Facebook & The Time Vortex

Where does the time go??

When I'm not entranced with Robin Hobb's 'Tawny Man' trilogy, I'm on Facebook, Ebay or Email. And 'poof'... there goes all my spare time!!

In the last two weeks, though, I've sorted through and thrown out so much junk in my attempt to streamline my life.. so that really has taken up a lot of time. But it seems to be a never ending job. I haven't even started sorting through my clothes. I'm dreading it. I cant bear to part with anything, even though I dont fit most of the crap I'm holding on to and I probably never will again.. I just cant release my grip! I feel like i'll unravel if I get rid of my clothes. My identity. My face to the world. I just cant do it. Perhaps if I procrastinate long enough we'll haved moved house and settled in before Martin realises that I haven't actually sorted through it yet.

I cant believe I have sorted through my shoes already. I was sooo ruthless! It was really quite shocking. When it came down to listing them on Ebay I caved in on one pair of shiney metallic red mary-jane style shoes. I just couldn't bring myself to part with them. Though I cant believe that I'm going to part with all the other shoes I've listed. Its like I've torn out half of my heart.

And dont get me started on the huge load of handbags I sold last week.

My head is spinning!!

So, moving on. Facebook. Pretty sociable. I'm pretty pleased that they've got a Scrabble application. I love it. I've got about 5 games going on at the moment. I just wish I could connect to Facebook from work, and wish I could have more time on the computer in the evening (Martin is obsessed with Facebook!). I cant say that I'm obsessed with Facebook.. coz it only mildly amuses me, and being the socially inept moron that I am I just dont care enough about other people to want to spend hours a day scrolling through profiles of people that I was never really friends with in primary school and dont want to be friends with now. I would much rather rub squirell shit into my hair and smoke foxtails.

..But I do love word games.

Anyone want to have a game of Scrabble with me?? I'm not amazingly good at it or anything, and I can probably only get to the computer twice a day, but if you're not in a rush then I'm up for it! Anyone? Hello?

HELLO??? ANYONE WANT TO PLAY SCRABBLE WITH ME?!?!?!?!??!?!

Ebay - Still! Iron Maiden & Shoes!

Still yet more stuff listed on Ebay.. including loads of my shoes.

*sniff*

I'll be sad to see them go.

If you're an IRON MAIDEN fan then get your arse over to Ebay and check out what Martin is selling. He's getting rid of his ENTIRE collection of Iron Maiden records. Most of it he is selling to his brother, but we've listed some of the rarities on Ebay (and given them a 'rare' price tag too! I had no say in it. They're Martins. His records, his price!) - Oh, and they're all in mint condition!

CLICK HERE! (opens a new window)

EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY

Selling loads of stuff on ebay!

We're clearing out our house of all the useless junk that we either dont need, dont want, or dont have room for anymore.... because...

because...

... we've put in an offer on a house and its been accepted!!!

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!

My hunny and I are sooooon to be on the property ladder, and we're absolutely stoked!
The offer was only accepted yesterday, but already we're sorting through all our crap and getting rid of everything we dont want. Its so amazing how much two people can accumulate over just four years!!!

So.

EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY!

Anyone want to buy my treadmill? £700.. (RRP £900). Its in great condition. I'm such a lazy slob I've barely used it!

Or what about a set of Congas??? £120.. (RRP £225)

Anyway... to find my stuff on ebay just CLICK HERE (opens a new window) My ebay name is 'Witcheryk'

A New Lease On Life

I'm feeling strangely energetic and optimistic today! There must be something in the water...

This house hunting lark is frought with ups and downs. I'm going to have to get rid of my treadmill as its big and cumbersome... but I'll probably just swap it with an exercise bike cos they're a lot sexier looking.

I just wish I was at home right now, sorting through all my shit and throwing stuff away.. its so cleansing! We've got bags of rubbish sitting out the back door waiting to be taken to the dump, which I'll be doing on Saturday. Cant wait.

I'm also going to be listing loads of stuff on Ebay... so watch that space! My username is Witcheryk so keep and eyeball out for some great bargains - most especially my collection of books (mostly fantasy). I'll be sad to see them go, but the fun part will be buying new books! I just cant bear to give them away or throw them out.. we're so desperate for cash that I've got to at least try to get a penny for them!

I'll also be selling some Congas, a huge tv box full of videos, ummm... perfumes, shoes, a Star Wars chess set, magnetic dart board, ummm... lets see what else.. ummm... Hmm. Cant remember. Oh yes - loads of handbags! I'm having a clear out. I simply must! I'll also be sorting through my shoes and having a shoe clearout too. I desperately dont want to, but the box I keep all my shoes in is overflowing and it has gotten totally out of hand!!!

Its great to have clean-outs like this... coz there's the exciting prospect of acquiring a whole load of new shit! Hehehe.

Must make time to write though. I've gotta get three books written this year. Time is tick tick ticking away horribly quickly! - Even though time is a man-made concept and is totally a figment of our imaginations. I wish I knew how to stop deluding myself into thinking the minutes actually tick past one after the other.

Hey ho. Time will tell, though.

Hehehe!

House Hunting

My time has been eaten away by house hunting.

I thought that it might be quite exciting searching for houses, but its turning out to be nothing but misery. We either haven't got enough money, the houses are rubbish, or are already sold.

It sux.

Got another idea for a fairy tale though. It'll be called The Ravenous Oak. Perhaps sometime next millenium I'll get some time to write it.

I've skipped two books in The Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb to get straight back into Fitz's life in The Tawny Man trilogy. I can see hints at the story in the Liveship Traders, but for now I'm going to keep reading the Tawny Man. Perhaps I'll go back to the Liveship Traders when I'm done.

Ummmm... I'm totally broke.. ummm.. tired.. (which isn't unusual).. umm.. but other than that there aint nuttin to report. I'm really lazing off from Blogger lately and haven't felt the urge to read other blogs much either. Perhaps its just a lull.

We'll see.

Music!

Saw Metallica last night at Wembley Stadium.

It rocked!

I'm not a huge Metallica fan, Martin is though. He has seen them five times. I've seen them three times though.. thats the most I've seen one band. Muse comes in second place - I've seen them twice (and would definitely go again!).

Metallica definitely has grown on me, and I do have a favourite song - No Leaf Clover. They played it with an orchestra a few years back, and lucky enough they played it last night (adapted, of course!). It was pretty sensational.

I'm pretty impressed with the stadium. It was packed, but we were never squashed or anything. We had to wait ages in the beer and food queues though. And although there are 700,000,000 toilets I still had to queue up - but they used their brains when building them and made separate entry/exit doors!!

So, I was pretty stoked to be at Wembley Stadium, watching Metallica rock it the way it should be rocked. I think though that I was more excited about the thought that just twenty four hours before David Tennant was there at the Live Earth concert. Hehehe. I'm so sad. I cant help it though. I chuckled and grinned to myself and kept those thoughts to myself at the time, although now I'm uploading them onto the internet, public for the world to read.

