Because it's the end of the week and the end of the month, the office isn't quite so busy today.  We've gotten through most of the problems that the students seem to find themselves in at the start of the new semester.  The introduction of a new meal plan system at the dining halls has been one of the bigger problems this year, as most students don't seem to realize that, yes, they will want to have more than one meal a day, even if they don't like the dining hall food.  I have two loan counseling sessions this afternoon, both for students who need emergency loans.  Those should go smoothly, though I suspect one of the students is bring their parents and that often leads to longer, more frustrating meetings.  One of my work studies hasn't shown up yet, so I ought to call him and see if he plans on coming in or if I ought to start doing the photocopying myself. 

At least the shop has been quiet for the past few weeks and I've had a chance to spend some time with Rupert during the day.  We should be having lunch together today, unless something unexpected comes up.  I'd like for my work study student to come, as if he does, I can have him do not just the photocopying, but also the few deliveries we have, and I might be able to leave around 2.30pm this afternoon.  I've put in enough overtime this week to do so, but all the sundry jobs around the office need to be finished up before the weekend.  But,  yes, I'm hoping to see Rupert this afternoon, for a late lunch around 2.30.  Maybe even earlier, but that depends on the counseling sessions.  If so, I might just walk over to the store instead of making him pick me up.  He's been such a love lately, bringing me lunch when we've been hideously busy, and even bringing some scones for the whole office one day.  He's even been playing with Nigel a lot more, since I haven't been home as much as I'd like, and dear little Nigel has gotten quite talkative with his Daddy Rupert.

If Rupert's working tomorrow, I might go into the shop with him, at least for part of the day.  I think he could use some more attention at home, which I very much look forward to providing, and maybe some help in the store.  I also want to go to the pet store downtown, but I can do that on my own, between helping out at the shop or just keeping Rupert company there.

I'm thinking of getting some new things for Nigel's chinchilla habitat.  (I let Rupert do the decorating for the rest of the flat...)

String of Apples chew toy - I think Nigel would love this.  He usually gets carrot toys, and some holiday themed ones, so this is a bit different.  I'll have to get him a few of his little carrot toys, too, so he doesn't get worried about missing his favorite.

An adorable multi-colored hidey box - the little wooden cabin Nigel has now has gotten rather chewed up.  Plus, I like him to have fresh, clean things in his habitat as much as possible.  He does like colorful things, too, and look at the little windows. 

This hidey box is quite cute, too.  But I'm not certain about getting something for Nigel with the word 'economy' in the title.  I might get it and place it buy his pet bed on the desk.

The Hide and Seek Tunnel is very useful, though it's plain.  Nigel already has one, but a new, clean one wouldn't be out of place in the habitat.  He loves to poing around this in the habitat, or curl up in it to nibble on one of his treats or toys if there are other people in the flat.  He also likes to poing atop it and talk to us if we're in the sitting room. 

I really like this Hay Manger.  Nigel's never had a manger for his little hay, and I think he might like this.  Of course, he tends to like anything he can nibble on or that might also come with a treat.

He's very fond of these berry treats, so I'll get another bag of them, too.  I'm not certain about baking my own biscuits for Nigel, though I have to admit I'm intrigued.  I think I might need to let Rupert decide on this one, as he's the one who uses the kitchen the most for cooking, and he might have to be the one to make the biscuits.  I'm not certain he's interested in preparing chinchilla cuisine, especially after the adventure of the new and different kibble a little while ago. 

Well.  I ought to get back to work.  My work study still hasn't arrived, so I might be taking a walk over to the registrar's office.

Current Mood: busy

It's always a bit disappointing to come home after being on holiday and California is always so different and disconcerting after being home. Still, it's nice to be back to our own flat and see out little Nigel again. Although disappointing, life hasn't been slow enough to be dull since Rupert and I got back - the office is always busy, though the prospect of winter break and the reduced hours that come with it make the work day more bearable. The shop's getting busy, though, with the holidays approaching and Rupert's been even more busy than usual with a basilisk demon on the loose in Sunnydale.

