain. So I've been given a bunch of exercises to do, my favourite one involves sitting on a table and swinging my legs. I've also got to strengthen my Pelvic Floor muscle, and she's recommended Pilates Classes. So today I bought myself some new comfy gym clothes, because the ones I bought earlier in the year are far too big for me now! Yay for weight loss!!! I'm wearing them now and they're exceptionally comfy, so I might have to buy myself another pair for lounging around in.

Now I'm off to spend the rest of the night doing boring coursework, broken up by interesting more family tree research.

Ahhhhh..... Ahhhhh......
Wooo! Shock Woooo!

We've had the house valued.

I'm not very good at valuations.

We're having the house valued today. It's tidy, clean, and smelling of air freshener.
He's supposed to be here at 3.
He's late.
I'm nervous.