But I dont care. I stand tall and proud about my crush. Hehe.

So. Live Earth. Pretty cool. So incredibly funny that poor old Jonathan Woss ..oops, I mean 'Ross', had to apologise everytime someone swore. Bit disapointing that they didn't show Metallica's full set, but thats mainstream bollocks for ya.

The other highlight of my week was seeing Tori Amos last Tuesday. It was at the Hammersmith Apollo, and its the first time I've seen her. It was fucken cool! She threw herself around raunchly between a keyboard and a piano and absolutely owned the stage. It was pretty funny that she completely messed up a song and had to stop. it was 'January Girl' from the 'Choir Girl Hotel' album. But even so, she was ever so cool about it. Cant say I liked her gold jumpsuit though.. but then again I've never thought much for her fashion sense. She played all my favourite songs though, so I'll forgive her.

So, it was a pretty damn good week if you ask me!

Stories At The Particle Empire

I've updated my Particle Empire blog space to accommodate my short stories and other stuff. Its pretty bare at the moment, but as and when I get the time I'll be adding more to it.

My short story that I wrote for the WriteLink Weekender Challenge is on there.

I re-read it and it makes me cringe. Hehe. It actually kind of makes me want to throw up. How on earth I wrote soppy drivel like that, I'll never know. But it got me shortlisted, so I must've done something right.

Anyway. I've had enough messing with HTML, CSS and this whole blog thing. My eyeballs are starting to dry out and hurt.

Gotta get back to work too.

A Good Day For Writing

Your Horoscope for JULY 03, 2007

If you've been thinking of getting started on a creative project of some kind, Kathryn Wheeler, particularly if it involves writing, this is definitely the day to do it. Your creative energies are really flowing and your mind should be focused and concentrated. The only problem is that once you start on this, you aren't likely to stop and do anything else. Remember to pace yourself and take little breaks.

Shortlisted!

In May I entered a short story competition with Writelink, and the results have just come out.

I got shortlisted!!

WOO HOOO!!!!

I didn't come anywhere near winning, but I dont care. The only other short story competitions I've entered are on The Libbon Magazine website. I only entered two or three and didn't get anywhere, so for my fourth try I thought I'd try the Weekender Challenge at Writelink, and hooray hooray my name has popped up on the shortlist.

I'm soooo pleased.

I'm stoked.

I'm over the moon.

I feel like I've got confirmation that I'm not a total knob head... and that feeeeeels soooooooooo good!! Yeehaaaaa!

Check out the results HERE!! See my name??? DO you seee it???

I'll post my story some time this week if I get around to it.

The theme was 'Falling', so I chose something deeply original to call my story - Autumn Leaves. Hehehe. I tried not to but I just couldn't get the story out of my head, so I had to write it as my head dictated. It was handy that the words just poured out, but also annoying because I felt that my head decided what story I was supposed to write without consulting me first. That happens far too often. I feel like I'm just the hand holding the pen while my head takes me for a ride and makes me do all the peddling. Grr. I'll take back control for the next short story comp I enter.

Hehehe.. Yay, I'm still buzzing that I got shortlisted. Imagine how I'd feel if I'd have won! Ha, nothing would get me down off that cloud for weeks!

Hmm.. looking forward to it!

Well, Fuck Me!

I cant say I'm surprised that I've got a luscious R rating. Although I did at one point have an attack of the guilts and went trawling back through all my posts replacing the word FUCK with F***.

I'm not doing that anymore. This isn't a child's blog, and it shouldn't be viewed by children. Got it, FUCK FACE? Hehehee.

Dont worry.. my words wont hurt you. I just dont want to censor myself when it comes to expression.

Drifting

I'm getting so slack at posting. I think I've started viewing it as a chore, rather than as something that I started voluntarily. I do actually want to post, and I do like posting... but there are just so many other distractions.

So, Dublin was good. Ate lots, drank lots. Enjoyed it lots.

Grrr.. I'm being hassled to get off the computer. I'm not moving. Bugger them. At work there are only two computers (two in the library, and one computer on the fourth floor) and I selfishly like to sit on one of them for the full lunch hour. Some temp chick is blabbing about wanting to check her email and that there should be a time limit. Ha. Fuck off. I was here first.

Man, that's really pissed me off. I hate being hurried. I HATE IT! It may sound childish, but I was here first goddammit, and I will not cut short what I planned to do just so that some stupid temp can do what she wants.

Hmm.. anyway, moving on.

Received a book in the post from Bookseller Chick. I'm stoked! I'm part way through it. I can only read it at bedtime, coz I havent finished reading the Robin Hobb book (The Liveship Traders - Book 1) yet and I read that on the train to and from work. I was actually thinking of starting reading another book that my Mum sent me.. but the only other time I've got free is lunchtime - and I spend that time blogging (and reading blogs and doing other internet stuff coz I dont get any time to do it at home since Martin discovered Facebook).

Books can be so frustrating sometimes. I've got so many I want to read, but so little precious time. NOT FAIR!! I may have split up my train time.. read one on the way to work, and a different one on the way home.

I still haven't seen the last Doctor Who from the weekend yet! I'm sooo hanging out for it!! I doubt I'll get time over the weekend since I've got a hen party to go to, but perhaps Sunday morning I could squeeze it in if I get up earlier than Martin and I dont have a killer hangover.

We started watching Cronos last night.. The same dude who made Pan's Labyrinth. My mind is once again awash with ideas for Fairy Tales. I'm really really excited about writing a collection.. I've just got to find the time to do it. I've also got to find the time to get my bloody Cloud People book underway. There just isn't enough damn time in the day to do anything!! If only I didn't have to work full time!!!!!

I'm definitely buying a lottery ticket or a few hundred this weekend! Definitely!!

Guiness Ahoy!

Thankfully I'm able to walk without groaning with every step! ..and just in time for a romantic Ireland weekend!

I've just booked the long stay car park, I've got all the stuff ready to go... all I need to do now is pack.

Note to self: Dont forget your fucking camera!

So anyway.. sadly, writing has taken a bit of a back seat since I've barely had enough time to scratch my arse recently. I've cancelled one of my piano students coz I just didn't have the time and patience (or will) to teach him anymore, and I've changed my adult student's lesson to be on Monday rather than Thursday. So, now I've only got two students, and both of them on a monday! Hooooorah!!! That leaves the rest of the week freeeeee.

Tuesday of this week was taken up by frivolity at work, and Wednesday flew past in a flurry of too much tv, tidying, and nothingness. While Thursday flew past with the last piano lesson for my adult student on the Thursday plus a trip to Bluewater, then a nice hot shower.

I still haven't packed for the weekend yet.

