Success..... maybe

I may have succeeded in avoiding having to come into work over Christmas. If I am successful this is my post to wish all readers/visitors festive fun, of whatever kind you truly want. If I am unsuccessful expect a bitter vitriolic post in the next two weeks!

So who do you look like?

Here's a nifty bit of fun, but you need patience - it takes a while to work - or it did for me anyway. This website scans your face from a picture you upload and tells you which celebrities you resemble from a database of 2400.

Which famous face are you?

I'm not sure about the results - apparently my best matches are Liv Tyler, Julio Iglesias, Carrie Ann Moss and Angelina Jolie. Must be my defined cheekbones I guess.

I should have been born a woman obviously!

Christmas is almost here...

This is supposed to be my last day in work before Christmas and New Year. I still hav elots of holidays to take and the idea was for me to have a long glorious two weeks off. This would be my longest break from work in about two years. That's pretty sad thinking about it. Events have transpired at work within the last 24 hours that may mean I have to come in between Christmas and New Year, but I'm really hoping not. Anyway I'm treating this as the last day of school and reserve the right to post a load rubbish in a giddy end of year boom. No real change there then. Tomorrow is Godzooky 1's birthday party. His birthday isn't until the 23rd, but we couldn't find anywhere that was willing to take a booking for that day. It means him having two birthdays this year, which should be good for him, as it normally gets swallowed up in Christmas. It's all his own fault for coming too early - he was meant to be a Millennium Baby, but he just wouldn't wait for New Year. So tomorrow I am facing 15 rampaging 5 and 6 year olds. First day off work sounds like more toil than being here! At least this year he should get to enjoy it. Last year he was really ill over his birthday and Christmas, not even bothering to open his presents. Anything's got to be an improvement on that.

Cold Turkey

not the remnants of an early Christmas lunch, but the realisation I've just had that I'm not going to be able to post anything for a couple of weeks, whilst I'm off work. This blogging thing gets a bit addictive doesn't it? Even when you're posting absolute rubbish most of the time! The weekend flew by as usual. Saturday we ventured to the European market and wandered amongst the throngs of people. We are now well stocked with German sausage for the festive period. In hindsight perhaps a little too well stocked, but a bargain's a bargain. I feel somewhat swizzed - I spent what seems like a small fortune on hand made chocolate truffles, especially for the tiny amount you got. Then I discovered it was all covered in coconut, which I detest. So I'll not be enjoying that, although Mrs Zilla seems wildly amused and delighted that she will be devouring most of it. Sunday was an operation in advanced logistics. Godzooky 1 had a birthday party to attend in the morning - a roller disco at the local leisure centre. This was interesting as he had never been on roller skates before, and doesn't appear to be the most co-ordinated of children. He surprised me though, and was soon wobbling along with the best of them. He has got a cracking bruise on his knee though. While he was putting dents in the leisure centre floor we decided to tackle the "big" Christmas food shop. We were amazed to find it relatively quiet and hassle free. I was also surprised by how much the bill came to, considering we haven't bought the "luxury" items yet! Still, it is only once a year, and I want to avoid the scrooge like connotations I bestowed upon my father. We managed to get home, unpack, feed Godzooky 2 and get her in bed, all in time for me to sit down and watch the football. A masterplan if ever I saw one. Today I've been out to locate some items for Mrs Zilla's present, and I regret (as always) leaving things this late.

The morning after

The world is a little fuzzy this morning, not enough sleep and perhaps a little too much alcohol consumed. At least I’ve made it in to work, there are a few absentees today. We conducted extensive research into the different alcoholic drinks available at the European market yesterday. Various flavours of gluhwein were sample, spiced cider, and, perhaps my favourite, fruit punch with brandy. Being responsible we also had a bratwurst and sampled various cheeses as we toured the market. It was all done in the name of research of course, the whole Godzilla family is going to go tomorrow, so I was trying to locate the best stalls, honest. We then made our way to the company Christmas party. I was glad we’d had a few drinks as most people had done some damage to the free wine provided. The majority were quite the worse for wear, even by 5pm. There was only one fight this year, but I think the bloke who picked a fight with the Director of Finance might be regretting it this morning. I think I managed to avoid making too much of a fool of myself, except on the dance floor probably. Must get another coffee…

I should stop

being so cynical. The ill staff haven't miraculously turned up. We've hit our payment deadlines though, so now we're off to reward ourselves with a visit to the European markets for a mulled wine or two. Then when we're feeling bold enough we can crash the company party.

Short

post today as work is in danger of taking over my life. Too many deadlines and too many staff off ill. I wonder if they'll all make a remarkable recovery by tomorrow when it's the company Christmas party that they've all paid for.......

