Note to self

[blamebrampton]

Dear self,
It's great that you sometimes grab a small handbag and just stuff a few essentials in it for a jaunt up the road. It means your lovingly curated handbag collection does not go to waste, for a start. And let's face it, your work handbag is a bit bloated. No one will ever need two New Yorkers, three New Scientists and four pairs of gloves for the one day.

What would be even greater is remembering to put your keys back in your main handbag when you get home. I know you aced the return of the wallet and phone, and that's terrific. But the thing about keys, the really really good thing about keys, is that they let you go back inside to get your wallet and phone, whereas the reverse is not true.

Still, at least the cash meant you were able to go across the road and buy a tin of catfood, so Biscuit the Time-Share Cat stopped whimpering at you accusingly. And the wireless does reach to the doorstep. And it's not raining at the moment. And even if it were, the eaves extend out over this bit. But your bum is really cold and Mr Brammers is not here yet. And Biscuit has gone off to sit on her cardboard stack now she's finished eating. Ingrate. So, perhaps pop the spare set of keys in the spare handbag next time? Or use your brain? In the interim, you could use this time to write, you know.

Big hugs,
Me

Comments

[monster-o-love.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, you poor baby!!!! That really sucks very much. :( Hope Mr Brammers gets home soooooon!

And aren't cats just so annoying condescendingly elitist once they've had their food? It's frustrating. Dear kitty, I am NOT just a food-dispensing-warm-lap!!!! ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Our two official cats are very good: they come back and do the whole 'Thank you so much, you are very kind, I am giving you a spot of love here!' routine.

Biscuit, who really lives around the block but who often fails to go home, does the whole 'Why are you still here?' trick. It really puts me in my place!

Inside now, warm and dry, hurrah!

[vaysh11.livejournal.com]

Well, at least it's not raining. :) And how did your laptop fit into the small, key-less handbag, me wonders?

*pets Brammer's self*

Oh, and thanks for the PG explanation on the Zider-fic. Once I do my Christmas reading, I'll have the internet open to look up each and every abbreviation. Btw, the did you read the comment where the person was doing the cross-word puzzle while reading the fic. I still have some sore muscles from laughing ... :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Heh! As soon as I posted the above, the rains returned. A nice old lady stopped to sympathise with me and I had to tell her to stop chatting and go and seek cover as the rain increased sharply.

I'm inside now, my bum is warm again! *Contemplates keeping some cushions on front porch ;-)*

You're very welcome for the explanation. I rather wish I had more time as I would be able to encourage the writer to do a crib sheet to this story, though I have still not done one for Public Good, which suffers a little from the same problem.

And that was one of the great comments of our time!

Did you have a happy birthday?

[vaysh11.livejournal.com]

Crib sheets would be wonderful, indeed.

My birthday was wonderful and happy and as uneventful as I wanted it to be. :)

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

You might have to perfect your handbag management skills, but you rock at humour when looking at your dear self.

*sends hugs and sunshine*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I grew up surrounded by hippies and lawyers, Cats! It was either be really good at laughing at life or rebel and become a merchant banker ;-)

(Sidenote: A friend from one of the communes I stayed at regularly as a child DID become a merchant banker, and she is now enormously wealthy (still!).

When we were in our early 20s, she suggested to me that, given I am actually better at maths than she is, I might like to throw away my arty cred for a few years and follow her down the path of making lots of cash.

I replied: 'Look, I think it's wonderful you're doing so well, but to my mind the entire economic growth model is based on shared delusions of worth.'

She, using the same words as everyone else I had ever said that to, said 'SHHHH! You can topple economies that way!' The year before last, as the cascading series of failures that would lead to the official GFC were well underway, we ran into each other. She shook her head, and said with tongue in cheek: 'Well, I hope you're happy with yourself.')

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

That's such an awesome story about you and your friend. *grins*

I wish I had grown up surrounded by hippies and lawyers. Sounds like fun. :-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Often fun, occasionally filthy, freezing and eating lentils in a country that you didn't speak most of the languages and suspected was devolving into civil war ;-)

And that was just the lawyers -- boom boom! (I jest, the lawyers were responsible for such highlights as the Christmas dinner in which a bell was found so my grandfather could ring for a division, and the family took sides in the room to back whichever side of that argument they supported. 25 years later, no one remembers what the actual argument was, just that we were all expected to leave table to settle it.)

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Oh dear ... civil war, really?

You must have been a lot of people at your Christmas dinner so that this procedure made sense. I try to imagine something similar with my family - but there's no way that would have worked out. Lol.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yes, 30 was a small family Christmas. The one year that the numbers looked as though they were going to hit triple figures, we kids took a vote and managed to wrangle Christmas dinner with the stable staff who were staying on at the farm. It was MUCH nicer!

