I should update this journal way more often. If you wanna know what I'm up to then find me on facebook or follow my Twitter feed at kihitara.

Had a much better sleep last night, despite yesterday being the worst day of my cold. Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening, I used a box and a half of tissues. That’s about 120 tissues. Gah. Then, last night when I lay on the couch, I only used a couple. Once I slept, I woke up only to roll over and I didn’t need to use any tissues at all during the night. Yay.

So, despite flatmates doing their morning routines (and one needing to turn the lights on in the living room so he could iron is shirt), I slept until about 10.30am. I feel somewhat caught up on the sleep I didn’t get the night before now.

Now that I’m up and about, though, my nose is runny and my chest is sore. Still, I feel a million times better than I did yesterday.

When I get back from my meeting I might even do something about the house. It’s been neglected and it’s messy.

Didn’t sleep too well last night. I’ve been fighting off a cold since Thursday last week. On Monday my throat was so sore I could barely breathe, but it was better by the evening and I went dancing. I even slept better than I had on Sunday night. Yesterday I spent the day at the library working, had the sniffles and a tickly cough, but nothing too bad. Thought I might be getting better.

Foolish, foolish me.

Last night I was feeling worse again. Took some medication, but decided to sleep out on the couch. That way I feel better because I can toss and turn to my heart’s content and I know I’m not disturbing anyone, and my husband gets an undisturbed night of sleep. Except that I hardly slept. I kept having to blow my nose, cough, blow my nose… And I was also fending off the cat, who seemed determined to sleep on my feet. At one point I woke up and I’d obviously propped my legs up on the end of the couch to give the cat room. Unfortunately, this meant that I was sleeping this way for who knows how long (the first bout of sleep that night!) and my knees felt the strain of the position (ankles suspended while lying on back). I kicked the cat off (again) and slept on my side, knees drawn up to try and alleviate the pain. Left knee still hurts. Stupid cat.

So now I’m sitting at home in my sleeping bag, cat curled at my side, waiting for the plumber who is supposed to turn up this morning. It’s nearly quarter past 11. If he doesn’t turn up before noon I’m going out. I need tissues. I need honey. I need more cold and flu meds.

Stupid plumber.

Stupid cat.

Stupid cold.

I’m reading an article right now by Stephen Downes called “How to be successful”. I got to it while looking up things at the NZ Curriculum website. Anyway, it caught my attention. There are a lot of things in there that get me thinking.

I like this idea, though, perhaps to use in a classroom one day. Saying affirmations. I know it seems pretty lame at first, but I think by saying affirmations with a class every morning, it could help boost the confidence and self-worth of some of the more reserved students.

So I’m looking for ideas of what could go into these affirmations. Here is my start…

I am cool. I am smart. I am strong. I am good. I am worthy.

Gah, I did have more ideas, but the LJ page took so long to load, and then this silly program took so long to load, that the ideas have slipped out of my mind again.

To be honest, I totally forgot about my Dreamwidth account. Until right now, when I received an email saying I’d been given two Dreamwidth codes. So, if anyone wants some Dreamwidth codes so you can sign up and see what it’s about, just leave a message here. First in best dressed.

I seem to be going through a little photography dry patch, which is sad since it's photography month. Oh, damn, I knew there was something I wanted to do on Tuesday night! *grumbles* I spent all Tuesday night thinking I needed to be somewhere... there was a gallery tour! Grrrr.

Anyhow, back on track. It's photography month, and I'm going to participate a little. I'm going to dust off my poor neglected Olympus and enter a competition. My problem is the early rising. The competition runs on Saturday, midnight to midnight. I'm leaving for Whangarei first thing Saturday morning, so I'm going to rise up early, drive to Northcote Point and snap off some shots of pre-dawn and the sun rising. It's just so beautiful there. Then I'm going to drive north.

What this means is that there might be some photos coming your way!

On another side note: it's so damn bloody cold here right now. And I don't have nearly enough work. I got all excited when I got a call this morning, thinking that someone needed me to come in and do some relief teaching, but alas no. Just my agency checking what days I'd be available next week. It was not the nicest way to get out of bed, though. We don't get very good cellphone reception down in our valley, but I have one of the house landline phones right by my side of the bed. Instead of calling the landline (and thus enabling me to stay in bed while talking), they called my cellphone (thus making me leap out of bed, run upstairs, and OUT THE FRONT DOOR to answer it). While this impressed my breakfasting flatmates with my dedication, it only served to make me cold and annoyed.