I'm looking forward to going, but I'm not looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn to be at the airport by 5am. Bugggggger. Why on earth did I book the flight for 7am! To save money I suppose. Thats the thing.. you can save money, but it will always be at the expense of sleep.

Right.. time to relax and enjoy the rest of my lunch hour.

Aching From Head to Toe

Yesterday after work we all went to an 'Its A Knockout' event which involved running around in teams getting wet and foamy.

It was bloody good fun, but I've never seen so many bottles of fairy liquid used all in one place!!

There was an inflatable 'mountain' that we had to run and jump over, but no matter how hard I tried I just could not get over it. At one point I slipped on the matt at the start and just hit the front of it. I bet I looked pretty stupid.

It was good fun even though I just could not get over that damn hill.

Today, though, every single muscle in my body is crying out. I've discovered muscles I didn't even know I had!!!

It just goes to show how unfit I am.

Must get back on the treadmill!! I must!!!

Lazy Weekend

I had a bit of lazy weekend.

Not really that much to report on.

Doctor Who was really cool. It was also pretty damn scary with those statues that moved but didnt!

Also watched far too much Big Brother.

Also watched a film called Deja Vu (with Denzel Washington in it). It was great. It was great. Hehehe.

So thats about it. Should be an easy week this week. I'm teaching tonight, but I'm going to dump my 7 year old student, coz I just dont have the patience or will to keep teaching him. Its too far to drive, and it'd be easier for me to replace his time-slot with my Thursday night student. That way I only have to go out teaching on one day a week, instead of two.

Counting down the days to our trip to Dublin on Saturday! Sunday will be our first year wedding anniversary.

I cant believe its been a year already!!!!!!!

Big Brother

Well... What a series!

Firstly.. Love the house and style and the idea to start with all girls then slowly trickle in the boys.

Secondly... Emily's removal. WTF???????? I'm absolutely apalled by Channel 4! Two words come to mind - Knee Jerk! How on earth could they lump all of the crap they got from the racism row of Celebrity Big Brother onto Emily's shoulders? Why the hell should she be made a scape goat just to save their arses?? She wasn't offensive or bullying in any way. She was joking around with a friend. I think there's a pretty big fucking difference between what Emily said and what those three girls in CBB said. The three girls in CBB were abusive. Regardless of the racial remarks they made, they were abusive. Emily was not abusive. I would even go so far as to say she wasn't even racist. She just blurted out a term that she was comfortable with and had grown up with and did not consider it offensive, and she had not meant any harm. She was being friendly.

IS the whole of the UK full of babies?! Why has everyone jumped up and down about this?? Have we got to the stage where no one can say absolutely anything in case we offend someone?!?! What happened to free speech???

If we're going to go down that path then lets consider all the other 'isms' that are deemed unacceptable but were raised in the BB house. Ziggy seemed to like calling all women sluts and bitches. Charley and Nikki were saying nigger. Shahbaz from last years BB called him self the double-whammy 'paki-poof', and I wonder how long it will take for people to start calling Laura and Carole fat. Is calling people fat going to be an 'ism' too? fatism? Body-shape-ism?

Big Brother has gone overboard. Was it fair of them to question Emily at 3.30am and expect her to defend herself right then and there? Was it fair of them to remove her from the house in her bedclothes? She said she wasn't even wearing underwear. How fair is that? I think BB's treatment of her is pretty damn poor if you ask me.

I was actually hoping Emily would win. She had been vilified from the start, and that little vixen Channelle is the one thats stomping her feet and wailing like a brat. Emily didn't once raise her voice or swear. She quietly stated her fair comments and thats it.

It pisses me off.

But it makes for good tv, so there ya go. Channel 4 are pretty clever. They could have dubbed the whole conversation and not made such a big deal out of it, but nooooo... there's just too much to be gained from something like this. They've got their publicity now. Even though Emily is probably going to be hated forever and will probably find it tough to pursue her career.

They should have just given her a stern warning and then moved on.

I'm moving on now. And the whole of the UK should too.

Phew, what a rant. Havent had a rant like that in ages. In fact I dont remember the last time I had a really strong opinion on something.

Ooops!

I cleverly updated my sidebar to include The Novel Racers... but stupidly forgot to actually put all the links in!

It has been fixed now!

I was pretty damn tired this morning after staying up so late last night. Doctor Who finished downloading at 1.11am and I stayed up to watch it.

It was great. It was oh so touching to see the Doctor aka John Smith being all human and emotional. I swear I almost wept. Hehehe.

*sigh*

I'll have to wait week by week for the rest of the series now. Grrr.

Waiting... Waiting...

Its nearly 1am and the latest episode of Doctor Who has almost finished downloading...

PLEEEEZE DOWNLOAD FASTER!!!

I'm watching Big Brother Live to keep me entertained while I wait.. I've also been browsing other blogs etc.

I've updated my side bar a fair bit recently. I juggled things around and changed my profile picture (again!).

I've also added a list of the Novel Racers. I thought I'd join, so now I really really really should get going on my novel. I'm such a lazy bitch. But, pillow washing really can be quite addictive and time consuming sometimes.

Man, I am counting the minutes til I can get my next dose of David Tennant.

I wonder if he ever googles his name... How cool would it be if he stumbled across my blog and my confessions of love for him. Hehhehee.

HEY, DAVID! CALL ME!!!

More More MORE!

I've just realised that I'm not completely up to date with Doctor Who!

I downloaded all the episodes over the weekend coz I hadn't seen any of them yet, but didn't take into account the episode that aired on Saturday!!

WHAT A DICKHEAD!

But... there is a silver lining.... it now feels like i've found 20 pounds in the pocket of an old forgotten jacket - you know that feeling, that stunning surprise and delight that you feel when you find out that there is 'more'!

If only I could make the damn episode download faster!! I want to watch it NOW goddammit! NOW!!!!!

It Must Be Love, Love, Love!

I've just spent the entire weekend catching up on the third series of Doctor Who.

I'm in love!

Hehehe.

I know I'm terribly geeky (I have a small plastic Tardis sitting on my desk at work and I'm incredibly proud of it) but I dont care. If adoring David Tennant (aka Doctor Who) makes me a geek, then so be it.

I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with the new 'assistant'. I dont really have anything against her other than that I thought Billy Piper was absolutely perfect. I suppose it doesn't really matter because its not like I'm looking at anybody else other than David Tennant when I'm watching it.

Hehehehehe!

Nemi Rocks

Lonely Lonely Lonely Writer

I'm on my own now.

Hubby has flown and I've got the house to myself for a week. I hope he has a great time, but I also know that he's flying into the viper's nest!! There are a bunch of girls at the office he is visiting that want nothing more than to get their slutty claws into him!

It annoys me that other people dont respect 'marriage'... but I have no worries with where Martin's heart lies. I've already got three email from him... though that may be just the excitement of having a blackberry! Hehe.

