Monday, 2 October 2023

Monthly Musings: October 2023

An overview of opinions and observations for the month.

01/10/2023 @18:56
What began as a day with only the vague plan of Sammie & Lance visiting us quickly escalated into an expensive but fun filled afternoon of Starbucks ☕🍰 Tenpin Bowling and arcades 🎳🎰 a drive out to Buxton with Lysh's head out the front window like a happy dog 🚗🌄 then a Maccies for tea 🍔🍟!

02/10/2023 @00:24
Just home from a great night at Playhouse with Terry, Stace, Moz, Sammie & Lance to celebrate T's 37th birthday! 🎮🍕🍻

02/10/2023 @13:34
It's not about O365 email compromises because a user inputted their credentials into a fake site 🤦🏼‍♂️

03/10/2023 @14:31
Work today has been waylaid dealing with an Azure Enterprise Application using a Microsoft Graph API which was configured by the malicious actor via the compromised O365 account... 🤬

04/10/2023 @09:24
It's a Pandora's Box kinda day 📦 fucking Pithos, man!

05/10/2023 @17:44
Concluded the O365 breach investigation... productive meeting with Wakam... been to Derby with Bill and Raj to install the Lexmark printer over there... and now Bill just dropped me off home. Been a productive day 😌 now to just hope my Mum is okay since she is up the hospital after having a fall this afternoon!

07/10/2023 @18:12
Been a lazy weekend with Bug just playing on this new Halloween update for Bloxburg 🎮 got some action packed expensive weekends upcoming to offset these quiet ones! She's now gone home for a sleepover with her step-sister Izzy and her cousin Amelia 😁

08/10/2023 @21:18
Had a nice time down Dad's for Laura's baby shower with a lot of the family 🐝 and then been to visit Kaz for a 'quick catch-up' which ended up being a few hours!

09/10/2023 @09:47
Bumped into V-Man yesterday on Hughson and it was very apparent in his dismissive acknowledgement when I attempted to initiate a conversation that something was amiss. Checked on Facebook this morning via my second account, and sure enough, he's got my main account blocked 😕

09/10/2023 @16:58
Lysh's school photo is beautiful 😍 and yet she is still so self-conscious of her perceived imperfections that she has requested I Photoshop it for her 😞 she does not even realise just how perfect she is already 💛

09/10/2023 @20:38
After saying I cba to do it today, whilst waiting for my pasta bake to cook, I spontaenously decided fuck it and started painting the kitchen 😂

10/10/2023 @21:25
For real, fuck these kitchen walls. FMAL. Powdery, flaking, peeling, bubbling... what is this paints fucking problem!?

11/10/2023 @09:37
Tez and Stace can't make Lysh's birthday party due to Tez working... then Laura says she isn't sure if her, Keanu and Joe will be coming... now Stay and Rich have dropped out because she's been put on shift... 😖 kiddo is looking like having a very underwhelming birthday with only a handful of guests fuck sake! 😭

12/10/2023 @23:46
It is what it is. I've done what I can. The 11th birthday weekend is about to commence, and all I can hope is that my efforts have been enough for bug to have a good one 💛

13/10/2023 @19:16
Lysh tried on her £40 Halloween outfit which looks sick... then says she needs more stuff buying for it, because it hasn't come with a skirt or dress, when she thought that it did 🤦🏼‍♂️🤣 I'll never be rich, but at least my kid will be happy!

14/10/2023 @01:38
Been (im)patiently waiting for Lysh to go bed so I could set up the living room with her presents for tomorrow! In order to surprise her with them, I've had to let her stay up late and not uncharacteristically force her to go bed really early... so now here I am about to start sorting it all out at daft o'clock! 😂

