The GirlAlive Blog

working

I’m finally starting work on Monday.  I have been on the phone with HR since yesterday and it was looking like I might have to wait another week because everyone who needed to be contacted to give me permission to work was on vacation until Monday.  But Susanne got ahold of someone finally, and so I’m starting on Monday morning in the hospital where they hold the new employee inductions.

Finally I have a job and eventually a paycheck.  I’m still a little frustrated that it’s been over 2 months since I was hired and I’m just starting now.  In the US, I’d be tired of my job by now.

Alana 

Occupational Health

This morning I had my occupational health visit.    It was a big waste of time, and it was really early in the morning.  Hopefully I can now start work next week or the week after (depending on how fast they get their report to HR).

On the way home from the appointment, I was tired of sitting on the bus, so I got off on Princes Street and did some shopping at Book World.  I got a book about dog breeds that I wanted.  Basset hounds are my favorite.

Then there was the long ride from Princes Street to Penicuik.  By the time I got into town I was again tired of sitting on the bus, and also hungry because I hadn’t eaten anything since a peanut butter sandwich at 7 this morning.  So I got off at the grocery store and bought some food, then I walked the rest of the way home.

Now I’ve eaten my lunch (scotch eggs and raspberry soda) and I’ve had a bath.  I’m feeling much better than I did when I got up this morning.

By the way, if any of you don’t play Kingdom of Loathing, you totally should.  My husband and I have been playing for a few months.  My player name there is orangelazarus and my husband is gaspode, the head of our clan, The Good Ship Serenity.  Yes, it is a Pete and Pete reference, married to a Terry Pratchett reference, together in a clan that is a Firefly reference.  Anyway, I am a Pastamancer with one acension under my belt, and gaspode is a Sauceror with 2 ascensions.  I just finished my post-ascension ronin period and I’m totally jazzed about having all my stuff back. 

Alana

www.girlalive.com 

Homer the princess

So my guinea pig Homer has developed the nickname "Princess" for various reasons.  (Yes, Homer is a boy, but he’s still a little princess.)

First of all, I’ve never seen a guinea pig that is such a picky eater.  He’ll eat cucumbers, but not the squishy part in the middle with the seeds.  He won’t touch any fruit.  He’ll only eat the center part of carrots.  And he gets mad if we feed him his veggies in the wrong order.

In the morning when I give the guinea pigs their food pellets, Spike is all over the cage, jumping and squeaking for joy.  Guinea pigs do this thing called "popcorning" when they’re happy.  Basically, they jump straight up in the air.  So while Spike is popcorning and running around, Homer will be frozen in the corner, trying his hardest not to popcorn.  Eventually, he hops in the air.  Immediately after, he shakes his head, as if to say, "That was undignified."

When we hold Homer, he will basically just sit there and let us pet him and play with him however we want, until he’s had enough, and then he grabs a mouthful of our shirt and yanks for all he’s worth until we put him back in the cage.

Homer is the most demanding and grumpy little rodent I’ve ever had, but I like him.  He’s snobby and grouchy, but he’s also adorable and can be very sweet.

Alana

www.girlalive.com 

pictures and stuff

I’m bored.

Sitting around the house waiting for my job to start has sucked.  I’ve been spending far too much time with my rodents.  The guinea pigs are still a little freaked about the presence of Binky.  They’re not sure what the little interloper is up to, but he’s too quiet and he smells weird.  (He’s blissfully quiet since I oiled his wheel.)

I’ve posted some of the guinea pig and hamster pictures on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlalive/

I can’t believe how stupid some people are.  I’ve gotten 2 pieces of hate mail from people who I would guess are around 13 or 14 years old, basically saying, "If you hate so much stuff in Scotland why don’t you go back where you came from?"  First of all, I’m here because of my husband, not because of any other person in this country.  Second, since when does hatred of thick beurocracy and hatred of Marmite equate to hating everything here?  I’m not allowed to talk about it if anything here is annoying or disgusting?  Basically, because of the recent mail, my main complaint about Scotland isn’t the food (which I’ve always mostly liked anyway) or the government beurocracy.  I mostly just hate the stupid people who write crap like this.  If you don’t like a web site, don’t read it.  I guess that’s a concept just to far above the mind of a whiny teenager.

If any of you know a girl named Lindsay Moore (email address ftt1960@yahoo.com), she’s a total bitch.  She decided that since I don’t like Marmite, I must hate Scotland and that I "poke fun at all things Scottish".  In America, we have a thing called a "sense of humor".  We use it to deal with stressful situations like moving to a new continent.  She also took the opportunity to insult me about my weight (such a 13-year-old move) and basically chose to be offended by everything about me.  So if anyone should happen to know her, please feel free to punch her in the crotch for me.

Oh, yeah, that’s the punishment for stupidity that my husband and I came up with.  Any time someone is profoundly stupid, they should get a swift punch to the crotch.  Once or twice in a lifetime, you’ll be fine.  But the chronically stupid like Lindsay would soon be rendered unable to reproduce by the constant swift punches to the reproductive organs.  Who is with me on this?

Alana

www.girlalive.com 

Binky Pictures!

I have finally taken a few pictures of Binky.  Last night (sadly when the camera was out of reach) Binky climbed the treat stick and was stuffing his cheek pouches with anything he could get off of it.  So he had a head three times its normal size and was clinging tenaciously to the treat stick.  Very cute.

So that is our new adorable little hamster Binky. He’s justa cute little furry ball of adorable poses.  I never thought I’d like hamsters because I’m totally a guinea pig kind of girl, but he is extremely cute and friendly.

Alana 

Yesterday…

First off, I didn’t get an account opened.  They have complicated and convoluted rules to prevent money laundering and to prevent people on spouse visas from being able to get a bank account.  Because you know that it’s the drug dealers and the housewives that are all about the money laundering.  *sigh* More British red tape.

Then we didn’t get Chinese food because we got there a few minutes past the lunch rates, and it would have cost a ton.  So we went for Thai food instead, which was good.

The only thing that did go according to plan was buying a hamster.  We got a little boy hamster who is cream and white colored.  We named him Binky (after Death’s horse in the Discworld novels).  Ever since we brought Binky home, Homer and Spike (our guinea pigs) have been jumpy and kind of freaking out.  They can smell a new animal in the house, and they aren’t sure if it’s something that is going to eat them or not.  I’m hoping they’ll get over it soon.

I’ll post some pictures of Binky later, but for the moment we’re letting him sleep and chill out because he had kind of a hard day yesterday.  Hamsters do not like riding on the bus.

Alana