I'm not only lonely from Martin leaving I'm also lonely at work. Wendy is off sick, Sam is out at meetings and then is off for the afternoon, and I've no idea where Matthew is, so I've got the whole office to myself!! The underwriting department is not in the open plan section of the office with everyone else, we're secluded away in an office for just the four of us... but today its all mine!

I dont mind, though. My printer blocks everyone's view of my desk so I sat reading the Metro all morning, and I've gorged myself on three chocolate bars so far (to keep my spirits up, of course!). I attempted the sudoko in the Metro, but it looked frustratingly a little tricky.

I have had a flash of my first chapter for the Cloud People book (its the working title.. very bad one, too!). I'm starting off with my protag at aged 6 daydreaming on the roof of her castle. You see, she's the heir to the throne, so its fitting that she should have a castle. So anyway, she's daydreaming, then enter her friend (& future lover), boy aged 7 (wizard in training), and that leads to the girl falling off the castle...........

I dont want to go into it too much in case I lose my interest/momentum.

I haven't got a name for my protag yet, or for the boy. Or her father, the King. Or the title of the book. Hmm. I do have two names for two wizards though - Carillion & Fenchurch. I got the former name from a claim title here at work, and the latter is obviously a street & train station in London. Although, now that I've mentioned them I think they sound more fitting for army generals or something.

Hmmm.. will have to think on that.

Front Row

I've been invited to Caroline's book launch!

I sooo wish I could go, but its up in Manchester (and I'm in Kent) and I cant afford the time off work. Also, two days later hubby and I are flying to Dublin for romantic weekend getaway for our first anniversary! Cant miss that!

I do hope that the book launch goes well and I'm very much looking forward to reading it! Its been on my Amazon wish list for months now!!

GOOD LUCK CAROLINE!!!

Counting The Hours

My darling hubby will be away for a week from tomorrow morning. I've just booked him a taxi for 7am.

Its 15 minutes before my alarm usually goes off so I'll be having an early morning tomorrow... but its worth it. I've told him recently that rather than sneaking out of bed to go to work (coz he gets up earlier than me) its ok if he rolls over and wakes me with an envloping hug or little tickling kisses. It makes my dreams take a turn for the better!

So, what am I going to do all weekend???

Jack Daniels goes without saying.

I've got to mow the lawn.. which is a pain in the butthole, but its gotta be done. I've also got a few stories on Jerry that need uploading onto the computer.

I also need to back up everything on the computer to the two external harddrives.

I've also got about eight episodes of Doctor Who to watch... Yeeeeeeeee ha!

Oh, and of course, Big Brother has begun. And this time I've got More 4 to catch even more of it.

So, it looks like I'll have all my time filled.

Where are all my friends, I hear you ask... well.. yes, good point. It appears that steadily over the years I've been hemorrhaging friends left right and centre. I seem to have been come quite reclusive. Its not that I dont like to hang out with people, its just that I dont like to hang out with people. Hehehehe.. No, really. I just like to get things done, and I find hanging out with people a compromise on both of our time.

To be bluntly honest, I dont have many really good friends in England. Martin and I together have lots of friends who we can both see separately, but as in a best friend or someone I speak to all the time other than Martin.. well.. I cant really think of anyone.

Its not sad.

And I'm not sad.

It just is.

Besides.... who needs friends when you've got eight episodes of Doctor Who with David Tennant! Hehehe.

BUT!!!! - I must must must make some progress on my Cloud People book and/or my Fairy Tales!

Tarot

I'm sure I've done this before... but since I could have answered some of the questions a number of ways then I thought it ok that I repeat it.

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.
The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.
The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Back On Planet Earth!

So, I think I'm back to normal now.

The strange illness that strangled me over the last few days took me on quite a trip, but I feel like I'm back on planet earth now.

I've got back into reading the Robin Hobb book, The Liveship Traders, and I'm slowly catching up on a heap of blogs that I like to read...

I almost feel like I've been on holiday, but it wasn't a nice place to go.

I have an inkling that the recent meddling with the airconditioning unit and vents in my work building may have contributed to my downfall. Another girl at work who I chat to quite a bit complained of similar symptoms to mine over the weekend.

Hmmm.

Right. No more moaning about being ill. I tend to moan a lot when I feel crap. It must stop.

Before the weekend I'd made a start on planning my Cloud People book.. so I must get on with that. If I'm to write three books this year then I must get moving on it.

I've also had a few more ideas about some fairy tales to add to my fairy tale collection. I'm hoping that the deal I made with my hubby that I'd write three books by Christmas will be flexible enough to include a collection of fairy tales.

I'm sure I could talk him around. Hehehe.

I'm a Winner!

Hoorah, I've won something!!

I've been catching up on my blog reading ever so slowly since the disappearance of Miss Snark (still getting over her departure!), and I noticed that Bookseller Chick has drawn the results of the Free Books giveaway thingy... and lo and behold whose name was one of two drawn?

IT WAS ME!!!!!!!!!!

Yay... I'm so stoked.

Thats three books I've won in my life now.

The first was a geology book in a raffle back at Uni...

The second was one from Paperback Writer...

And now the third is from Bookseller Chick

YAY ME!

BB for MISS S

I am still feeling a terrible void from Miss Snark closing up shop. It was always nice to drop in and see what nitwits she was battling with. It always made me feel that little bit less stupid to see people asking questions that were stupider than I ever thought possible.

Alas I shall just have to get over it.

Big Brother starts tomorrow. Now, I wouldn't say I'm a huge Big Bro fan, but I do get sucked into it and get addicted like a skinny little rat girl on heroin.

I dont know why, but perhaps I just need something external to hook on to.

I suppose that Big Brother will have to take Miss Snark's place. Although I would prefer to fill that void with something literary rather than contrived shitheads.

Here's hoping to some housemates that are bashful/shy/humble/polite & just plain sensitive. I dont think I can stand another house full of half lesbian, half gay, singer/model wannabes that dress up like women even though they have dicks. Loud mouth love-me-do's just drive me nuts.

Maybe it might be nice to put a mute into the Big Brother house. Hehehe.

Wasted

Well, what a wasted long weekend that was.

I was right, as usual, that I would feel better as soon as work started back. Its so typical it makes me sick.

Perhaps I have an aversion to time off or something. I mean, really, what kind of bad luck is it to get ill at the start of a long weekend.

I feel bad for Martin... I've kept him awake by coughing and choking all night, as well as snoring! He told me that I sounded like Darth Vader last night!! Nice eh. So, I've been keeping him awake all weekend, but haven't gone out anywhere coz I've felt like shit!

We're getting very tired of staying indoors now. We had initially planned to go to Brighton for a day, or Rochester or something.. but I suppose the weather would have spoiled that plan if I'd have felt well enough to go anyway.