14/10/2023 @20:11
Had an awesome day at Waterworld with Lysh, Sammie & Lance! Naturally Lysh was right at home in Typhoon Lagoon, which largely echoed our Siam Park experience of ignoring the slides in favour of a wave pool 😂 after getting upset because staff said was too big to ride the children's Jungle Flumes, we did manage get her to come on a few slides (Family Multi Slide, Cyclone, Hurricane, Super Flume, and Nucleus) and despite being too tall to go on a double-dinghy with me on Cyclone, she actually enjoyed it so much that she went back on it a few more times throughout the day! 😁 She really hated Hurricane though! 🙈 I managed to ride every slide except the Thunderbolt which was annoyingly closed for maintenance 🙄 we had fun in the Rapids including a 'Little T' lookalike in red shorts getting a knee in his back when he decided to backdrop onto me, after which I kept seeing him glaring at me with his little cronies 😂 also saw Belly with his fake leg & Anoraki in there too which was a blast from the past - and whilst having a natter, Anoraki told me Scott Clevo is getting sent prison for biting off his missus' ear?! 😐 We've been Morrisons after and managed get £98 worth of food for tomorrow... thankfully Sammie convinced one of the staff to apply their staff discount which saved me £15! And now we're back home, Lysh is having a shower and then we'll be having some tea! Long but very action packed and fun day! 😁🥰

15/10/2023 @13:23
Frustrating morning rushing around trying to prep for this birthday party - only for Lo to turn up 25-mins early, and have Joe on the warpath whilst me & Lysh were try to sort out decorations and food! Finally everything seems sorted now, 90% of the guests are here, and I think the celebration can get underway! 🤯😩😅

15/10/2023 @21:22
The audacity of Ree telling Lysh that "your Dad could take you out but he just doesn't make an effort" because we had her birthday party at home is fucking laughable. Most of all because it was Lysh's choice to have a party at home. She didn't want to go out. I asked her. Instead I spent £100 on food, decorated with banners and balloons etc., and then had a stressful day entertaining a houseful of guests and playing host at kiddos behest. Just like she wanted. Trust me, I'd rather have taken her out - that would have been my preference - cheaper and a lot less stress. But it wasn't my birthday, so my preference is irrelevant. Funny thing is, I'm fairly confident that Ree's approach to kiddos birthday celebrations will be herself choosing what they're doing to celebrate without even asking Lysh what she actually wants to do, and then bitching that she's ungrateful if she doesn't show appreciation. Poor kid has so little control over any aspect of her life because her Mum always misguidedly believes she knows best, and that her opinion is what matters the most. Deluded. Maybe if her Mum put as much effort into Lysh as she does into going on daytrips or holidays abroad with her fella (or for elective surgery because she's too lazy to exercise and lose weight naturally) perhaps she wouldn't need to deflect her insecurities onto me and could instead have a healthy productive relationship with our daughter? 💁🏼‍♂️ Doesn't make an effort? This birthday weekend has cost me almost £1,000 and a shit ton of stress! 😂 Everybody who matters knows that all of my effort (and money) goes towards Lysh. Wild that someone could imply otherwise tbh 🤯 "You need to do better. Mind your own business."

16/10/2023 @12:34
Charlie's dog Ramos has had to be put down after being hit by a car 😭 fucking heartbroken for him, they were best friends... 😔

16/10/2023 @20:02
Unexpected visit off Sammie & Lance bearing big news! 🐣

16/10/2023 @20:37
On video call with Lysh, and she tells me that she asked her Mum if she could go Bon Pan for her birthday and got told no - they are going Frankie & Bennys because that's where her Mum has decided 😐 soooo... guess who's taking Lysh to Bon Pan on Saturday? 😏😝

18/10/2023 @00:00
Happy 11th Birthday to the most important person in my life; the one who makes my skies brighter, and my world a better place: my amazing daughter, Ilysha!! ❤ It absolutely baffles me how fast the time has flown by - my brain cannot even process how she's grown so quickly into such a beautiful, creative, expressive and original character, seemingly overnight! 11yrs?! HOW!? 🤯 And though I grieve her childhood flashing by, I am also so very excited and impatient to see how her life continues to unfold! 🥺 To be there every step of the way proudly cheering her on, celebrating with her in her victories, consoling her in her heartbreaks, and creating more shared memories that we can cherish for eternity! All the future birthdays, daytrips, holidays, school events, life events, all of it...! 🤗 I love her more than life itself!! Happy Birthday Bug!! I love you most!! 💛🥰