Stuart posted a link to this website, Livemocha.com, on the MoodleSchool site we’re working on. I thought it sounded fun and followed the link. I have to say, I really enjoy this way of learning a new language. I get to hear it, see it, and interact with it. I get quick feedback from native speakers of the language. It’s awesome. If you’ve ever wanted to learn another language, go look! It’s free, too!

I brought my car in first thing this morning to get its WOF done. I then spent the day bussing from one place to another. Visited Katja and Bruno, they made me lunch (yum), then my sister picked me up to go to her place. Got there at 3pm, looked up on Maxx to see when I needed to catch a bus to get back to Beach Haven by 5pm and discovered I had to leave at 3.15pm. Damn. So a few minutes later I left my sister’s place and ended up getting all the way to Beach Haven by 4.15, picked up my car and got home by 4.30. Maxx is usually good, but they majorly sucked for planning my route today. I could have stayed at my sister’s place a little longer, even if only another 15 or 20 minutes.

Got work tomorrow, hoorah! I hope the teacher has left me something, but if they haven’t then I’m going armed with some stuff for the kids to do. It’s always hard going to a new school because you don’t know anything – bell times, routines, planning format etc. I’ll make sure I get there in plenty of time tomorrow.

Tomorrow evening I’m babysitting (or child-sitting, as he prefers it called) my nephew for a few hours. I have to try and get some work done during that time, but I’m not sure if I can get on the Internet at their place. Might get Geoff to set up the wireless on my computer when he gets home so that next time I’m around there I can work. Will be child-sitting every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday until further notice.

I did the bridge walk with my nephew today. We turned up at Pt Erin and the organiser said specifically, “We are not going to force our way onto the bridge. We will abide by the decisions of the LTSA and the police.”

The LTSA said no. We were making our way back to the footpath when a cheer went up. We were told to go to the motorway onramp. I thought they’d changed their minds. Then I see that there are some cyclists on the motorway. I assumed (correctly) that they’d forced their way on. We continued moving and saw the big traffic truck moving off, more cheering etc.

The news report said, “Auckland motorway traffic was severely delayed today as thousands of protestors stormed the Harbour Bridge.” It was hardly like that. A few broke through (stupid people, in my opinion – they could have caused major accidents! The traffic is going a considerable speed along there), the police decided to save the situation and make it safe for the rest, and we then went onto the bridge in a calm and ordered fashion.

By the time I wanted to get home at about 11.30am, traffic was flowing freely again along the motorway, certainly from Fanshawe Street onward. Perhaps it backed up a little longer further south, I don’t know.

So, considering there were no injuries or accidents, I think “stormed” is perhaps too strong a word.

Should be going to bed but am writing a journal entry instead. Naturally.

Been at Rosmini this week and it’s been good. I do enjoy working with computers but still teaching people. I do think this might be the perfect job for me.

I haven’t done much with regards to my fitness, though. I’ve been very slack. My problem, as I’ve outlined before on here, is self-motivation. Like right now. I know that I probably should be doing some crunches before bed, but will I? No. What’s my motivation? Who am I competing against? No one. Damnit. I really do think I need to compete against someone. When Brendon was living here I was trying to keep up with him, and he kept doing more crunches than me, but I was working towards catching up. I almost had abs!

Damelza! Do you think we could do some sort of long-distance competition between us for fitness? Do you think that could work? You want to get fit for your next test thing, and I just want to get fit to lose the belly that’s starting to develop. What do you say?

Winter. It’s cold. That is all I have to say about the weather.

We have blower things going 24 hours right now to dry out under the carpet. The constant sound is getting to me. If it goes on too much longer I might be responsible for dehumidifier destruction.

Am writing and reading lots.

Sleep. Now. ‘Night!

This is a song that we used to sing at primary school. I came across my attempt at remembering the words in a writing diary and thought I’d Google the song. It took a few tries, and there are a lot of people out there looking for the words for this song (though different versions, by the sounds of it), but I was happy to finally find some lyrics that closely resembled those I learned years ago.