Phew that's a relief

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Pushchairs R Us

The huge oil depot explosion played a larger part in our lives last night than I thought it ever could. Given that we are hundreds of miles away and the smoke is drifting in the opposite direction what could possibly go wrong? Godzooky 1 re-appeared soon after going to bed last night. He was worried that the house might catch fire. He clearly caught some of the news footage of the blazing depot, and it had affected him. He took some reassuring that there was no risk to our house, but it shows how news items can affect children. In other developments it would appear that we are trying to corner the market in pushchairs. When we had Godzooky 1 we bought one of those travel systems, where the car seat clips onto the pushchair and everything integrates beautifully. When Godzooky 2 arrived, Mrs Zilla decided that the travel system was too unwieldy to take on the bus to school every day. So after a lot of research we found a lightweight, easy to fold pushchair that was more suitable for the purpose. Of course, such things don’t come cheap, but who am I to begrudge a simpler, easier existence for my beloved and precious newborn. Now Godzooky 3 is looming and Mrs Zilla thinks that a double buggy is required. Godzooky 2 loves walking, and isn’t a fan of being put in her pushchair, but can be a bit unruly and excitable when unfettered and free to roam. So I can see Mrs Zilla’s point in not wishing to try and control her and manage the newborn on the school run. Double pushchairs seem to cost a bit more than their single counterparts, and of course Mrs Zilla has managed to find one that is ideal for her purpose. It’s not much bigger than a single buggy and is very lightweight. All attractive features, which unfortunately also attract a premium to the price. Still, this is the season for giving and I can see the benefits in an easy life for Mrs Zilla – an easier life for me. So another pushchair is about to be consigned to our cellar. My New Year’s resolution is to sort out all the things we can get rid of.

Leading Man

Given my recent chivalrous exploits, this seems fairly apt:

Cary Grant You scored 19% Tough, 4% Roguish, 14% Friendly, and 61% Charming!

You are the epitome of charm and style, the smooth operator who steals the show with your sophisticated wit and quiet confidence. You are able to catch any woman you want just by flashing that disarming smile. When you walk into a room, the women are instantly intrigued and even the men are impressed. When you find yourself in trouble, you are easily able to charm your way out of it, or convince others to help you. You're seen as dashing, suave and romantic. Your co-stars include Katharine Hepburn, Irene Dunne, and Joan Fontaine, stylish women who know a class act when they see it. Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 25% on Tough You scored higher than 9% on Roguish You scored higher than 13% on Friendly You scored higher than 98% on Charming

Link: The Classic Leading Man Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

The Aftermath

Well I survived the departmental Christmas party relatively unscathed. I made a wise decision to stick to the same drink all day. Red wine was my poison of choice, I tend not to glug red compared to white, and pints of beer disappear far too quickly. The food was also a revelation. Normally when we have these mass lunches the food is either bland, or cold or served appallingly slow. It was organised tremendously well, and the food was both delicious and warm. Normally I am one of the die hards, there till the bitter end and end up arriving home at some unholy hour, only to be woken by the children what seems like minutes after getting into bed. On Friday I managed to find some sort of self-restraint and was at home by 9pm. This scored me some brownie points, as did my ability to pick up Chinese food on the way home. I was slightly the worse for wear, but not as bad as Mrs Zilla feared. It also meant I was bright eyed and bushy tailed come Saturday morning. Thus enabling us to complete the Christmas shopping early before the crowds descended. If I’m honest, my readiness to tackle the shopping was part of my cunning plan to get back home and watch my football team on TV. Still, it was a win win scenario for me and Mrs Zilla. At the Christmas party it appears that one of my team has become involved with the departmental secretary, I only hope this isn’t trouble long term office wise. I even found myself as the centre of attraction to one young lady also at the same bar as us. She was some what intoxicated, but she did help to boost my ego somewhat. Perhaps I am becoming more attractive as I get older, or the ladies are becoming more desperate, or maybe a mix of both. Despite my wedding ring and my declaration that I was married this young lady seemed unwilling to take no for an answer. It was only when I played my trump card, “We’re expecting a baby in 4 weeks”, that she seemed to realise I wasn’t going to succumb to her (not inconsiderable) charms. I was amazed and somewhat disappointed by some of my colleagues reactions. Several of them though I was a lunatic, as the lady in question was clearly “gagging for it”. It becomes more and more clear to me why relationships don’t seem to last as long these days. Although that said I must admit to enjoying the ego boost while it lasted. We also erected our Christmas tree this weekend, with Mrs Zilla adopting a traditional red and gold colour scheme. How long the tree remains intact is yet to be determined. Godzooky 2 appears determined to remove all decorations within reach. I hadn’t realised until this year how protective Mrs Zilla is of her Christmas tree. She appears totally obsessed with stopping Godzooky 2 from touching the tree and it took some intervention from me to let her allow Godzooky 1 assist in decorating the tree. This year is the first time he’s shown any interest in helping decorate, but Mrs Zilla was reluctant to let him help, as “He’ll put the decorations in the wrong place”. I found this a little baffling, as it’s only decorating a tree, but apparently there is a specified way of placing the ornaments. I may have found part of Mrs Zilla’s anal retentiveness. I managed to convince her to let him help, and then she could adjust the ornaments accordingly once he was in bed!