18/10/2023 @01:20
Could not resist staying up a bit late to pop the Plat on Persona 5 Strikers 🎮🏆😝

19/10/2023 @18:35
Had a relaxing yet productive Open GI User Group Day at Abbey Hotel Redditch 💻

20/10/2023 @23:46
At Lance's £750k family home with him, Sammie & Lysh, watching a film on this massive TV after a couple hours in their hot tub with a few mocktails 🌊🍸 how the other half live 😅😐

21/10/2023 @16:54
Spent all afternoon sorting out Bug's new Boho bedroom & she is well chuffed with it 📦🏮 now we're waiting for this Maccies to get here! 😋🍟

21/10/2023 @18:15
Communication is key 💁🏼‍♂️ I can't read minds, so you need to tell me if your plans require a change in routine for me. If not, the dildo of consequence will be arriving unapologetically unlubed. For context, when she was picked up just now I overheard Lysh tell her Mum that she'd already eaten her tea, and her Mum sounded audibly angry about it - I can only assume that she was intending to take Lysh out her a birthday meal tonight? But since nobody told me to the contrary - I fed Lysh the same as I do every other Saturday night - and expected her Mum must be taking her out for a birthday meal tomorrow instead. Now I'm thinking maybe not - but regardless, it's not my fault if nobody communicates information to me.

22/10/2023 @10:35
Reading Prince Caspian, and wondering if C.S. Lewis was a racist? "The Dwarf who had wanted to kill Caspian was a sour Black Dwarf. His name was Nikabrik."

22/10/2023 @20:02
Asked Lysh if she'd had a good birthday with her Mum: she replied that she'd spent it "constantly crying" and didn't want to talk about it 🤦🏼‍♂️😔

23/10/2023 @12:38
Feeling frustrated presently about the whole situation with Ilysha's 11th birthday. She has had a new pair of shoes off her Mum, and when she brought them to mine at the weekend, it was pretty apparent they are fake Converse. In fact, they do not even say Converse on them - they say LOEE REACH. A cursory Google reveals them to be some discontinued Temu derivative that cost £14. This is the woman who previously chastised and chided me for buying our daughter clothing that she deemed to be 'subpar', stating our daughter deserves only the best. When I was looking at the label trying to figure out what brand they were, Lysh asked me what I was looking at, and I didn't have the heart to tell her they were fake because she seems blissfully unaware. "All Converse say that on don't they?" I don't want her questioning her self-worth because her Mum is not even willing to buy her proper brands (despite insisting previously that I do) whilst simultaneously spunking money on other unnecessary crap like upgrading their air fryer, a new nail desk for her office, or screeding the kitchen floor. I bought her real Converse that she picked out herself at JD Sports to take on holiday to Tenerife - not even for her birthday - but her Mum isn't even willing to spend the £60 on her, just some £14 knockoffs for her birthday? Pathetic.


But wait, there's more. Ilysha told me her main present off her Mum was some AirPod Pro's - I agreed it's a solid gift which she'll definitely make use of - but then they're named as "Marie's AirPod Pro's" when connected via Bluetooth? That makes me seriously believe that she has just regifted her own old AirPods to Lysh for her birthday, rather than buying her some new ones!


Meanwhile I've spent over £600 on gifts alone for Lysh, without the cost of celebrating her birthday too. This is her Mum who previously bought her a Nintendo Switch, then sold it. Bought her an Xbox, then sold it. Got her a GoHenry Card then cancelled it. It frustrates me no end because Ilysha is my priority, and yet she clearly is not her Mum's. Her Mum who accused me of not "making an effort", yet went to Greece last year with her partner (without Lysh), flew to Turkey for expensive elective stomach surgery earlier this year, booked a spa log cabin getaway for her partners birthday, is going to Tunisia with her partner this coming weekend (without Lysh)... but doesn't put anywhere near that effort (or money) into her own child. I celebrated Lysh's birthday this year with a day out at Waterworld, a family party at home (at her request), a night of hot-tub, mocktails and a film at Lance's, and we were supposed to go Bon Pan but at Lysh's request we had a Maccies instead. I checked on FindMyIPhone yesterday and the only places I saw Ilysha's devices (for her big effort filled birthday weekend with her Mum) was at her Mum's work (watching them decorate), and on Congleton Retail Park outside B&M. 