From the Volga was he riding
On his horse so quickly striding
When he saw, in ambush, hiding
Who but pretty Minka

Minka, Minka go not from me
Do not in the forest hide thee
Come and tell me if you love me
Pretty little Minka

Shy thou art and very bashful
Tho’ my heart is ever faithful
Yet to thee I’d be more grateful
If you’d love me, Minka

Minka, Minka go not from me
Do not in the forest hide thee
Come and tell me if you love me
Pretty little Minka

Thou art playful as a kitten
Knowing when a heart you’ve smitten
I have been by you sore bitten
Wicked little Minka!

Minka, Minka go not from me
Do not in the forest hide thee
Come and tell me if you love me
Pretty little Minka

Wolves are through the forest swarming
See! They come in packs alarming
I will save thee from all harming
If you’ll come, my Minka

Minka, Minka now I’ve got thee
Why did you so much provoke me?
Wolves won’t come, but I’d devour thee
Pretty little Minka

I’m heading down to Wellington on  day trip on Tuesday 19th May. I arrive early morning, am busy all morning and possibly partly into the afternoon, but after that I’m free to meet up with people. My plane leaves at 6.30pm, Mum’s plane leaves a little earlier. Would love to catch up with long lost friends who have moved down that way.

So who’s keen?

I also have to eat my Magnum with a spoon, because it’s so broken that the stick fell right out of it.

Go Hell. You’ve done really well by me tonight! </ sarcasm>

*sigh*

Despite telling the guy on the phone what must have been THREE times that I wanted the regular cheese removed from the pizza toppings, my pizza arrived drowned in cheese. I put feta, cream cheese and camembert on it, so it really doesn’t need the regular cheese. When he repeated the ingredients at me, he said “cheese” and not “cream cheese” and I said “No, I don’t want regular cheese on it, I want cream cheese.” He said “Yes, I know” in an impatient tone, so I took it as understood.

*grumble*

So now I’m eating a very cheesy pizza, which I don’t particularly like but I’m damn hungry.

So I called Hell Pizza just then to place an order, because their website wouldn’t process my credit card. Again.

Hell: So that’ll be $30.50.
Me: What? I’m looking at my website order right now, and it comes to $23.50.
Hell: There’s a $7 surcharge on delivery. If you were to come in and pick it up…
Me: No, that’s not right. On Tuesdays if the order is over $20 it’s free delivery.
Hell: That’s for website orders only.
Me: But I explained at the start that I tried ordering via the website but it wouldn’t process my payment.
Hell: Sorry. It’s $30.50.
Me: So because your website is broken I have to pay an extra $7?
Hell: It’s not an extra $7, it’s the delivery fee.
Me: Yes, but if your website weren’t broken I wouldn’t have to pay it, so it’s extra for me.
Hell: Hang on, I’ll just ask my manager.

So the manager agreed to give me the $7 “discount”. Then the guy who I’d been talking to was just saying bye and your order will be with you soon when I interrupted to remind him that I was trying to pay by credit card, so could I please do that? I don’t have cash on me.

He processed my credit card and, surprise surprise, it went through. It’s so not my credit card that’s the problem. It’s their website. Stupid Hell. If they didn’t do kick-ass pizza, I’d call elsewhere.

In the interests of using up the money on my Loaded card, I bought myself some fire poi. This is my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. I will hopefully get them on Sunday, at the next FireNight in Mission Bay.

So damn excited.

Oh, and I cancelled my gym membership today.

Ok, so I’m leaving the gym I’m a member of. I’m not going very often (mainly because it’s boring going on your own *sigh*) and it’s costing me $66 a month. That’s $66 I can’t really afford to be without right now. So I have a new exercise plan.

Poi. Lots of poi. Upper arm and wrist workout.

Staff. Shoulder and wrist workout.

Dancing. When I can be bothered. It’d be nice if I could find something that is new and interesting for me but doesn’t cost the world. Leg workout.

Rock climbing. If I do this with Claire it is a shitload cheaper, so I’m going to see if I can do this once a week. Arm, tummy, leg workout.

Pilates. I have a DVD and big ball thing that I bought ages ago. I WILL use this. I will. Whole body workout.

Aerial silks. Claire and I are trying to figure out where we can learn this, and hope that it doesn’t cost too much money. If it does, oh well, but if not, then yay. Definitely tummy workout.

Things that are ruled out due to cost:

Modern dance (*pout*)

Ice skating (*sniffle*)

Snowboarding / skiing (*cry*)