knock on wood

[freckles_and_doubt]

Bloody Cape Argus had billboards posted all over Thursday, reading "THREAT OF ALIEN ATTACK (REALLY)", but their website declines to offer any story remotely readable in terms of the headline. They're just taunting the sf geeks, is all. Bastards.

However, by way of compensation we are kitchenated, or kitchenified, or possibly kitchified. Onlookers may wish to shield their eyes against the classy glow of all that oak, viz.:



Just outside the picture to the left is our brand spanky new oven, with door that actually shuts without the necessity of a chair to keep it closed; just out of sight to the right is the brand spanky new dishwasher, whose sole and heaven-ordained purpose in life is to prevent my hands from falling off¹.

Even better, this morning I presented unto my Evil Landlord a small, green, glossy flier for a local company which comes and takes away your junk. In a rare display of organisation, or possibly a finely-judged awareness of quite how psychotic I become in the presence of unnecessary clutter, he actually phoned them while I was out keeping up my end of the consumerist contract by buying shoes and CDs² this morning. Said removals company arrived at around lunchtime in a pleasing green van which efficiently removed from the back courtyard the choice selection of bits of wood, plastic, shelving, cupboard innards, sawdust, nails, planks, screws, and possibly rat infestations and small pocket universes, which has been occupying half of it in a giant, inaesthetic pile for over a week. I am extremely happy. Also extremely pleased to realise that this company is effectively a Capetonian and slightly more odorous version of Pratchett's Harry King - they get paid twice, once by us to take it away, and once again by the recycle places to which they sell 80% of it. They donate a bunch to worthy causes, too, or at least claim to. Apparently everyone wins.

Another two weeks of reg and post-reg chaos to go, and then I actually get my life back. I did manage to spend the morning with my sister and Da Niece, which was fun and surprisingly relaxing despite the ongoing need for toddler-wrangling and random outbreaks of playing "Hickory Dickory Dock" on the piano. The rest of this weekend gets dedicated to Finishing This Bloody Paper. starmadeshadow just finished her doctorate, I'm buggered if a mere 5000 words is going to outface me.

Last Night I Dreamed: I had superhero powers, including flying over a craggy coastline and occasionally diving into the sea to swim around while cheerfully breathing water. Said powers issued from a small, nondescript bottle of some kind of liquid which was almost finished. Hmmm.

---

¹ As stv keeps pointing out, it could be worse, it could be eczeema. Non-Doctor-Who fangirls and boys may move along now, nothing to see here.

² The new Radiohead, Violent Femmes, Velvet Underground, and a random copy of The Mission's God's Own Medicine which happened to be lying around for an extremely low price and which has been giving me 80s goth flashbacks all afternoon, mostly in a good way. You could say the Bowie phase is waning, except that my Bowie playlist the only thing that's kept me sane during the last week.

Comments

The academic paper cycle

[starmadeshadow.livejournal.com]

And if you'll just blog when you finish the paper, I can use it to say to myself `extemp just finished her paper, I'm damned if I'm going to let 5000 words escape me', and goad* myself into writing the first thesis-based paper...

But first I'm going to sleep some more.

* that initially read `goat', which is probably more correct.

Re: The academic paper cycle

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure goats are actually appropriate, they're awfully cussed and not really very productive. Goats have the bloody-mindedness of cats, squared. And horns, which makes it even more difficult to bend them to your will.

How's the post-finishing lost and bereft feeling going? I reiterate my advice: get drunk.

In a class of its own

[egadfly.livejournal.com]

we are kitchenated, or kitchenated

Or possibly kitchenated?

To me, "classy" is one of those words that signifies its own absence - when someone has to say it, the thing usually isn't. (Hmm... trying to think of other words in this, er, class; none coming up but I know they're out there!) However in this case I'm forced to agree that the kitchen not only looks good, but has class.

Re: In a class of its own

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Bugger, I meant to write "kitchenated or kitchenified". I knew this 9-5 work business was rotting my brain, which this week has been pretty much extracted through my ears by student advice.

Solid oak is possibly the definition of class. It's just lucky my Evil Landlord is a highly-paid developer without kids or expensive hobbies to spend his money on.

Re: In a class of its own

[(Anonymous)]

It looks fantastic, enjoy! And good luck with that there paper.
e

[strawberryfrog.livejournal.com]

Conkitchenated!

The Mission's God's Own Medicine

I listened to some of that recently. Not very good at holding the right note, our Wayne. You still need more Decemberists.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Actually, the Mission stuff was quite fun to listen to again, and holds up reasonably well even in the absence of post-adolescent angst. You're right, I still need more Decemberists. I did look for Arcade Fire yesterday, but they only had EPs.

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

P, who has already experienced The Moving Of The Kettle, shouted "She's giving it away!" when he saw the photo.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

I decline to unduly traumatise my friends over caffeine. Cruel and unusual, that. I was a bit taken aback that P was so discombobulated by the change. It really is a much more convenient tea station now, promise!

[stringgeek.livejournal.com]

Holy wow, Batman!

V. nice kitchen. :-D The EL had told me he'd dropped tons of $, but that he was excited. I think it looks fabulous! And YAY to not having your hands drop off*.

*just got her own dishwasher and is experiencing the same joy :-D

Taking it away

[schedule5.livejournal.com]

Wow! Your kitchen looks fantastic.

There used to be a company in Cape Town, under the auspices of Men on the Side of the Road, that would fetch your junk. It was run by an ex-Zimbabwean, and the logo was a caricature of Mugabe. They were called "Uncle Bob's", and the slogan... "We'll take it away".

:) (or maybe :{)