So when Lysh tells me she spent her birthday weekend with her Mum "constantly crying", it's hard to not feel justifiably angry. This weekend coming I'm picking Lysh up from school and we're going the Trafford Centre, a family Halloween Party, Pumpkin Picking & a Corn Maze, her friends 11th Birthday Party, a Blood Pool Party at Dimensions, and then Trick or Treating - as well as doing pumpkin carving and halloween baking. For the record, that's what making an effort looks like - the fucking audacity of saying I could make more effort last weekend is fucking astounding! Wild.

24/10/2023 @19:38
Been and bought some Halloween decorations to hopefully make this years celebrations even more spooktacular! 🎃💀🧛🏼‍♀️

25/10/2023 @08:03
When I awoke this morning and opened my eyes, all I could see was the Orbital Probe Cannon exploding against the backdrop of Giants Deep, and the bright blue probe tracking off into the distance 🥴

26/10/2023 @23:23
Had a decent day at Scarefest with Sammie, Lance, Emma, Jord & Tez 💀👻🎃 Nemesis Subterra, the Curse at Alton Towers, Congo River Rapids, Galactica, Daz Games: Panic, The Invitation 1827 Scare Maze, Darkest Depths Scare Maze, The Attic Scare Maze, Altonville Mine Tours Tiny's Revenge Scare Maze, The Smiler, Burial Grounds Scare Maze, and the Wickerman 😵🔥 Lance smashed his iPhone & tipped half his £3 can of Monster on the floor, Galactica's queue was 2hrs so Emma stood eating homemade soup and we stood under a speaker playing looping music that drove Lance insane, the staff member wouldn't let Sammie in Daz Panic, Emma had a rage after hearing about Sammie's suitcase of adult toys for the last time, kancho was the recurring topic as was Lance's Dad's solicitor, the four girls who snuck into Tiny's Revenge Scare maze and were utterly terrified, opted for the single riders only queue for Smiler and still got to sit with Tez, we all went on Wickerman in the dark to end the day (including Sammie who undoubtedly regretted her decision when it started flying around like mad!) 😬

27/10/2023 @18:47
Met Lysh from school, took her home to grab her stuff then walked to the bus stop... aaaand then walked back so she could go toilet 😂 then walked back to the bus stop up the tracks... got home and got to see her happy reaction to all these halloween decorations I've put up! 🎃👻💀😁

27/10/2023 @22:01
What even are kids these days? Lysh has made a gacha animation about a pedophile 😐 the exposure for kids in 2023 genuinely concerns me. Earlier she was singing "give me one margarita and I'll open my legs/give me 2 margaritas and I'll give you some head" 😐

28/10/2023 @18:24
Busy (and expensive) day at Trafford Centre with Lysh, Sammie & Lance including going Archies for a £34 lunch 😐 then we left the girls to go spend Lysh's £220 birthday money whilst me & Lance went for a little go on a few Arcade machines then Belong Gaming for an hour on the PS5's where I immediately scored a Victory Royale on Fortnite [Squad Fill] 😂 then we met back up with the girls in Build-a-Bear where Lysh was trying to spend £37 of her money on Gracie's birthday present (settled for a £17 bear with a £5 heartbeat) 🤯 then we had to go customer service to check the gift card balances since they were declining in error! Lysh still needed to find a dress for Gracie's birthday so me & Lance walked back to the car as he was losing the will to live 😂 I went back in to find the girls & left him in the car and found them in New Look where Lysh had settled on a £30 dress with some £7 tights to go with it 😳 then Sammie spent like £90 on Morphe skincare in Selfridges 😐 then we went to Superdrug where the guy on the tills informed us we couldn't use a gift card unless the balance of the card was higher than the basket value 🙄 so I told him to cancel some items to get the order below the gift card balance so we could use it ffs, then do a second transaction for the rest to be paid in cash... utterly retarded these gift cards are! Now we're heading back home to get ready for T's Halloween Party which we're already late for!