I've so many pictures from our holiday - it's so exciting. I promised my colleagues that I'd bring them in one day after I've put them all in an album. Scrapbooking them would take too long and I really want to show everyone how lovely Uffington and Oxford were. I'm not sure my co-workers will want to look at all the pictures I took of Rupert, though. (Though, well, really, why wouldn't they? There are so many very good ones of him. Of course, the ones were he looks especially good, or the few taken in the hotel room, are staying home and away from all other eyes. Those are mine.)


We got Nigel a little log cabin to put in his habitat that he seems to like quite a bit. It's not as colorful as a lot of his toys, but he seems to enjoy nibbling on it or hiding in it and making delighted little eeping sounds when he peers out of the little window. (Um. Yes. I've taken pictures of that, too...) It sounded like he was eeping at Rupert before rather happily, which is possibly one of the most adorable things. I think there was a raisin treat involved, too.

Current Mood: content

Well. Ah. Er...

Most of my conversation this evening has been comprised of small, monosyllabic sounds of surprise and pleasure, I think. (Which, no, have not been confined to the bedroom, thank you. Though, later, perhaps?)

Rupert, my wonderul, thoughtful, amazing partner, has booked us a holiday. A holiday. And not only that, but - we're going home! This month. I can hardly believe it... He had no reason to do this, but he did, and I... I can't believe how he came up with such a plan with such short notice and without me noticing. We'll probably spend most of our time between London and Oxford (and, um... Uffington? I haven't asked yet, as I don't think Rupert shares my affinity, but, if there's some free time, and he doesn't mind, the walk would be nice and... We don't have to stay long, really...), as we're only going for the Thanksgiving holiday, but I'm very excited. I'm almost certain I can get the Monday after Thanksgiving break off, as I've consistently been doing overtime whenever I could this term, usually in the mornings when Rupert gives me a lift to work.

And thank goodness there isn't any family to be dealt with on this visit. I'd need much more time to prepare for an extended visit with my parents, though I suppose my Mum would like to see me, and, all right, I suppose my Father, too. Though I can never figure out why he wants to see me and it makes me very anxious.

Oh, we've got plans to make and friends we can finally go visit and oh, this is just amazing.

Current Mood: jubilant

( As it turns out, mostly blither about Rupert... )

Current Mood: relaxed

Autumn has yet to prove it's going to be a positive sort of season. Well. Let me qualify that a bit. Work hasn't been too bad for me this week - we haven't been too busy as the fall term business has calmed down a bit and the spring term hasn't yet become a priority. Actually, once I've gotten rid of all the remnants of my head cold, I think everything will seem quite pleasant at work. My work studies are quite helpful and bright this term, and the weather is cooling down a bit so the campus is pleasant enough to walk through between classes and at the start or end of the day.

But, yes. The supernatural, hellmouth based activity does seem to intensify with the end of summer. Rupert's been terribly busy with the shop and with his Watcher duties, which... really makes me wish my salary could support our small family. I suppose Rupert would get a bit bored having nothing to do but be Buffy's watcher and, well, I suppose a stay-at-home chinchilla-daddy. (Though, really, how adorable does that sound? And Nigel would be ever so pleased to always have his dear Daddy Rupert at home all the time for him to talk to and play with and watch telly with.) Still, it would be so nice to be able to tell Rupert to not have to worry about the rent, or food, or car insurance.

The poor thing's been having such a bad time of it lately. I don't think he's feeling very well, as he's been a bit more droopish than usual and has been in a, ah, how can I put it? Less agreeable mood of late. I think he fell asleep after coming home from working in the shop this morning and early afternoon, and was quite out of sorts and cranky after I got home from work to find him still in his work clothes, which were all wrinkled, and his hair mussed and looked rather slept-on. He sounded a bit croaky, too, and rather looks like he's trying very hard not to cough or sneeze at me. Poor Rupert. (I suppose I've given him my plague, which always makes me feel guilty, since I seem to manage to do this at least once a year to him, and I suppose it's inevitable, yet, I can't help but feel badly over it.)

Nigel's looking rather anxious lately, but petting him a lot and letting him snuggle on the sofa with us helps a lot. I'm going to give him some extra attention tonight, though we've already had a very nice game of carrot wrestling and poinging about the couch cushions earlier this evening. Right now he's trying to eep at Rupert, I believe, and give him some pettings.

