Social Networking Gone Crazy and Competitive

I am almost addicted to Facebook. Fortunately we can't do Facebook from work or I'd never get anything done. I'm also on MySpace and Friendster. In addition I'm on two other sites that I never use, Okrut and WAYN , but since signing on to Facebook, I've not been on those sites at all.

And now Google is introducing this, which apparently starts tomorrow. It seems pretty cool and I may check it out through Friendster or Okrut.

I'm going to be so busy with my virtual social life I won't have time for my real one.

Dogs Taking Up Arms.

I know, I know, I've not posted anything for over a week. I have several fits and starts that I will get to including what Steve and I did on his trip here, but I'm super busy at present.

However, I do have a few seconds to post this. Apparently the dog was as good of a shot as his owner. What surprises me, however, is that this is not entirely unheard of.

Will people ever learn?

Back to work I go.

What the hell is wrong with me?

So this morning I woke up with "Sexy Think' by Hot Chocolate in my head. Again, I haven't heard this song for ages. However, this time I own the song and have put it on a mix CD for an ex. I wasn't thinking of this ex when I woke up. I just had the song in my head for no reason.

Thus I'm bopping around bubbly and happy and annoying my colleagues with my good cheer.

Somebody slap me.

In other news my friend, Steve, arrives tomorrow, and I am off work for a week. Wheeee!

It Is Unusual

I have "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones stuck in my head. It's been there since I woke up this morning. Now this is unusual. First, I don't own any Tom Jones. Well I might since I was gifted loads of music this summer, but I have not sought it out or tried to play it. I actually don't really like Tom Jones that much, but I admit I do like this song. Second, I haven't heard it on radio or telly at any point here recently. And third, I don't really have a love interest per say. There are a few people I fancy and some residual feelings from the past that pop up every now and again, but nothing that would inspire me to go around humming this tune. Plus, as far as I am aware there is no one who loves me-well romantically anyway.

Still, I'm bopping around humming this tune as if I'm in love with someone. Weird.

It could be that today we are all dressed up like the 60's as we are celebrating our school's 40th anniversary, and this is a song from that era. Or, maybe it's an omen of things to come? (I'd prefer to think that, frankly).

Anyway, it's just unusual that I have 'It's Not Unusual' stuck in my head that's all. Felt like sharing.

Train Voyeurism

This past Thursday evening I was on train coming home from seeing Richmond Fontaine. Hey, I'm a poet! Anyway, it was late and I was a bit pissed since I had been 'force fed' whisky by the boys. I may not have been in the soberest of states, but I was far more sober than the two people seated in front of me. At first I thought they were a couple, but as the journey went on I learned that this was not the case. The woman, who was probably no more than 22, was on the phone with someone who I'll call Jamie and she was loudly saying things like, "Don't be such a liar, Jamie. I know all about her."

Meanwhile the young man, about her age and sitting next to her, was texting someone. I peered beneath the seats and over his shoulder to see what he was saying. He had written, "Of course I didn't tell her about the Irish bird. That was Paul. I denied everything."

The woman went on saying things like this, "Oh Danny. Oh that's rich. Yeah bring up Danny. You know Danny was a one-off and that was two years ago and I haven't done anything like that since. I've been completely faithful to you since then. What? What? Oh bullocks. Don't lie to me. Your own friends told me about the Irish Bird. So, I want to know are you sleeping with her or not? Who are you sleeping with? No. No! Just answer my question. Are you sleeping with someone else or not?"

She was sobbing at this point and the man next to her was just kind of staring at her. I pretended to be reading my book, but my eyes couldn't focus on the words anyway, so I just listened. Eventually she put the phone down and the man next to her said something like, "I wish you hadn't done that. You put me in a precarious position. He knows who you've been out with tonight, doesn't he? Us. So that makes it pretty obvious who told you, doesn't it? It would've been either me or Paul. It just puts me in an awkward position. I am forced to lie to him now."

The woman whimpered a few things that I couldn't understand. Eventually she started to fall asleep with her head on the window glass and then would shift her weight and put her head on the young man's shoulder. He just stared straight ahead as if she wasn't there.

I then started to think about this whole situation, which really was no business of mine. How loyal or faithful was that man? He told this woman what his friend had done and then couldn't stand up and defend telling her. In fact he denied the whole thing to his friend, who meanwhile was on the phone with her denying what he had done. Then when she hung up with her boyfriend, this other man scolded her for saying anything and implied that it was her fault that he was in the position that he put himself in. They all sounded like an unscrupulous group, but in my opinion he was the worst of the bunch.

Of course who am I to judge scruples? I sat there and spied on these two in my whisky laden state and now here I am blogging about it.

Yup, I'm going to hell and I'll probably see those folk there.

WOO HOO!!!!

I ran 6 miles tonight!!!!

I'm starting to feel it thought. Hope I can bike to work tomorrow.