28/10/2023 @19:28
The seam on Lysh's brand new £30 dress has already begun coming undone up the sleeve! 🤬 She is currently crying and I am utterly powerless to do anything to fix it. And now she's getting further upset because her mascara is ruined too. Fuck my life.

29/10/2023 @00:48
Had a lovely time at T's Halloween Party. I cannot overstate the amount of effort that's gone into decorating the house. It is impressive as fuck. Lovely spread of buffet food too. Lysh's sleeve has now split up past the elbow so it's going back New Look for a refund because I'm beyond annoyed! Chris won the fancy dress contest. Me, T, Keanu & Emma won the Mummy Game. And I won Charades. Been an awesome night, and now Lysh is lay on the sofa absoultely drained telling me off for suggesting she may be tired 😂

29/10/2023 @01:06
Aaaaand she's asleep 😅

29/10/2023 @12:17
Passive observation stemming from Chris's comment last night re: the degradation of communication in children. We have long viewed hieroglyphics through the lens of the Egyptians being primitive and lacking the comprehension to articulate to our own level of intellect. Is it instead possible that akin to our own regression from verbosity to utilising emojis to simplify communication to condensed representation of an idea, that the hieroglyphics are simply a similar regression that their society devolved to toward the end? 🤔

29/10/2023 @12:45
New Look never emailed the receipt to Sammie for this fucking dress 🤦🏼‍♂️ so it looks like Nana Lego needs to get the sewing needle out!

29/10/2023 @17:04
Nice afternoon at Wheelock Hall Farm with Lysh, Sammie, Lance & Joe 🎃🌽

29/10/2023 @17:48
Ang has absolutely bossed the fixing of this dress 🙌🏼

30/10/2023 @14:22
Pumpkin carving 🎃🔪 two mouldy pumpkins are already on the doorstep 🙄 I'm gutting this big 'un for Lysh, and I'll have the ghost pumpkin for me! Lysh has had a rant because I don't understand how she intends to do Jax off TADC's eyes... I'm doing Jack Skellington! 💀

30/10/2023 @17:18
Late for Gracie's Birthday party because Lysh has had a meltdown over this dress because she doesn't like the fit 🤦🏼‍♂️ Sammie ran her down to have a look through Emma's wardrobe but she ultimately still ended up in her own dress albeit paired with a cardigan... Sammie has been curling her hair now for 20-minutes, and my head is falling off knowing how late we are going to be 😬

30/10/2023 @19:16
En route to Dimensions Blood Pool Party after thankfully having a fun time at Gracie's party!! 🙌🏼

30/10/2023 @22:28
Had a fun time at Dimensions - Joe was a little leech and clung to me like he was allergic to water 🥺 he loved being in the hot tubs and suffice to say he hated getting back out into the cold water! Had a fun time bombing around the rapids and whirlpool with Lance & Lysh 🏊🏼‍♂️ and we all had a go on the Dragon Slide 🐲 then after we got out and dried, the kids had a thrash in the soft play tower and I bought the pair of them some candyfloss 🤗 now Lysh is in the shower & I'm cooking us a bit of tea because we are starving! 🍴

31/10/2023 @01:11
Aaaaand my filling has just fallen out... because fuck me I guess! 🦷😤

31/10/2023 @11:50
Just woke up... what the hell! Talk about a much needed kip!? Best get up, need to do some washing, finish pumpkin carving, we're doing some halloween baking, and supposed to be hanging Lysh's Boho 9-picture grid! Then it's Trick or Treating time after tea tonight! Busy day ahead! 😂🙌🏼🎃

31/10/2023 @22:13
Overall, I daresay it's been another wonderful Halloween with my favourite person 💛 now to relax and recuperate! And high time to complete Outer Wilds I reckon! 🎮

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