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Happy news, sad news, two disappointments and a question of etiquette
Happy news about sponsored walk
Last Sunday the sun rose early in the morning, and so did I to go on the Oxfam sponsored walk with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
purpletigron and her mother. We did the full seven miles by noon, a gorgeous sunny day and a green walk surrounded by birds and butterflies and wild flowers. The distance wasn't the main hardship, it was the rucksack that I was carrying that made it a sweltering slog! I think I drank 4 pints of water over the 2.5 hours, and it all came out through my upper back.
Back at the end checkpoint, they had a (massage) student from the local college giving free sports massages! And I had one! The backs of my legs have been very tight for the last couple of years, and after half an hour of prodding and stretching and finding the hurty bits then leaning his weight on them through his elbows until they cried "Uncle", they went all stretchy and now don't hurt at all! They're like normal legs!
Then back home in MC's car for more partying and gratuitous leg wibbling :-)
I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me - my final total raised is £251 which is absolutely brilliant and way more than I had hoped for. A few of you now owe me money; I shall nag periodically until you hate me :-(
frandowdsofa £5
bohemiancoast £10
fishlifter £10
karmicnull £5
grytpype_thynne £5
Sad news about gerbil
Jerrylive_gerbil sadly didn't last out the weekend. She was just over 2 years old, same as Ben live_gerbil (who remains in outrageously rude health), but 37 babies have taken their toll on her body. She had begun to look very weak on Friday, still having the gerbilling instincts to pounce on interesting foodstuffs but then lacking the energy to eat them. We tried to make her comfortable, but she died on Saturday night. Boo hoo.
Carrielive_gerbil (her daughter) is not taking her sudden departure very well. Carrie has always been rather nervy, she doesn't like to be handled but she has always been quite confident in the tank. Now she's all alone, she doesn't seem to quite know what's going on; she starts at noises, and looks rather worried when she does come out. Poor Carrie.
Disappointment of chocolate
Oxfam. Casting back again to the walk (did I mention I did a sponsored walk?), the first 1,000 walkers (of which we were three) got a bottle of water and a chocolate bar! The chocolate was the small bar of Oxfam's Fair Trade chocolate, which is only available in Milk. Boo! Oh well, I was there for the walking, not for the chocolate.purpletigron had other ideas, and enquired as to the availability of Plain chocolate for those that can't eat Milk - and before I knew what had happened, she scored me some plain chocolate in the Large size! (They don't make the Small in Plain.) Not very disappointing at all - until I took it out to eat yesterday, checked the ingredients list, and discovered that it contains butter. Humph.
Disappointment of book
To add insult to injury I had a nasty surprise when I opened a book I'd bought at Eastercon this year. Ribofunk, by Paul Di Filippo. I'd borrowed it from a friend a year before, and thought it was AbsoLutely BRIlliant, and when I saw a second hand copy on a book stall I said "Huzzah! It will be mine!" Cost a bit, and was sealed in one of those fancy clear plastic bags for protection so I was especially pleased with my special special book. Opened up the bag yesterday, and the book reeked of cigarette smoke. Not special! Humph again. I have wiped the cover (which turned the kitchen paper yellow) and propped it up open to air, where it is delicately perfuming the living room. Humph.
And now for the Question of Etiquette. It's only a little question. And I should probably stop worrying and go and watch Friends (new episode!) instead of worrying and writing about chocolate anddead_gerbils.
So, do I go to the pub on Friday?
Was at the pub withrhubarbfool and a friend on Wednesday after the cinema, they mentioned people from their workplace were going to a pub on Friday evening, and thought that I could come too as I am Clangerless on Friday. I'd know a few people there, but the occasion is a leaving do for someone I don't know. Is it really on to tag along? Or is it a bit odd and not a thing done by people with a perfect grasp of the subtleties of social niceties? I am inclined to go. But now I'm going to watch telly.