The most we got up to was going to Bluewater a few times to get some new clothes and stuff for his trip next weekend (he's going on a business trip to Texas! Fishing!! Lucky bugger!), but at least we bought a handful of new DVDs. We also watched the last few episodes of Lost (series 3) and Heroes. I was thinking of downloading Quantum Leap too, coz we never got to see the finale, but perhaps I'll do that for when he gets back from his trip.

I've downloaded all the Doctor Who episodes so far, so that when Martin goes away to his little Texas fishing trip I can sit at home and drown in a Doctor Who marathon! I CANT WAIT!!!! hehehe.

I certainly am a geek to the core!

Fingers crossed that I wont be ill next weekend too!

Delirium

I had the strange sleep last night. When I say 'sleep' I mean tossed an turned. I was absolutely freezing, but sweltering like nothing else. My skin hurt even from the silkiest touch. I could even hear myself wimpering as I tossed and turned trying to get to sleep.

I had some debit notes running around in my head that I just couldn't get away from. At work, you see, I deal with all the payments etc, and yesterday at work I ha a hard time photocopying the damn things because someone had jammed the photocopier and then just left it.

I was in such a state last night. I kept poor old Martin up too. In the morning, when Martin got up for work, I think I asked him to stay home with me, but I'm not sure how 'conscious' I was. It feels like a dream. I drifted in and out of sleep and I babbled like a mental patient.

I finally woke up at 11am, feeling a little bit more like myself.

I still feel really strange and delirious, and I'm sweating like nothing else, but at least I can feel that I'm winning against this strange illness.

Its a bank holiday weekend, so it was absolutely typical that I would get sick. No doubt I'll start to feel better by Tuesday by which time I've got to get back to work.

At least I've got today off!

S&S & MISS S

Since I dont have a book published I know very little about publishing contracts, but I did know that once a book is out of print the rights generally revert back to the author... but I've been reading everywhere that Simon & Schuster are changing their contracts so that a book never goes out of print, or they hold the rights for the length of the copyright.

It doesn't sound good to me. Then again I am a bit of a control freak.

Methinks I may scrap Simon & Schuster off my 'publishers to submit to' list.

So anyway.. I've been reading around. There is a massive hole in the blogosphere now that Miss Snark has hung up her clue gun. It sux. So I've added a couple more agent links to my sidebar to try to fill the void. The Rejector comes close, but just doesn't use the magnificently colourful language that Miss Snark did.

Oh I do hope that someone fills her enormous shoes soon. ....or even better, that she sees sense and comes back!

Funniest Thing In The World!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Prank Call!

Writing

I just finished reading 'How to Write A Blockbuster' by Helen Corner and Lee Weatherly, and I must say I'm glad that I did. It has some very useful information in the back, including other books to read and contact lists, but the most useful part for me was the section on writing in a passive voice.

I never realised that I always fell into the trap of 'telling' rather than 'showing'. Its when the words 'was' or 'were' are used that the writing takes a passive turn.

I'm so annoyed with myself. I can't believe I have been so dumb and have not even realised it. Even now I'm deleting bits of this post that I'm writing coz I'm slipping into that past tense way of writing where 'I was' doing something etc.

The whole idea is to 'show, dont tell', and the examples listed in the book illustrated how much better the 'showing' paragraph read compared to the passive paragraph.

I'm such a dick.

A flaccid dick, at that.

Well... it can only be up from here.. hehehe..

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I cant believe it.

Miss Snark is retiring.

*sniff sniff*

Just when I find a site giving guidance without the contrite bullshit that goes with it, it goes belly up.

DAMN!

I didn't get to enter the Crapometer either! I soooo nearly did this year, but thought 'Nah, I'll hold off until I can polish it a bit more and then send it in next time'. Little did I know that there would not be a next time.

Bugger.

Oh well. At least she's leaving the site up so that people can trawl through the archives.

Procrastination

I've been fiddling with my other blog, which used to have an exerpt of my Nanowrimo novel posted on it.

I've now given it a makeover to make it look like my Particle Empire website which hosts my short stories and other little diddlies. Whatever a diddly may be.

I really should be writing this short story for the competition I entered.

The wordcount is nothing like I thought it would be. They really shouldn't call it a challenge unless the word count is going to be punishing.

Its only 1200.

But therein lies the difficulty. To craft a short story in so few words. To create complete and satisfying characters. To develop the plot within such constraints. I'm not sure if I can do it.

But I really should stop messing with my blog and start.

I just cant seem to think anything interesting up.

The theme is FALLING

Now, that can mean anything. Falling from a tree, Falling in love, Falling from grace, Falling as some wierd twisted idea revolving around autumn... or whatever. Falling onto something, out of something, into, around, up, down, and out. I dunno. I just know that there isn't a fizzle going on in my head.

The best thing to do is to make the short story fit in with my Cloud People book. That way I'm not only writing something fresh and new, it also ties in as background info for my novel.

Very good idea.

Now. To choose a plot.

And characters.

I should easily be able to make the theme work. The 'world' in my Cloud People book is suspended in the clouds by the magicians, high above the burning earth. Someone could easily fall over the edge.

Perhaps my main character could be falling already and the story relates his thoughts and backstory. It could end with his body splattering down on sharp and jagged rocks covered in molten lava that fizzles through his skin as though it was butter melting on a hotplate. His guts could spill out and burst as the contents boil and froth. His head and eyeballs could explode like eggs in a microwave and his genitals could drop off like a leper having a bad day....

Ooops.. I'm sorry. My mind wandered there. Hmm.. a bit grisly. Perhaps I should think happy thoughts.

Time to log off here. I might jump on the treadmill to kickstart my imagination.

Head in the Clouds

I've had a spark of inspiration ignite in my little brain which completes my plot for my book about the Cloud People.

I'm so fucking pleased!! WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I dont know why I didn't think of it before!

I cant say though. That would be telling. And I'd have to go on a killing rampage throughout the world to make sure that anyone who read it here on my blog could not live to tell it to anyone else.... and that would be a big and messy job. and i'm far too lazy for that.

I think I'll start fully planning it after this weekend. The book I'm reading ('How to write a blockbuster') has been really helpful in highlighting writing techniques and tips that I had never given much thought to. I've also got a book called '38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes', which I should read before I start writing the Cloud People book, but I can start the planning before reading that... I think.

I've also got book 1 of The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, but I dont think I'll start reading that until after the weekend.

This weekend I'm participating in a short story competition called The Weekender Challenge, which should be a bit of fun. Basically all you need to do is write a short story between 9am Saturday morning and midnight Sunday night on a theme chosen by WriteLink, but the theme and wordcount aren't revealed until 9am Saturday morning. So its pretty exciting.

I just hope the word count isn't over 20,000 words or anything ridiculous like that.

5,000 would be ideal.

10,000 would be ok.