Nativity to Naivety

The school play went well. The older children put on a Christmas related play, then there is a tenuous link to bring in the nursery children to act out the nativity. This year’s offering involved polar bears scaring off Santa’s elves, then they had to help Elfis to get things ready for Santa. Godzooky 1’s role was therefore quite limited as a reindeer, but probably for the best, as he was having terrible trouble controlling his antlers. Also the letters fell off the compass he was holding. The costumes were excellent – a lot of effort had clearly been put into them. The singing was on the tuneful side of racket. It was clear from the volume changes which songs the children preferred singing. I was grateful that we arrived early – the hall was packed to bursting with spectators. Godzooky 2 got a prime view, stationed as she was in her pushchair in the main aisle. She really enjoyed it, dancing around in her seat and clapping enthusiastically. I was glad she was confined to the pushchair, I don’t doubt she would have been making a beeline for the stage had she been at liberty. Godzooky 2 also had her 18 month check up by the Health Visitor yesterday, and she seems to be spot on for her growth. Our only real area of concern is her lack of clear speech. But Godzooky 1 was similar, he got by with hand gestures for a long time. Her understanding is really good though – the Health Visitor asked where Mummy’s baby was – and she ran over the room and lifted up Mrs Zilla’s top and pointed to the bump. I’m hoping that is a good sign that she’s ready to accept a baby coming into the house. She does seem to really enjoy being around other littluns, so fingers crossed. Now I must get all my papers ready to send out before our departmental Christmas “do” this afternoon. Things could get messy later…..

So true

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Today is the day of the school nativity. Well day one of two. The children in the nursery only go for the afternoon or the morning. They take part in the nativity as well, so to ensure everyone gets a performance they do one in the afternoon and then one tomorrow morning. Godzooky 1 is a reindeer this year, and has slowly been revealing the songs they have to sing, you can catch him at odd moments in the supermarket singing small parts of it. Last year he was a snowflake, but his moment of glory was playing Joseph while he was in the nursery. This morning he revealed further information: apparently he has a red nose in the play, so I’m guessing he’s Rudolph. It’s times like this that make me really appreciate what being a parent is all about. There’s certainly more than hint of magic about having the opportunity to watch your kids performing in a nativity. I’m certainly enjoying the festive season a lot more since having kids. As an only child I never really enjoyed being cooped up in the house for long periods over Christmas. Then I spent a large part of my 20s not really getting in the festive swing. Now I get to enjoy the children enjoying it.

Festive Spirit

Work progress has been slow this morning. We received a quiz from a temp agency that we use. Twenty questions relating to Christmas to win a luxury hamper from Selfridges. Google should be glowing hot about now! We’re stuck on two questions though. When did it last officially snow in Manchester on Christmas day and what colour did St Nicholas originally wear, and why did it change to red. My preparations for this afternoon’s meeting are not going to be as thorough as they should be. The Christmas spirit in the office seems to be gathering pace. Our full time temp has now finished for Christmas. Every year he goes away for a month with his wife. This year they’re going to Portugal, and in fact he should have landed by now. It’s our office Christmas lunch on Friday too, so that’s helping the festive spirit. This is our departmental do before the official company do next week. Which most of our department can’t attend because it’s on our busiest day of the month. Bah humbug! We need to increase our number of visits to the Christmas markets as well. Work is far more enjoyable and passes far quicker after a jolt of mulled wine at lunchtime.

Back to the Drawing Board

Well, after a long time spent comparing my template to an original version in minute detail, I could spot no differences. So to try and get things back in line again I thought I'd try another blog template. Fat lot of good that turned out to be. Bah! I'll change my mind and decide I like it like this.

For Mrs Z

GTT

Well Mrs Zilla had her Glucose Tolerance Test yesterday, and passed with flying colours. It would seem that she’s in pretty good shape, and things are progressing well. I still can’t believe that 4 weeks on Friday we will be getting the latest addition to our brood. 4 weeks! It really seems to have flown this time. I think having a smaller gap between the children means that we have been focused on Godzooky 2’s development, therefore the weeks have just flown by. The heavy bleed around 10 weeks also made me restart the clock in terms of time passed, so that’s knocked quite a bit of time off too. We’re going to have to get our act together, we still haven’t finalised the sleeping arrangements. We seem to veer from one idea to another. We need to make a decision and stick to it. It would seem that Mrs Zilla has changed her mind about pushchair arrangements. She didn’t want a double buggy – Godzooky 2 is pretty good at walking everywhere. Then she saw a mother at school with a new double buggy that doesn’t look that much bigger than a single one. That coupled with the thought of trying to get all three of them on the bus to school seems to have changed her opinion. So this morning I had the website details pressed into my hand, coupled with a yearning look. I’ll have a looksee later and take it from there. At least it is good news that Mrs Zilla can now eat and drink what she desires over Christmas. I was starting to fear that all the goodies she has started to accumulate would be off bounds. Then I would have felt guilty about enjoying any of them if she wasn’t able to participate. Now I've just got to make sure I get a share!