And Dad's ability to arrive in countries as they destabilised was so astonishing that I once wondered out loud if he was gun running in his spare time. Then again, in the 70s, civil war was more or less a national sport in much of sub-Saharan Africa ...

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Wow! We were 6 people at the best times for Christmas. I've always wanted to know what it would be like to grow up in a big family.

My dad is so obsessed with security that he would have never taken such a risk. He told me he was once almost mugged and beaten up as a sixteen-year-old, and that left some traces...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm the only child of both my parents, but I have two half-sisters on mum's side, and I stopped counting cousins after they hit 40. Dad had quite a few brothers and sisters -- and my grandparents aren't even Catholic!

My dad knew how to spell security, but was convinced it was important for other people ;-)

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Amazing! I'm an only child, too. And we're Catholic. Lol. There is larger family on both my parents' sides, but we never celebrated Christmas other than with the core of grandparents, parents and child.

[deensey.livejournal.com]

Or you could leave a spare set of keys here?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I have meant to do that! But I called him and so in the same time it would have taken for me to walk up and back, I was able to feed Bickers, tell the internet I am an idiot, and stay out of the rain ;-)

[deensey.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, this is true. However, were it midday, ou'd be screwed. <333

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Let's be honest, it was a miracle he picked up his phone ;-)

[deensey.livejournal.com]

Our J's are similar in some ways.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

This is true! You around tonight?

[deensey.livejournal.com]

Going to a play with kazzia.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Have fun! I'll catch you later!

[inamac.livejournal.com]

Which reminds me, I need to have a spare key cut for the dog's handbag - the one with his treats, toys and poop-bags that I grab to take him for his morning walk. But at least I have company when sitting on the doorstep waiting for Lil to let us back in.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I theoretically had company, but Biscuit's idea of company is 'Oh how are you, you are so lovely, I am so fond of you, do you have food?'

Then: 'Is that food! Oh you are so kind! Thank you so much. OM nom nom nom nom nom!'

Then: 'I'm sorry, have we met?'

[brissygirl.livejournal.com]

I've a notoriously bad habit of losing the keyless entry for my car. Usually when I need it desperately so I can go to work or something. Normally it sits in the same place in my handbag but its in a little side pocket that has no zip, and consequently tends to fall out. A LOT!

Thank you for the giggles dear Brammers!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That would be very annoying! At least I always know where my keys are, even if it's not where I would like them to be ;-) And you are very welcome!

[supergreak.livejournal.com]

I used to lock myself out ALL THE TIME. So I stowed spare keys in the treehouse, under the patio cover, under the doormat...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Alas, I live in the inner city, where there are quite a lot of burglars. That said, we deliberately keep the front porch messy to deter burglars and amuse Biscuit the cat, so there are probably a few spots I could stash one ;-)

[glass-violet.livejournal.com]

We don't lock the door. I have had a key for more almost two years, and have never, ever used it.
*lives in alternate universe*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

YOU DO! But you are spectacular at adapting to our wacky ways here. XXX

*Looks at diary in desperate bid to find time to visit your universe!*

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Ha! I have resolved this issue! (We shan't discuss how many times I arrived at work without my card key, stranded in the parking lot, cursing the fact that no one else starts as early in the morning as I do, before I arrived at this solution).

I have little purse INSIDE big purse. 'Tis true. I have the essentials in little purse, and the goodies in big purse. That way, when heading out to the store, I remove small purse, knowing everything is in there.

Works wonders. *hugs*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's a good idea! The only practical problem is that I have the giant wallet of doom, and a smallish central zip compartment in my work handbag, so finding one big enough for the former and small enough for the latter will be an issue.

It may be that I need to indulge in some craft!

You're a genius!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

I have a little pouch wallet inside my little purse. I gave up the big wallet of doom (woe ... it is very pretty) a while back, BUT before I did that, I had my non-essential cards (i.e. all those store points cards, kids' library cards [mine is essential], credit cards [only one is necessary]) and extra change in the secondary, big wallet. Now they fit in the zip compartment in my big monstrosity of a bag.

Glad to be of service. :)

[absynthedrinker.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain. I am famous for losing keys and breaking eyeglasses. I hope all turned out well.

Peace,
Bubba

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It did :-) Mr Brammers rang back quickly, left his work drinks and came to save me before the rain really hit. He is a good man!

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Did you try Alohamora?

*giggles*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

No, but I did try bribing Cookie and Monster who were inside the house. 'Go to Brammers' other bag and get the keys, little kitties!' I said. 'There's chicken in it for you!'

Mon looked excited when I said chicken, but when they both realised there was no chicken actually coming and that I could not give them tummy rubs through the post slot, they blinked and went back to sleeping in the bedroom.

Should have rescued a dog ...

[elsie.livejournal.com]

I'm terribly sorry about your bum.