Anything less than 5,000 would be ok too.

Fingers crossed that my phalanges are loose and limber enough and that the creative juices are flowing like a river... otherwise I just wasted £4.50 entry fee!

New York New York

New York was bloody excellent!

We had a great time and we packed so much into our holiday that its left my head spinning!

We shopped, we went to Times Sq, Union Sq, 23rd St (Flatiron Building - ie the Daily Bugle in Spider-Man), Central Park & Bow Bridge, Dakota Building & Strawberry Fields (John Lennon was shot outside the Dakota Building), Bronx Zoo, Staten Island Ferry (to see Ms Liberty as we sailed by), Wall Street, Ground Zero, Madison Sq Garden, Natural History Museum, Hard Rock Cafe, saw Spider-Man 3 at cinema, Rockafella Centre (Much better than going up the Empire State.. coz you get a great view of the park, and of the Empire State building! Plus no queue to get in!!!!!), Grand Central Station, Algonquin Hotel (where all those literary chaps sat at the round table in the 20s, including Mrs Parker!), Chinatown, Little Italy (mmmm.. good pizza), Canal St markets, walked up Broadway, walked along 5th Ave....

and...

Shopped, shopped, shopped, shopped and shopped some more.

I was a bit disappointed that my favourite shoe shop, DSW, didn't have much that caught my interest. Grrr. Only came home with 4 pairs of shoes. Martin did really well and came home with about 15 t-shirts and 5 shirts. I did manage, however, to buy some men's lounge pants (basically pj bottoms!) with the Jack Daniels symbol splattered all over them. Also got some M&M ones, Duff Beer, Guinness, and DC Comics. They're really comfy and unlike the womens they are nice and long!

So, all in all, it was pretty good.

I had a really bad cold from Monday onwards though. It made me feel like absolute crap, but it didn't hold us back at all... except for Martin always telling me to walk faster. The three blisters that I gained didn't really help much either.

We also went out to dinner at Cafe Taci where they have opera singers belting out the classics during your (overpriced) meal. It was really nice though. We went with my parents on the Saturday night for Martin's birthday.

On the Sunday, Martin's actual birthday, we went to the Nat. Hist. Museum where I was shat on by a bird while waiting outside on the steps. Just my fucking luck eh. Some people say that being shat on is good luck... it came to fruition later that night when we wanted to see Spider-Man 3. It was all booked out in Times Square so we went up to 66th and queued. The board said it was sold out, but we queued up anyway. Just as we got to the front a nice looking couple asked us if we wanted tickets to the 7pm showing of Spider-Man. Turned out that the bird had bought the tickets online but her bf wanted to see if in Imax instead. As it was 6.55pm we thought it was pretty bloody good timing! So we got straight in to see Spider-Man 3!! The cinema was packed with noisy Americans that actually commented out loud with 'Ooo's and 'Ahhh's at all the revelations during the movie. Morons.

It was a hoot though.

The flight home sucked.

Not only did our tv screens on the plane not work (the only two screens that didn't work on the entire damn plane), but when we changed flights in Zurich (NY to Zurich to England... whose dumb idea was that!!) we had to go all the way out to the check in counter and check in the alcohol that we bought from NY. Fucken European Union making things difficult. We managed it though, even though Martin was swearing his head off and stressing me out. I managed to not shit in my pants. Hehehe.

When we got to Heathrow the weather of England was out to greet us. We caught the bus to the car park and just as we walked to the car the heavens opened up in a ridiculously heavy deluge of rain! We were fucking soaked!

At least when we got home we could relax. It turned out to be a great night...

EXCEPT!!!!......

The stupid workmen, who were supposed to have FINISHED the work on the house, had only just started and their crap was left all over the place. We got a very rude wake-up call the next morning. Sunday morning. At 9am. We were woken by the workmen COMING INTO OUR BEDROOM WHILE WE WERE SLEEPING!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I was not a happy camper!!

I managed to talk them into pissing off and coming back Monday, but we had already been woken and our desire for a sleep in was absolutely ruined.

That whole episode made me sleep in on Tuesday until 9.30am (the time I'm actually supposed to START work)... so I didn't make it in to work until about 11am. Not good.

All is pretty much ok now.

Saw Spider-Man 3 again last night. I love it.

Go Spidey Go!

No Time

Been so busy!

I've been running around like a blue-arsed fly!

Cant blog now.

Gotta get back to work. GRRRRR!!!

House

Got some builders coming over next week while we're away to try to fix the mould problem. The estate agent wrote us a cheeky letter saying that they were organising the work done subject to some conditions, one of them being that we cant apply for compensation for damage to our stuff by the mould.

Thank god I work with a bunch of lawyers. I got JS on the job straight away and he's going to draft me up a letter that looks all legal and stuff and hit them with it. Miss Snark's clue gun would come in handy... the estate agent's letter is sly, immoral and totally rude. You cant admit there is a problem with the house (which the landlord are obliged to fix) then say you'll do the work and then attach conditions.

I'm hoping JS gets that letter written by bed time tonight coz if I dont get the letter sent off by tomorrow then the estate agent wont see it until Tuesday (Monday is a bank holiday), and the work is supposed to start on Tuesday. And none of that takes into account if the estate agent has any days off.

I'm totally sick of Savills fucking with us, and the landlord being so fucking lazy about their obligations!

If anyone is reading this and is renting - WATCH OUT! Landlords and estate agents will fuck you up the arse so hard that they'll be sprouting out of your mouth.

Bubbles and Rumblings

My tummy is flip flopping all over the place. I dont know if its the excitement of going to NY, the panic of packing, or the anxiety of making sure things run smooth.

Either way though its the story of my life. I've been blessed with the most stupidest stomach in the world. The moment I get even slightly nervous my gut wrenches, then I panic in case I cant make it to a loo on time, then afterwards I wonder why I was so worried.

Its a stupid endless cycle and despite knowing logically what is going on I still cant control it.

Hopefully one day I'll be able to master my own body, but until then I am powerless and cramped.

*sigh* what I wouldn't give for a tummy that can handle anything. If my mouth could stand spicy food I'd be so annoyed that my stomach cant. Thankfully I dont like spicy food, but thats not the point. I want to have the option of having spicy food without flooding my daks.

This post is turning nasty. I'm logging off here before I start talking about periods or something. Ugh!

Counting The Days

Just two more days til I jet off to NY with the hubs. Cant wait. We're going to be so damn touristy and hideously laden down with cameras and maps that we'll look like cartoon characters. Cant wait!

Surprise surprise I'm blogging from work. I am really lost as to what is blocked and what isn't...

I had to have a half day of work yesterday in order to take two car loads of junk to the dump. It was messy work and quite streneous coz I had to put a whole dressing table in the car without any help, but I definitely feel cleansed. Hooraaaah!