Last Sunday the sun rose early in the morning, and so did I to go on the Oxfam sponsored walk with
purpletigron and her mother. We did the full seven miles by noon, a gorgeous sunny day and a green walk surrounded by birds and butterflies and wild flowers. The distance wasn't the main hardship, it was the rucksack that I was carrying that made it a sweltering slog! I think I drank 4 pints of water over the 2.5 hours, and it all came out through my upper back. Back at the end checkpoint, they had a (massage) student from the local college giving free sports massages! And I had one! The backs of my legs have been very tight for the last couple of years, and after half an hour of prodding and stretching and finding the hurty bits then leaning his weight on them through his elbows until they cried "Uncle", they went all stretchy and now don't hurt at all! They're like normal legs!
Then back home in MC's car for more partying and gratuitous leg wibbling :-)
I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me - my final total raised is £251 which is absolutely brilliant and way more than I had hoped for. A few of you now owe me money; I shall nag periodically until you hate me :-(
frandowdsofa £5
bohemiancoast £10
fishlifter £10
karmicnull £5
grytpype_thynne £5
Sad news about gerbil
Jerry
live_gerbil sadly didn't last out the weekend. She was just over 2 years old, same as Ben live_gerbil (who remains in outrageously rude health), but 37 babies have taken their toll on her body. She had begun to look very weak on Friday, still having the gerbilling instincts to pounce on interesting foodstuffs but then lacking the energy to eat them. We tried to make her comfortable, but she died on Saturday night. Boo hoo. Carrie
live_gerbil (her daughter) is not taking her sudden departure very well. Carrie has always been rather nervy, she doesn't like to be handled but she has always been quite confident in the tank. Now she's all alone, she doesn't seem to quite know what's going on; she starts at noises, and looks rather worried when she does come out. Poor Carrie.Disappointment of chocolate
Oxfam. Casting back again to the walk (did I mention I did a sponsored walk?), the first 1,000 walkers (of which we were three) got a bottle of water and a chocolate bar! The chocolate was the small bar of Oxfam's Fair Trade chocolate, which is only available in Milk. Boo! Oh well, I was there for the walking, not for the chocolate.
purpletigron had other ideas, and enquired as to the availability of Plain chocolate for those that can't eat Milk - and before I knew what had happened, she scored me some plain chocolate in the Large size! (They don't make the Small in Plain.) Not very disappointing at all - until I took it out to eat yesterday, checked the ingredients list, and discovered that it contains butter. Humph.Disappointment of book
To add insult to injury I had a nasty surprise when I opened a book I'd bought at Eastercon this year. Ribofunk, by Paul Di Filippo. I'd borrowed it from a friend a year before, and thought it was AbsoLutely BRIlliant, and when I saw a second hand copy on a book stall I said "Huzzah! It will be mine!" Cost a bit, and was sealed in one of those fancy clear plastic bags for protection so I was especially pleased with my special special book. Opened up the bag yesterday, and the book reeked of cigarette smoke. Not special! Humph again. I have wiped the cover (which turned the kitchen paper yellow) and propped it up open to air, where it is delicately perfuming the living room. Humph.
And now for the Question of Etiquette. It's only a little question. And I should probably stop worrying and go and watch Friends (new episode!) instead of worrying and writing about chocolate and
dead_gerbils.So, do I go to the pub on Friday?
Was at the pub with
rhubarbfool and a friend on Wednesday after the cinema, they mentioned people from their workplace were going to a pub on Friday evening, and thought that I could come too as I am Clangerless on Friday. I'd know a few people there, but the occasion is a leaving do for someone I don't know. Is it really on to tag along? Or is it a bit odd and not a thing done by people with a perfect grasp of the subtleties of social niceties? I am inclined to go. But now I'm going to watch telly.
no subject
I wonder, do you think the college might offer reduced-price student massages? Not Being in Pain is a good thing.
no subject
I feel snarky letters coming on... I don't want to be eating butterfat when I'm eating dark chocolate, either!!!!
(By the way, we finished the walk by 11:30 :-)