I'm back. A year older and....ok, not so much "wiser" as "sunburned, broke, and with a new and healthy appreciation for flush toilets and hot water".

Oof, it's early. And two hours of sleep is not nearly enough sleep.

Aaaaaannnnnnnnd we're off! Talk to you in a week or so.

My pirate name is:

Red Anne Bonney

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
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International Talk Like A Pirate Day = best holiday ever. H'yarrrr.

It's always so nice when people really listen to your birthday requests.

Isn't she pretty? She won't be delivered until Friday, so I won't get my hands on her until after I get back from the Philippines, but that should be enough time for Masami and Stu to figure out how to work theirs (identical, ordered at the same time) and translate the instruction manual.

And yes, my breadmaker is a she. I'm thinking of calling her Annabelle.

Had a great time at Liam's house...they made fajitas for dinner and we drank some beer and made Liam do tricks (he can recite the alphabet up to "j", which I feel is very impressive for someone not yet a year and a half.)

Holy crap, Masami and Stu got me a breadmaker!

I am going to be cautiously optimistic and say that the weather this week would seem to indicate that summer is over. Maybe. Sort of. Here's hoping. At the very least, the nights have been a cool breezy 26 degrees and I have been sleeping with my blanket. (And the fan. I mean, c'mon. Let's not go crazy here.)

Of course, just as I have gotten used to the cooler weather, I will be thrust back into 34 degree humidity, but heat doesn't count when you're on vacation. I mean, I managed to traipse around Angkor Wat in weather that I will barely go out of doors for at home.

We have a new student, although just for a month and a half. Her husband is being transferred to Kentucky for three years and she needs to learn some English, stat. (Cheveda informs me, however, that learning English from a Canadian will do her no good whatsoever in Kentucky. Not really sure if I should bring that up or not.) The crazy part is, she just got married in August. Actually, I think she just met her husband in August...it was an arranged marriage. I'm kind of curious to know if she knew she would be going to America when she married him, or if they just sprang the news on the happy couple last week.

I got my first birthday present in the mail today and it is a doozy. It's a handmade Venetian leather book made in Victoria and is so stunningly gorgeous that I'm rather afraid to write in it. All of my writing tends to be either snarky or whiney, and this book deserves more than that. Maybe I'll have to try having some deep thoughts?

While I am grateful that it is under 30 degrees, the rain is beginning to annoy. It's been raining off and on since Sunday. I think I could handle it better if it were a constant downpour, but it's very mercurial. "Oooh, look at me", says the sky. "I'm cloudy, but the clouds are light and fluffy and here is a patch of blue. Do come out and run your errands." And then just as I'm far enough away from home to make it not worth going back, BOOM! The sky opens and I'm drenched.

About the only good thing is that it is still warm enough out that getting soaked is more of an inconvenience than a pneumonia-maker.

It's also the sort of weather where I have to sleep with the fan on, but need my blanket (my blanket! Hi blanket, I've missed you!) because it is chilly. But if I turn the fan off, the air is too humid and still.

In other news...er, there is no other news. I've been invited out for an early birthday dinner this Sunday. Masami tells me that Liam is going to make me dinner. So what I need to know is what kind of wine goes best with a handful of mud and a chewed up crayon?

Yesterday Liz asked me to research what kind of things there are to do in Cebu. So far I have come up with 1) shopping and 2) going to the beach. So, pretty much my ideal vacation. I have resolved to not spend a lot of money, but although the peso is very strong right now, I think I can still get a few good bargains.

Hee hee.

The kids were excited today...they've only been back in school since Monday and they've already got a Typhoon Day tomorrow. (Like a snow day, but deadlier. And damper.) I wonder how many moms will bundle their kids off to English class tomorrow?

I had the following conversation a few times yesterday:

Me: So, you guys went back to school yesterday, eh?

Kid: Oh, no, we've been back for days now.

Me: Uh huh. When did school start?

Kid: Sept 3rd.

Me: And what day is it today?

Kid: Sept 4th.

Me: Which would make yesterday....?

Kid: ....wow, really? It feels longer.

*speechless*

Pauline decided to curl my hair today, only to discover that my hair refuses to be styled. It took an hour to achieve this effect and it's already falling out.

And something for the more modest ladies, too.

Now there is a whole range of snacks for desperate flat-chested women.

Between this morning's earthquake and the thunderstorm in the afternoon, August did not exactly go quietly into that good night. But now it is September, and you know what that means! Well, yes, autumnally themed beer cans, but besides that!

Yes, it's time for your friendly annual reminder that my birthday is coming up, and that you'd better get hopping with the purchasing of the cards. (And gifts, if you are so inclined. You are, aren't you?)

Also, if anyone wants to present me with a manservant, I'd be ever-so-grateful. I'm getting tired of washing my own dishes and fetching my own beer. And something needs to be done about the recycling.