I was going to do a third trip which would have been three bags of normal rubbish (we forgot to put the rubbish out last week) and three bags of styrofoam but I decided to leave it until the normal rubbish collection day, which was this morning.

What a mistake. I was messing around trying to put Tori Amos's new album onto my ipod this morning, so I was late already, then I realised I had to put the rubbish out, so I tried to hurry but one of the bags split open on the driveway, sending old potatoes and coke cans scattering (among many other nasty things!).

So typical.

Needless to say I missed my train and had the smell of rubbish on my hands from having to re-bag the stuff. Totally gross!

Work is mega busy at the mo. I've got loads to do, and I dont know where to start. As soon as I start something people throw something else at me to do. And everything is always urgent. Ah well, better than being bored shitless.

Cant wait til we get to NY.

CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT CANT WAIT

See Saw

I feel like I'm going up and down, back and forth. I'm at work. Its lunchtime. I have access to blogger. On Friday I had access for about 10 mins, then I didn't, now I do again. No doubt in a few mins it'll be snatched away from me again.

*sigh*

I didn't really realise how precious freedom was until it was taken away from me. Heheh.. although it is only blogger, its not like I'm being held back from the very basics of life, so I mustn't complain too much.

Work is the Devil's Child

Not two seconds after my last post (and luckily after I'd clicked on Miss Snark to catch up on her snarkiness) did the stupid computers at work lock me out of reading blogs.

I cant stand being limited!!!

Goddamn these internet-scared bastards.

They put two computers in the 'library' for personal use at lunchtimes (only), but then they go and limit the stuff you can look at, as though they have a right or obligation to filter the internet for you. Fucking cunts. Thats what I say. I cant stand anyone taking decisions away from me. Its like being treated like a child.. Not being able to make up your mind for yourself, and not being trusted or respected.

Drives me wild... cant you tell?

But then again, its probably just the company looking after their own arse and making sure us employees dont look at porn during work hours.

Dicks!

So, looks like I'll have to try to ignore Martin during the evenings and weekends in order to get in my blogging. Not something I want to do, but hopefully I can squeeze in the time.

I'm going to be damn busy in the next two weeks though. Gotta sort out the house this week because while we're away in NY we're having the walls in the bedroom fixed/coated to try to fix the mould problem... so we've gotta move all the furniture out. I'm skeptical that the route the estate agent/landlord is taking will actually fix the problem, but I dont have to pay for it so I dont really give a shit. I just want to be able to sleep in a mould-free bed and grow old without developing brain cancer. Does that make me selfish? Methinks not.

Bought Big Trouble In Little China on DVD today. Fucken love that film. Is Kurt Russell fucken unreal or what! I may even put him on my list*






*List of celebrities that I have permission by my husband to shag if/when an occasion arises.

His list is ten times longer than mine. Men. Hmmph! So shallow!

Work. Fucking Work.

Last week the internet access at work was updated and the bastards blocked out access to blogs/newsgroups.

I was not a happy comper (Thats my new slang work for a computer user. Aren't I clever and inventive!)

But, today it seems to be working ok. Strange. I was just starting to get myself used to the fact that I wont be able to blog at lunchtime when suddenly the damn thing started working.

I'm not complaining! I'm just treading lightly in case they take it away again.

I've just been confirming my flights for my trip to New York next week. Should be fucken excellent. Martin and I have planned out where we want to go and what we want to see, and our schedule is pretty good. Not too tight, and not too loose. And there is spare time for extra shopping. Oh, I cant wait. DSW is my favourite shoe shop, and I plan to come home with at least 5 new pairs of strappy sandals for summer, or whatever other bargains there are. No doubt all the sales will be on for winter boots to clear them out, but I'm hoping I'll be able to have first pick at the new summer ranges. Mmm... I'm going to be dreaming of shoes right up until I leave, methinks!

I'm without a book, though. I just finished The Life of Pi this morning, and I tell ya, the ending was a fucking disappointment. You read the whole book thinking that this bloke spent 7 months floating in a lifeboat on the pacific ocean with a 450 pound bengal tiger, but then at the end when he is being interrogated by the owners of the ship he was on that sunk he blabs on about how he thought the story he told with the tiger and other animals that he was stranded on the lifeboat with was just a figment of his religion-influenced imagination and that he thought it sounded better that he describe his fellow survivors as animals rather than as the people they actually were...

I was soooo pissed off. I still am. I dont know what to believe. The book leads you to believe that it was all true, but then the ending leaves you wondering.

I should have realised it was going to fuck up at the end by all the religious dribble the guy was blabbing on about at the start of the book.

Another reason why I'm not a big fan of religions. They addle the mind!

Anyway, so I'm without a book to read. I know my Mum, who is in NY, has bought me a load of books but I need something to read until then. Hmm.. only a few days though. Perhaps I could take Jerry with me in the mornings on the train to write and finish my fairy tales instead.

Yes. Sounds like a plan.

Letting Out a Breath I Didn't Know I Was Holding

What a tumultuous last few weeks it has been!!

I dont even know where to start.

Firstly, I guess, I've just finished Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy. My head is all over the place! I absolutely loved it! At first I was a bit taken aback by the narration style, now I'm totally hooked.

I just dont know what to say.

I'm gutted that I've finished it, but I'm looking forward to starting the Tawny Man trilogy.

I'm taking a break at the moment because I need to emotionally contain myself. I tend to get lost in books far too easily!

So, I'm reading the Life of Pi. It was recommended to me by someone at work, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Also, I dont have to buy it as I'm loaning it off them, and since I have no money to even by half a book for a few weeks then it works out well. If I had nothing to read at the moment I'm sure I would put the Tawny Man trilogy on my credit card, but that is very naughty and I must not! Absolutely must not!

I've got an Amazon wish list, but I'm finding it difficult not to keep adding book upon book upon book to it. I must keep myself grounded otherwise I'll get lost in reading and wont ever write.

Speaking of writing, I was lounging outside on our newly mowed lawn over the weekend (mown by myself!) and was absolutely delighted by the company of a pugnacious little Robin who skipped and flittered about me gobbling up the worms that I'd displaced. He sparked an idea in my head for another fairy tale that I can add to my Fairy Tale book. I've got two stories now!

While Martin was doing his LAST TWO EXAMS EVER (if he doesn't fail them, of course!) I was having a picnic outside on the grass of the hotel grounds amidst the squirrells, magpies, starlings, blackbirds, robins, blue tits, and bugs. Aside from the bugs, it was fucken unreal. Nature really has a way of taking all your worries and flushing them down the toilet.

I didn't actually get to finish The Last Robin (my second fairy tale), but its all planned out and I'll have it done soon.

Now that Martin is free and wont be studying anymore I feel like a great weight has lifted off our shoulders, and I'm kind of glad that I finished the Farseer Trilogy just as he was finishing his exams. Its like a chapter put behind us now, and we're both looking forward.

