After listening to A Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis one too many times, I was intrigued by the line about Little Anthony and The Imperials and in my curious way I sought their music out.

It's brilliant stuff- Tears On My Pillow, Goin' Out Of My Head, Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop... Falsetto voice, doo wop backing vocals and excellent co-ordinated costumes; songs about losing the girl or never getting her in the first place. I've been listening to their greatest hits quite a bit recently- recommended pop with a bit more soul.

Little Anthony and The Imperials
Greatest Hits
88MB
192kbps
http://rapidshare.com/files/127412841/25_Greatest_Hits.rar

I've got too much work and too little time this week it seems, too many after school school commitments and not enough time to fully relax without something work-related being on my mind. I cannot wait 'til Friday and the opportunity to do fuck all for a bit; i'm meeting up with my Mum and an Aunt in Lahndahn tahn on Saturday - my Aunt has told my Mum she has met someone new - but she is still married (!) - and then I am heading into town with Leia Ewok Village to the most pretentious (s)wanky restaurant my city-masquerading-as-a-town can offer. We are splitting the bill :)

Fully Fashioned Stockings
(Manhattan Heel)
from
What Katie Did

I am planning to wear something with a bit of room in so I can fit my newly extra-padded self in more easily and so stuff my face without worrying about, um, popping zips. As a birthday present to myself I purchased a pair of most amazing stockings, ones with a very special heel. They're my first pair of Fully Fashioned nylon stockings, and have a Manhattan heel and a pretty finishing loop at the top- this is true pornography for the stocking aficionado, and the bigger the loop the better (look at these bad boys).

They were a little on the pricey side, i.e. over a tenner, but I felt like I deserved a small treat for my birthday; I also got myself a six-strapped suspender belt so that I can keep my seams straight when i'm out and about. The standard four strapped belts don't provide the same level of control and so my seams are frequently to be found wonky and all over the place, sometimes creeping all the way around the front of my leg. Not a good look.

The Manhattans feel so soft and light to the touch and once I cut a swathe through my body hair I am sure they will feel delicious against my skin. I love the contrast between stocking and skin and how comfortable they are to wear- no "hanging" crotch I get when wearing tights for this long-legged gal. They also add that somethingsomething to an outfit and help me feel like I am majoring on the attractive side when paired with a pair of heels.

It's not like I dress up terribly frequently but I do like wearing them to draw attention to my legs; it's always excellent to have a gal ask you where you got your "tights" from :) I correct them pretty quick...

I might wear my new purchases out on Saturday but i'm a little wary because for whatever reason my hosiery has not fared particularly well the last few times i've been out with Leia Ewok Village- Its has got caught on furniture and snagged on Velcro fastenings. At least some of the stockings I buy come in packs of three for just such eventualities. Maybe i'll just stick to plain ordinary seams and save them for a time when someone will get to appreciate the finishing loops. I may be waiting a while.

He remembered what day my birthday was on this year, which was an improvement. But not much. I feel like I have to shove all my feelings back in the box they came out of, but the box is small and the feelings generous.

Sometimes when i'm feeling particularly fed up with the world I forget how many good friends I really have; however pissed off I am by the anniversary, present choices, significance etcetera I am glad that my birthday provides an opportunity to remind me how very many I do have and how lovely they all are. Sigh.

monky posted at 23:12 | (0)

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18th B-day Cake [CC] by Stephen Jones

I survived the Evangelical activity centre outing and the e-safety seminar and I still have my job. Hooray.

I have an awesome new scarf courtesy of Caversham Princess and an excellently geek-satisfying book and I got lots of super kind cards and messages. I'm now seriously tired, and I need to curl up with Patrick super quick as I seem to be seeing two laptop screens in front of my eyes, when I know there should only be one.

Bed.

monky posted at 23:46 | (0)

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Barbers' Garden,
July 2008:
Dorothy Perkins
Rambling Rose

[CC] by Bill Barber


Oh dear, what with the impending doom of my birthday and the festive season I am, of course, browsing unobtainables.

Unobtainables are usually so named due to financial costs I cannot afford to meet but some do not cost anything but are unobtainable because I don't have anyone to enjoy them with- I know from experience that it's just not the same on your own, and that there's a special joy sharing with someone you love. I suppose all these things are tied up with my hopes for the future and go some small way towards what would be a really good celebratory outing. IN MY MIND.

Dinner at Hawksmoor
Super thick steaks are their speciality. Mmmmeat... at £21 a steak and up...