One off Catchphrase challenge

Ok - you know the drill - what phrase is represented by the picture?

Appreciation

This weekend was a great get away. The trip up to the Lakes was comparatively hassle free compared to recent attempts to get there. The weather wasn’t the best, but we got a good rain free day on Saturday. Getting out and about up there always reminds how pleasant it is to visit. The lack of noise, traffic and pollution is always refreshing. On Saturday evening it was starting to get dark, and we returned home along the coast road. The smell of the sea air combined with the great sunset was fantastic. As usual I’d left the camera at home, so the spectacular view was guaranteed! We went up over the large Common that separates my mum’s house from the sea. We stopped at the summit, largely to admire the view. The small hamlets and villages that are scattered around it twinkled like fireflies in the distance. It was pitch black by this time and the sky was clear in places. There’s such little light pollution that you can see millions of stars. Mrs Zilla and the Godzookies, got to see their first ever shooting stars. Godzooky 1 was amazed – he’d never seen so many stars before, and the concept of shooting stars excited him tremendously. I’d taken it for granted that people experience the same things in life. Mrs Zilla was 6 before she’d seen the sea. I appreciate where I was brought up so much more these days, especially have children of my own. Showing them the same things that excited me as a child is fantastic. It’s almost like revisiting your own childhood, but with a greater understanding and appreciation than you had at the time.

Freud

Not sure what to make of all this:

Freudian Inventory Results

Oral (63%) you appear to be overly passive and dependent, wanting things to be given to you instead of working for them. Anal (50%) you appear to have a good balance of self control and spontaneity, order and chaos, variety and selectivity. Phallic (56%) you appear to have a good balance of sexual awareness and sexual composure. Latency (36%) you appear to be overly practical; don't undervalue abstract learning, abstract learning increases your ability to make good decisions (and predictions) in the real world so it would be 'impractical' to shun it. Genital (60%) you appear to be somewhere between a progressive/openminded and regressive/closeminded outlook on life.

Take Free Freudian Inventory Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Blogs of Note

Perhaps I’m being slightly naïve with regards to this blogging lark. I started this after reading other people’s blogs. I wasn’t sure what I wanted it to be, and to a certain extent I’m not really sure what it is now. Part journal, part things that make me smile and the rest random thoughts. Visits to Lisa’s blog have opened my eyes to the fact that blogging is not necessarily calm waters. Her blog was listed on Blogs of Note and she has been deluged with visitors. Not all of these visitors have been complimentary, fine, we’re not all going to enjoy everyone’s blogs, but some of the comments seem totally unwarranted. I’ve visited blogs that aren’t my cup of tea, but haven’t felt the need to leave nasty, vindictive comments. Thankfully I’ve not experienced it personally, the worst I’ve had has been spam, which I could probably eliminate by turning on word verification for comments. Some of the spam has actually made me laugh, wondering how it has ended up on my blog.

I only hope that Lisa and others who suffer such a situation keep sight of why they are blogging in the first place, and don’t alter what they normally do.

Another early start

Well it was 4.15am when I woke this morning, although to be fair I did hesitate to look at the clock, fearing the worst. So it was probably 4.14am in reality. At this rate I should get a decent nights sleep in January. Oh yes, that's when the baby arrives, maybe not then. At least I'm only working half a day today, then off to visit the Lakes for the last time pre birth. So there's a chance of a lie in tomorrow! I've come to the conclusion that my body is trying to tell me that I've been getting too much sleep recently. Too many early nights with Mrs Zilla to blame maybe. Not that sort of early night either.

Guilty Feelings

I’m feeling a little guilty this morning. One of the referring pages to this blog was a google search. Apparently if you search for “Optimism Defined” this blog comes out as second hit. My Optimism Defined post was one of those crazy personal ads – the one that read “Albino he-she seeks similar” I don’t think that will have helped anyone needing inspiration regarding optimism!

Why oh why?

Aaaaaaarrrrrggghhhh – why oh why have I woken up at 4.12am exactly for the last three nights? What is my body/mind trying to tell me? That I should get up at this ridiculous time? Is this some dreadful premonition that this is the time the new baby is going to wake up? I hate waking at that sort of time, it takes me ages to get back to sleep. It always feels like I’ve just fallen asleep then my alarm goes off. I’m going to be Mr Crankypants today.