Which is very needed, I think. Along with tea, which I'm making for Rupert, and I'll try and get him relax a bit and not look quite so frazzled. (It's probably asking too much to try and get him to take painkillers and juice along with the tea, isn't it?)

Current Mood: worried

I reallly do need to update more.

Quick summary: Work. A very large amount of work. Also, still feeling ill, but have been trying to work through it, despite the lingering cold and sinus infection. More work. Rupert looking rather stressed. Nigel being adorably meepsome and also very patient when his Daddies don't have time to play for the many hours he'd like us to.

It seems like I've spent most of today sleeping - my favorite weekend activity of late. Though, I think, this time it's due to the medicine I've acquired along with the sinus infection. Between working and being terribly congested, I wasn't able to sleep very well during the week. Being able to stretch out on the sofa for a couple hours after lunch and nap came as such a relief. I don't seem to be waking up in the middle of the night for fits of coughing and sneezing anymore, either, which is wonderful, as last weekend I seemed to be doing more waking up for that than actually sleeping. Plus, I was keeping Rupert awake, as he wouldn't let me go sleep on the sofa.

It's also rather, er... embarrassing to be ill when I need to spend most of the day at work around other people who ... well. You know. They notice how you've been snuffling through presentations and trying not to sneeze whilst talking on the telephone.

All right. I've promised my wonderful lover some hot tea and time to curl up before we both fall asleep, so I'm off to do that. I'm hoping to go into the shop tomorrow to help Rupert, so hopefully I'll have something more interesting than my maladies to talk about.

Current Mood: recumbent

Ugh. Feeling ill and tired tonight, but have made it through work day without terminally embarrassing myself due to the rather noticeable state of head cold-ness that I'm in the midst of right now. Giving the presentation on various types of unsubsidized loans was, er, interesting tonight. I'm suprised I didn't die of humiliation from the number of times I had to pause to cough, sneeze, blow my nose or take a drink of water. I would've rather had tea, but the meetings I had this afternoon ran over and the whole schedule got messed up and I didn't have time to make up new packets for the work study orientation this Thursday and Friday, forget going to make myself tea and the such. One of my co-workers did bring me a cup of weak, lukewarm stuff that was apparently tea. Not that I wasn't grateful, it just... wasn't very tea-like. (Plus it didn't have the lemon and honey like it does when Rupert makes it for me when I'm ill... Which might sound whiney, but by the end of the work day I was feeling quite whiney and tired and just wanting to go home.) The cold medicine had worn off by then, too, and I probably looked and sounded completely revolting.

Work was full of meetings, presentations, and my usual paperwork. Very exhausting. I came home, well, Rupert picked me up again, as he's being just lovely and wonderful to me this week, but yes, came home, fell asleep on the sofa, had a bowl of soup and toasted bread, fell asleep again after having a bath, and now I'm awake as my cold has decided to become violently annoying before bed time. At least only Rupert and Nigel have to deal with me shuffling about the flat, using all the tissues we own and trying not to be too noisy. Ugh...

Poor little Nigel has been eeping at me and trying to share both his kibbles and fluff with me this evening. He was being very adorable after exploring the sofa this evening (during one of the intervals when I was actually awake and mostly alert), for he just sort of cuddled up to be and eeped at me softly. I'm sure he just wanted to tell me about his day and what a nice time he had playing with his carrot toy.

Current Mood: cold-ish

I suppose Mondays always seem to last longer than other days, though, don't they? They loom heavily at the end of the weekend and the beginning of the week. Mine managed to loom from 8.00am up until after 9.00pm. I'd have been home a bit earlier, but the Q&A after the transfer student entrance loan sessions seemed to keep spawning more Q and very little A. I eventually had to send them on their way with the promise to answer any and all emails concerning their loans, etc. I think the staff at the student union was happy to see us finally gone so they could clean up and get the room back in order. At least there was tea. Our office is quite tea-less at the moment. And disorganized, as we have to keep going to the administrative services main office to send or receive faxes - it's isn't proving as easy to get all this communication done via email. I have no idea why and it was making me rather cranky by the end of the day.

