Wednesday 30 January 2008

Songs-n-stuff

It's theme song time.

At this point in my life, this song would be my theme song. It would play randomly, the appropriate bits at the appropriate time because all of it, the tune, the instrumentation, the lyrics, they all seem to work into my life at various points right now.

I do this from time to time. I get a song under my skin and then I start to realise how it has woven its way into the fibre of my life (ooooh nice metaphor, Heather!) Life is a bit more interesting when you have a theme song that goes with everything.

I'm not the only one who does this right? You have a theme song? Do tell.


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Now playing: belly - the bees
via FoxyTunes

Sunday 27 January 2008

What A Week!

This last week sucked. I worked until late in the eve every night, but now it's done. Woo Hoo! This weekend was great fun. I helped Chad plan Gillian's surprise birthday party, which was Saturday. I almost spilled the beans about this to Gillian on Friday after 1 too many drinks, but I caught myself just in time. She said she didn't notice and had not a clue as to what was in the works. The look of surprise on her face was priceless.

So today I have brought no work home and was looking forward to writing more about my luck with cars when I realised that the draft of that blog that I had begun is on my work computer. I find it a bit pathetic that a piece I'm writing for enjoyment has ended up mixed into my work. It's an example of my working too much. Sad, really.

Tomorrow I begin a strict health plan. Or perhaps I should say that tomorrow I return the healthy lifestyle I was living in Autumn. However, today I will lounge around and overindulge a bit. Am about to head up to Linds's and perhaps eat pizza.

In other news the boots that I wanted for ages were 70% off and I got the last pair in my size.

It's good to finally have time to write for fun again, even if that writing is a bit banal.

Friday 18 January 2008

Never Be Lonely

You know you are really over someone when 'the song' comes on and you don't want to vomit. Tonight I came home from the pub and turned on my computer, which I had put to sleep in the middle of its iTunes mix. Lo and behold, 'Never Be Lonely' by The Feeling started to play and I thought, 'Hey, it's been a while since I've heard this.' It was a song that my previous boyfriend liked enough for me for me to purchase and put on a CD for him for Valentine's Day last year. (As an aside I'd like to go on record as saying that I'm not really a fan of The Feeling. Neither is he for that matter.) Instead of feeling physically ill as memories of our previous relationship came flooding back to me as happened the last time I heard this song in July, I found myself smiling thinking of the fun we had and glad that we managed to remain friends.

Hopefully, I'll be one of those 'people in love' again soon. (Yeah that was cheesy, but I couldn't resist)


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Now playing: The Feeling - Never Be Lonely

Thursday 17 January 2008

Yes, I know it's been ages...

since I've blogged, but I've been busy. Hellishly busy. It's that time of the year again where I find myself under a ton of marking with the Report Card deadline nipping at my heels. Ouch! Plus we have to do this UBD unit on curriculum map software that is a) clunky and b) is slow going thanks to our snail like server service at school. Grrrrrrrrrr.... Oh and I got into a row with a friend of mine on Saturday. Something that will blow over and is beginning to, but it ate away at me a bit throughout the last few days.

I did take a wee bit of time out for myself and saw Charlie Wilson's War on Wednesday. It was pretty good. I even forgot that Tom Hanks was Tom Hanks and that Julia Roberts was Julia Roberts. Philip Seymour Hoffman was brilliant as always. I'd write more about it, but I'm knackered.

I began the My Luck With Cars part 2 blog a while ago, but I've had no time to finish it. I had a decent idea for a music blog, but I have had no time to even start that.

I hate living most my life around work. I hate being stressed. It sucks.

On that note, thank you to the faithful who routinely check to see if I'm still here. I am.

Off to sleep now.

Tuesday 8 January 2008

My Favs Pt 2 -Oh the Horror!

The thing about jet-lag when you travel from the West to the East is that you are tired during the day, but then come the middle of the night you can't sleep. Thus, I'm blogging.


It being the New Year and all I was going through my blogs from last year and I quite like this one. Despite my denial, it's a bit Nick Hornby-esque.

Quote

Oh the HORROR!!!

That bit before a first date is damn scary. Its hours away at this point for me, and I'm doing this, doing that, trying ignore the butterflies in my stomach. I've had some really good and really bad first dates in the past, but I prefer to simply forget the bad ones.

