Teacup Café XLII

[Mari]

I have one pair of earrings that give me that feeling. They're silver in the shape of leaves.

[Rían]

oooh, nice - and silver is definitely more elvish

[Acalewia]

How is everyone?

[The last sane person]

Not much different, at the moment. Been making things in my workshop for the past week. Yourself?

[Mari]

Busy, busy, busy. Time to start wrapping up the school year, so lots of grading and assessments to be done.

[Varnafindë]

Busy, too - time for my yearly tax report ...

[Earniel]

God yes, busy! Cleaning out a four-story building one carload every week, repairing roofs, keeping the garden from looking like Mirkwood, moving timber, cleaning out and recycling junk that is older than me(!). I'm an triple aunt now! Work is murder. I'm behind on my paperwork and still need to get started on my taxes. I don't think I went to bed before 1AM all month.

What is this thing, 'free time', that everyone keeps telling me about? I can't remember how it looks like anymore.

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

True! It's a very valuable tool and it's given us many wonderful and helpful things. I hate when people say they use science in every part of their lives, though, when all they mean is that they think about things before they decide. They're just trying to appear smart, IMHO, when really they just look silly.

Never had anyone say that to me. In a way I reckon we do use science in practically every part of our life. Simply breathing is quite a biological and chemical process! But if they meant they simply thought about things, then they probably meant logic and that's not a synonym for science and then yes, they do sound a bit silly then.

And on a totally non-scientific topic - we were on vacation for a week, and I found another piece of jewelry that was definitely made in Middle Earth! I'm trying to decide where it was made ... I'm leaning towards Greenwood ... it's a lovely little gold-colored bracelet with the wire worked in simple leaf figures. Don't you just love when you find things that you just know were made in Middle Earth?!

Hope you had a lovely time! And yes, I do love to encounter a little Middle-earth now and again too. It can be in a little things. Something that is just right so to speak. I have much to much of those things but they keep cropping up and it's so hard to resist.

[Mari]

Congratulations on being an auntie again!

[Earniel]

Thanks! I keep forgetting how tiny they are when they start out!

And like his brothers, lousy in his timing! First one was overtime, second one was too soon and the newest arrival managed to come at least ten days earlier than expected. Which left us in a bit of a mad scramble because we thought we had more time for preparations and so my mom went on a late evening dash to go and babysit the other kids while dad and I spent the night til 3 AM trying to get the family crib ready because it needed some repairs after four generations of kids.

[Varnafindë]

... and my oldest niece is getting married next month ...

Congratulations, Eärniel!

[Mari]

I love all the sun these days! Though the heat could be less.
And I'm still on top of my grading, so I have time to relax in the sun a bit as well.

[Earniel]

Thanks Varna! I'll be quite a few years yet before my nephews start reaching maritable age.

I like the sun, the thunderstorms we get in between the sunshines, I could do with a little less. Still, one of the benefits of thunderstorms is their very localised impact, we've escaped quite a few thunderstorms by the lenght of a football field. One of the downsides is the huge amount of water you get on a short time. I had to mop the basement last month, something that seems to become more frequent. Not loving that.

How's the grading coming along? Did the kids do well this year?

[Mari]

It's coming along. Somehow. :P and no, the scores seem to get worse every year, as does the average amount of time spent doing homework. Yet they and their parents seem to think they should have higher grades with even less work. In a way it's almost like how governments want you to do more with fewer people for less money all the time... rolls eyes

[Earniel]

And you can't exactly tell the parents: 'it's the economy, stupid.'

Fewer people and less money, yay. Fun nowhere and especially not for teachers, because I imagine at that point someone's usually going to say how that can't possibly be all that bad because you get two months off now, right? (That someone won't be me because one teacher once showed me her diary for the school-related work in the summer holiday and yikes! that was scary. )

[Mari]

It's really only 5 weeks and yes, during those 5 weeks I need to do a lot of things. People still talk about holidays, but people around me know better than to say it to my face, because I will give them a full itinerary of my holidays and weekends and how much of my supposed free time isn't that at all. :P

[Valandil]

On vacation (holiday).

The 18 year old is driving.

We're all gonna DIIIEEEE!!!

[The last sane person]

God save you all!

[Earniel]

Heh and here I thought holidays were meant to be UNstressful.

[Mari]

*snort* I can see how that plan backfired.

[Earniel]

Well, all things considered mine kinda did too. Maybe working-holidays aren't quite the thing to get rested from, you know, work. But I'm back regardless.