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Now playing: Supergrass - Never Done Nothing Like That Before

FIVE MILES!!! YEAH BABY

My goal is to run a marathon before my next birthday. I have been taking my running more seriously, but haven't been perhaps training as well as I could. There's a running group I used to go to in Kingston, but I haven't gone in over a month. It's easier to run longer distances when you have running mates. I find running solo much more of a challenge. At 3 miles I hit a wall when I'm by myself, but not today. Nope, today I RAN FIVE MILES ON MY OWN!!!! I even ran into 3 friends while running and stood running in place while I spoke with each for a few minutes. Needless to say I'm quite pleased with myself, but I think my success may have quite a bit to do with my choice of music. I lost my iPod a while back and am waiting to visit the US for the holidays to replace that. Until then I use my phone which has almost no memory, so I can only put a few select songs on it. I do believe the playlist I created was responsible for my distance today. As the lyrics in my first selected song stat, 'It's the music that we choose.' (set list below)

Five miles down. 20 more to go.

Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Soulchild remix)

Lamb - Sugar 5

G. Love & Special Sauce - I-76

Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something

De La Soul - A Roller Skating Jam Named S..

Shriekback - Nemesis

Music and Memories

I'm being a bad girl. Currently, I'm at work and we are meant to be using our time to develop curriculum as it is an inservice day. Instead I've decided to blog a bit.

This summer I had to clear out all the stuff at my parents' house since they were moving. I shipped it all over to the UK via school, and thus three large boxes sit in my back 'office' (a storage room really). I cracked them open and took my photo albums to my flat last week. Today it occurred to me that there were CD's I hadn't listened to for a good long time in those boxes. I took a few of them out and put them into my work i-Tunes.

I'm currently listening to Lori Carson, who was introduced to me by an ex boyfriend. This particular ex was an alcoholic and used to be a indie buyer for a record store in Seattle, which I believe no longer exists.

I put up with loads of crap from this guy for far longer than I should have because I was shallow. He used to order 2 copies of sample CD's from record labels and then would give one copy to me. I also was able to see 2 to 3 great shows a week for free. (Even after we broke up he still got me and my friend, Steve, into a Robin Hitchcock show which we might not have been possible without his help. We had to pay for tickets, however.) It was thrilling to always be my ex's 'plus one', and I ended up sacrificing my own well-being for my music addiction. Finally, I realised that my happiness was worth paying the full cost of CD's and shows. It's difficult to watch someone you care for destroy themselves, and despite the lure of the accident on the side of the motorway, I chose to look away. I haven't spoken to him since I left the US.

While listening to this album, memories of this time period came flooding back. Instead of feeling badly about it, it occurred to me just how much I have grown since that relationship and in part because of it. That girl with the low self esteem, who wanted so badly to be the 'cool music chic' is more or less gone. I still really love music and consider myself a bit of a junkie, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my happiness in a relationship in order to see shows for free or be comped a few CD's.

Lori Carson's album 'Stars' is nice and mellow. I'm quite enjoying it as I blog, but I must now get back to work. I have a Fishbone album, which I shall be playing next for a bit of a contrast.


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Now playing: Lori Carson - Rainy Day
via FoxyTunes

My Week Thus Far

On Monday the shuttle to work smelled like it was burning. However, it was a cold morning so I convinced the other passengers that it was just the smell of the heater being turned on for the first time. I was wrong. As it turned into the narrow road leading to our school, it stalled and the inside began to fill with smoke. There was a small fire in the engine. We had to push the coach off the main road and up the smaller one leading to school. Then, we had to walk the rest of the way. There were a few kind people who stopped and picked us up as they drove towards the school. I got a ride the last 1/4 mile from a colleague. During the day I had a few students tell me that they had seen me walking as they went past in their parents' cars. I made certain to thank them for the ride they never offered.

On Tuesday the fire drill went off in the middle of our lessons. Apparently an electrical fault had set it off. We were outside for what seemed like forever in the balmy, October, English weather.

I regularly bike to the station where the shuttle picks up. It's about 3 miles each way from my flat. When I got home on Tuesday, I also went for a 3 mile run. Needless to say I was quite proud of myself. I biked to the station on Wed as well but didn't run.

On Wed parent/teacher conferences began. I actually said, "There is nothing wrong with a B. It is a very respectable grade," to four different parents. Get a grip people. They have the rest of their lives to stress over grades. Let them be a kid while they still can. Just because your childhood is over doesn't mean you should end theirs prematurely. In addition, there were far too many good tasting goodies in the staff room, and samples of each all found their way into my mouth. It's a damn good thing I have been biking to work.

Wed. eve I almost set fire to my kitchen while making appetisers for a girly night I was hosting for my neighbour Catherine's birthday. My kitchen was filled with smoke causing me to open all my windows. It was reminiscent of the shuttle fiasco earlier that week. All was well and good in the end, but I did end up throwing out an entire blackened baguette. Fortunately, Julia was at the store at the time of my mini-crisis and was able to grab me another before she arrived. Poor Catherine ended up stuck in her flat until almost 9 due to the idiot builders putting in her new kitchen. In the end we still enjoyed bubbly, nice snacks and a few episodes of "Sex and The City".

Today I woke up hungover (go figure) and decided to take the train to the shuttle instead of ride my bike. I again spent the entire day talking to parents and eating too much food from the staff room. When I came home the sun was shining, the temperature was warm, and it was a perfect day to run by the river. So, I took a nap on the sofa instead. I was just too damn tired and still a bit hungover.

I'm currently in my PJ's, watching telly and blogging about my oh so exciting life.

And that, my dear reader, is all for now. Stay tuned for another thrilling update soon....Yawn....I'm off to bed now.