Not to sound like Nick Hornby, but my all time favourite first date was about 8 years ago with E-. We met at a show at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle. It turned out that we had a friend in common. We also were both David Lynch fans and had an obsession for the show Twin Peaks. E- was an Alfa Romeo addict. He owned two and one was working quite well. So, in his convertible Alfa we drove from Seattle to the town of North Bend, where much of the television show was filmed. He even had a scarf in his glove compartment in case a female passenger might be concerned about having her hair mussed. I wore it as a lark, put on my sun glasses, and felt a bit like Grace Kelly. Not surprisingly the day was slightly overcast, but the mountains were still lovely, and as it was August the temperature was mild. We conducted our own private tour of all the Twin Peaks spots including a trip to Snoqualmie Falls and had a late lunch at the 'Double R Diner' (in reality it's called the Mar T Diner. They have the best shakes and pie there.) We laughed and talked easily. I felt woozy at parts and couldn't stop smiling. Afterwards we went back to his place, hung out and watched a few episodes of Twin Peaks. Of course we made out a bit while watching the show, but we made sure to gave our favourite parts the respect they deserved. The date began at noon and ended at 1AM when I finally went home. Unfortunately E- and I only dated a few months before we figured out that we were more attracted to each other as friends. We're still friends.

My second favourite first date was in August of 2005. I met this guy off a web site and we chatted on the phone everyday for a week leading up to our date in Camden. He had a posh accent, but it didn't seem like he had that sense of privilege that comes from an upper class upbringing. I was delighted when I met him as he was quite sexy tall, slender, dark brown hair, which flopped in front of his big chocolate eyes. He was funny and witty. We walked through the market and had a lovely time chatting about this and that. Then we walked down to Regents Park and had a nice stroll. We played a game he made up called, "Dog", sat in the shade and people watched, which eventually turned into snogging. I felt like I was on a cloud. We walked to the tube together had-in-hand, and I turned pale as we had to take a lift down with about 40 other people. I don't like lifts but have learned to tolerate them. He put his arm around me, kissed me on the top of my head and said, "A bit claustrophobic aren't you?" I nodded and felt comforted by his close presence. When we got to Waterloo, we took the train together his arm around me, my head against his shoulder, both of us quietly reading the paper. He got off at his stop and told me he would call me tomorrow, which he did. However, on our second date he revealed himself to be a true wanker. I no longer speak to him.

I'm writing about this right now to distract myself. However, I need to take care not to get too diverted. One time I locked myself out of my flat hours before a first date as I was focussed on something else. My mobile and I were separated by the locked door and my neighbour, who knew how to climb up the wall and open my back window, was on holiday. Eventually another neighbour came home from work. Her mother owned a ladder and lived relatively close. My window was open, so I was able get in and text my date letting him know that I would be late. I showed up half an hour late, in work clothes, and unable to properly primp as I had planned. Not having bathed, I was paranoid that I smelled the entire time we were together. Things went pretty well though. We ended up seeing each other off and on for about a year and are now friends.

In all I guess it is the dates that aren't spectacular that lead to lasting relationships. Regardless of how first dates go the time leading up to them is quite nerve racking. Augh! I have now wasted a good hour writing this and the time is closer to my departure. I'm still just as nervous. Perhaps I'll clean my flat before I go hmmmm and haw about what I should wear and what shade of lipstick to don.


So as for the outcome of that first date, we had a fantastic time. I'd even put it up there in my top 3 of best first dates, coming in at number 2. Thus it wins out over the out the foppy-wanker-dog boy. (Sorry, but the Twin Peaks date is difficult to beat) . The specifics of the new number 2 favourite first date I shall keep private. As for the relationship, we dated for a while, broke up, and now are decent friends. First dates no longer unnerve me so much.

In other news, my friend Steph is coming to London for a visit in Feb. Woo Hoo! In truth it was the excitement about that which brought on my second wind of energy. So, now I will take some sleep aids and curl up in bed and hope to drift off.

G' night.

Saturday 5 January 2008

Additional Lessons Learnt in 2007

Two final lessons...

If you are travelling on a long international flight (10 hours or so) and have your shoes off for comfort, make certain you put them back on before going to use the loo or else you will have urine smelling socks. I actually learned this over the summer, and I was halfway to the toilet on my flight to the US when I remembered. I had no problem remembering this on my flight back.

So, yes I'm back in the UK now. Tucson was great with my family although my brother couldn't be with us, and Seattle was....uh....interesting. It was good to see those I was able to see, but as usual I wasn't able to see everyone. I had a great time, don't get me wrong. However, things are no longer the same with many of my friends and will never really be again. There's a lot of hurt and anger presently. I had many heavy conversations with many people and heard many opinions about why this is the case. Despite it all there does remain a love and camaraderie among those I was able to see. And, so my final lesson in 2007...

You can never really go home again, but true friendship really will always survive any adversity.

And so I'm off to Linds's to have a quiet night in since I'm getting over my jet-lag, but at least my socks don't smell like urine.