Sixty minutes of massage
Something i've longed for for a while; wouldn't have to be shop bought, could be given as a gesture of affection by an intimate.

The red-tipped black petticoat and polka dot circle skirt from Fairy Gothmother.
Again, things i've lusted after for years. Uber feminine- Just have to have something to wear it for. Humph.

A weekend away somewhere pretty with someone who cares for me spent eating great food, having good conversation and committing unspeakable acts between crisp cotton sheets.
I've never been able to do this with anyone; i'd like to pass some quiet, intimate time without distractions... just be able to let go and enjoy myself.

A bouquet of richly scented, non-red roses.
I *love* fresh, scented flowers, but cannot stand the cliche of unscented red roses. Ugh.

A birthday kiss
Never happened. I'd like a good one too, not a peck, I'm talking deep and long.

Of course, there's also the three weeks in Hawaii, but lets stick to obtainable unobtainables here...

Although thinking about these things is a little depressing, at least they are a bit better to spend time on than The Dubai Bombshell, which seems to insert itself nightly into my head as soon as it touches the pillow, keeping me awake thinking and thinking and thinking...

monky posted at 23:57 | (0)

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Joy-of-joys, my birthday rolls around next week- I'll be twenty-eight years old. Rock on. As per usual this annual event has got me thinking about getting older, what I have achieved in my life so far and my future aims; I have also been thinking about the latter because of the Dubai Bombshell and the related recent developments.

I don't think it is either fair nor realistic to expect to spend the rest of my life with one person- sizeable chunks are what I think is achievable. I suppose that a chunk could be anything from five years to fifty but I would hope that upwards of ten years would be the minimum. I also don't expect to like the person I am with all the time nor be "in love" with them; I don't expect to get hitched, I don't expect kids.

I think that marriage is important for the legal protection it can provide and although I am positive about a wide variety of family forms I believe that it is probably better to have a partner to raise your kids. Despite appearances I suppose I am rather traditional-leaning in that I would prefer to be hitched before I continued my species, but that doesn't mean I couldn't.

The recent developments with MW#1 have focused my thoughts a bit more on what I want from my career, i.e. how long I should stay in my job before I move jobs or take a break to start a family or change career. I think another five years or so would be preferable so I can get a decent amount of experience under my belt.

During my recent performance management my boss encouraged me to be ambitious and apply for a Head of Departmentship in the next five years; I was pretty surprised by this suggestion (and flattered)- I never see myself as a leader, knowing that my enthusiasm for things can frequently come across as being childish rather than childlike. I don't see myself being anything other than a "regular" teacher for many years to come, and I am very happy with that.

Aside from the fuckwits of the Senior Management Team I am very happy and satisfied in my place of work at the moment; I am not sitting on my laurels in that I am adding to my skills by working there- learning how to use the darkroom, ceramic and textiles work etcetera. I still don't have a permanent full time contract and I know that the same shenanigans will take place once again come the Summer term; my heart sinks when I think about it...

Anyway, i'm happy in my job. What else do I worry about, aside from the Dubai Bombshell and the welfare and performance of my students? Housing. Well, on that front a lot of things are undecided and really not worth thinking about until the new year. I'm not asking to own my own place, just to move a step up from student housing, but I don't think this is possible for maybe four or five years. So i'll continue to rail at the world and it's buy-to-let-greedy-fuckers unfairness for a long while yet...

A friend updated their Facebook status to say that she was "being whisked away for her birthday by her lovely man". What will I be doing on my birthday? I will be spending the morning in the company of my form as we collectively tackle high wires, assault courses, abseiling and archery at an activity centre - I am quite looking forward to this - that I have unfortunately just discovered is run by an uber-freaky Evangelical group; post-exertion I will dust myself down for at least two hours of "e-safety training" which will succeed in seriously pissing me the fuck off. YAY.

I'm more generously padded than I was at this time last year courtesy of an extra two kilograms of fat that has materialised upon me without my permission (I feel podgy), i've shorter hair and many additional stripes of cellulite; after two cervical smears I know I am also free from cervical cancer and chlamydia. Woo hoo.

This time last year no-one had ever told me that they loved me, nor had I told anyone similarly... Although I lie awake at night worrying about The Dubai Bombshell and the future ahead, I can at least say a little interpersonal progress has been made. Now i'm just waiting for it to be taken away.

monky posted at 19:42 | (0)

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