Nevermind. I'm glad to be home where it is quiet and comfortable. Rupert's been hovering a bit and frowning at me anxiously, though, I suppose... That is, well, he did get me to admit I haven't been feeling very well today, though I didn't really want to bother him, but he was fussing about and looked worried, and... I think I'm getting ill, though, probably, just a cold. Not that the steadily worsening sore throat and runny nose haven't been annoying and uncomfortable already.

Perhaps the paperwork will have to wait until tomorrow morning. Yet, I have a feeling I might not be very eager about it then, either.

Current Mood: cold

Oh, god. I think I slept most of today, or, at least, that's what it feels like. Rupert didn't wake me up when he got up this morning, so I overslept terribly. Yes, I know, it's Saturday, but I don't usually get up past eight o'clock or so, even on my days off. He finally brought me tea sometime after ten o'clock and apologized for not waking me up, though I doubt he was very sorry. We went for a walk and out to lunch, and I did some paperwork and reading for next week, and then dropped off for a while on the sofa this afternoon. This seemed to make Nigel happy, though, as he was snuggling with me on the sofa and took advantage of me being asleep to curl up not on his cushion, but on my t-shirt and take a little nap of his own.

Horrible, terrible, stressful time at work right now. The beginning of term is always very busy, especially during the fall semester when we have so many new freshman and transfer students. And parents, of course. Parents calling and asking about everything from registration to student loan refunds to the cost for meal plans. Not to mention the recently deceased coffee maker and broken fax machine in the office. Not that parents ask about those things, but they're causing undue anxiety in the office and it's all very exhausting. At least the information sessions and seminars will be over in about a week. I've given so many lectures and power point presentations this week I'm starting to think it was a wise decision not to go into the teaching aspect of the university community. Not that USC has a very big department for ancient and demon languages.

I've been drooping about today and possibly being snappish to Rupert. I... I can't tell. It's so embarrassing; he's being so lovely and affectionate, and I can't seem to reciprocate properly.

Current Mood: exhausted

Mmm.  Friday.  Long week.  Glad to be home.  Love my family. 

Now, the longer sentence version of my thoughts:

I'd like to go to the pet shop tomorrow and get a few things for Nigel's habitat.  He could use some fresh, clean bedding and fluff.  Also a new supply of his little hay to nibble on, which he just adores and I can't bear to let him go without it for very long.  We have enough kibble and treats, but the habitat supplies are very, very important.  I'm also hoping there might be some new toys in for the fall, as Nigel's done an exemplary job of chewing his current toys to tiny bits.  Except for the latest carrot toys, as we seem to have an inordinately large supply of those. 

Also.  Er...  I suppose this will sound foolish, but I was rather hoping to get Nigel's photograph taken by the pet photographer at the pet shop.  My own pictures are decent enough and I do enjoy taking them.  Nigel is so adorable - it's so hard to resist wanting to snap pictures as he plays on his cushion or poings about in the bathroom or his play area.  Or when he's cuddled up in his little pet bed and looks so sleepy and quiet?  It's impossible.  I also do like taking pictures when he's snuggled with his Daddy Rupert in their scarf and they both looks sleepy and relaxed.  Yet, I thought it would be nice to have a better picture of little Nigel.  I'm a bit worried Rupert might laugh at me, but I'll ask him tonight.  Perhaps when we go to the pet shop, I can inqire about the pictures and find out if it would be appropriate and not upsetting for Nigel.

Whilst on holiday, Rupert and I got a lovely, very large, and very soft fleece blanket.  It got a bit chilly at night in the mountains and it was just so lovely to curl up very close together on the sofa with only the blanket covering us.  We've enough blankets upstairs, including a few very nice fleece ones, so this new is going to stay downstairs on the sofa.  I suspect Rupert is much more fond of the fall than of summer, so I think there might be more snuggling in my future.  Not that any season in Sunnydale is very cold, but the nights are often cool enough for such closeness.


This is also adorable - Nigel's already pulled it about and ensured it's proper fluff and appropriate for the habitat.   

Current Mood: sleepy