This weekend is going to be great! So relaxing!

Roll on summertime!!!!!!!!!!

A Week Of Old People

The parents decended on us last week. They didn't stay with us, thankfully, because our spare room is a mess and we have no bed for them so they stayed with our distant (and quite eccentric) relatives.

As Martin was using the time off work to study, I had to be out of the house to leave him in the peace and quiet, so I hung out with the olds for most of the weekend.

MARTIN AND I HAD TUESDAY ..ooops, caps.. off work as well and in the evening we went to see Loreena McKennitt. It fucken kicked ass!! For those of you who dont know her music, you're missing out. I think she did some of the music for Lord of the Rings, although that could have been Enya. Anyway, I highly recommend her stuff. Hew new album, An Ancient Muse, is just fantastic. My other favourite of her albums is The Mask and the Mirror.

I didn't do any writing this week, although I was very inspired by the concert, but I still had a good easter even though I didn't make any progress. I did, however, get to read loads of the latest book I'm reading, Royal Assasin, and I'm just pages from the end. I'll have to buy the next book on my way home tonight. I can dawdle a bit coz I'm leaving early to get home in time to pick up the car from Kwik Fit. (New exhaust).

So, I didn't get up to much over the weekend. Just ate lots of chocolate, and tried not to go insane by being around the oldies for too long. We did go to a boot sale on Sunday, which was good. I spent about 45p and came home with three items, so that was a bit of a bargain. Then we went out for dinner Sunday night with Martin's parents as well. The stupid pub/restaurant fucked up our table. I specifically requested a table inside the dining room (which is a really nice room, great atmosphere), but when we got there they had us set up to sit in the bar area right next to where the waitresses flutter about.

Fuck that.

I moaned and they made the people who were sitting at our table in the dining room move. The stupid pub shouldn't have been greedy in trying to have two seatings for dinner.

But it all turned out fine in the end.

Not much else went on... had a lazy day yesterday. Read for most of it. I know I should have been writing, but I had a migraine come on... its still battering my head to pieces now.

I'm going to go and get some chocolate. Even if that doesn't fix it it'll make me feel better.

Its Friiiiiday

This week has been quite good actually.

At work I've had a lot more to do, and rather than it being boring typing work I've been number crunching and dealing with spreadsheets and lots of other bits and bobs. Its a fantastic change from boring secretarialism. No doubt in a month or two i'll be bored of spreadsheets, but I'm not going to look forward with that kind of attitude.

We had a bit of a rearrange in the office today. The underwriting department are separated from everyone else, we're in a little room up the end. Just four of us. Samantha, Matthew, Me and Wendy (secretary). We needed another filing cabinet for files, so to fit it in they had to move the little drawers that were next to Wendy. I kindly suggested that there was room at the end of my desk for them. Hoorah, they agreed. So I have even more desk space now.

I love organising furniture and stuff. Its so sad and pointless, but I cant help it. Its like watching all those make-over shows on tv. If I start watching them I get hooked. Martin hates them, so I dont ever get the chance to watch them, but I'm not complaining at all. My time is better spent organising my own life rather than watching hapless twats getting their own homes/lives reorganised by commercially driven so-called 'professionals'.

So, things are looking up at work. Its a lot more interesting and I dont feel rushed to type stuff up. I can take my time over the work I'm doing and prioritise it myself and satisfy myself with how much or little I invest my time into each bit of work. I still report to Sam on pretty much everything, but at least I can use my brain and only pass things to her for authorisation. Slowly I'm figuring things out for myself rather than running to her every second I dont understand something. Its good. I like it. And Sam is lovely, and so patient.

I slipped out to the market earlier this lunchtime. I was hoping to pickup a handful of my new favourite fruit - Dragon Fruit. But the stall I went to only had a pissy little collection of half shrivelled pathetic looking pieces. So I only left with one, and at £1 per piece Its probably a good thing. Shame the damn stuff cant be discounted because of its ever so wonderful title. It should be more readily available.

Oh damn this miserable country! Why cant the weather be more appropriate for the growing of cacti. Tis not fair.

I guess I shall have to just have Dragon Fruit as a special occasion. I'm going to take the one home that I bought tonight, mix it up with some crushed strawberries and chill it until I have a delightful sorbet. YUM!

Dragon Fruit

I made an incredible delightful discovery while at my local Tesco store last weekend.

I spotted an odd looking fruit.

DRAGON FRUIT

I'd never seen one before, and I'm always keen to try new things, so I bought one. Thanks to Tesco there were a few little diagrams illustrating how one would go about eating this fruit and to my absolute delight all that was needed was to cut it open and scoop out the insides with a spoon.

So, £2 later, I was at home with my odd looking pink, yellow and green Dragon Fruit. (After the colour of the fruit attracted me, the name was what sold it for me!). I quickly cut off the top and set about scooping out the incredibly white flesh which was speckled with tiny black seeds. I expected a hideous taste, because surely something so good looking could not have a delicious taste, and I was again delighted that it was not vulgar at all.

It has been likened to a kiwi fruit, because of the look and texture I guess, but taste wise the Dragon Fruit is fairly bland, which is a bit of a disappointment, but then again its better that its bland rather than sour, bitter or just plain revolting.

After this delightful experience my mind switched on and I just could not stop it twisting and turning, churning out ideas like a factory. A fairy tale wriggled its way into my thoughts and I felt compelled to get writing. A short walk up to town to find a decent cafe later (to get out of Martin's hair while he revises for his exams) and I was ready.

I found a quiet corner, got out my notebook and wrote.

I think I sat there for a good four hours. I only had one cup of tea, because I didn't want to be distracted by having to go to the toilet. I wonder if the waitresses resented this, because in tidying up a table next to me one of them spilled a large amount of milk on my bag. I barely acknowledged it and just kept on writing. It was as if I was possessed.

I really should have taken Jerry with me to the cafe because my hand kept cramping up, and the way I was sitting I kept my head tilted and ended up with a bit of a sore neck too. But even so, it was worth it for the result.

I didn't actually finish the fairy tale. Only got about half way through it, but I've got the story fully formed in my head. Its just a matter of mashing it out.

I'm not sure whether to keep the writing simple or not though... I think I'm leaning towards full literary wonderfulness (if there is a such a word or concept). I figure its pointless simplifying my words for children... how else will they learn how to read and write better if we are constantly adapting what they read to be simple drivel. Besides, if I publish a fabulous book of fairy tales then perhaps parents around the world will read them to their children at bedtime, and teach them what all the words mean.

Hmm.. I'm having delusions of grandeur now. Published worldwide? Hmm.. I hope so, but I'd better not get carried away. I've first got to finish the story, and then write a handful more.

Perhaps when I finish it I will post an exerpt here on my blog.

I'm thinking I'll title this fairy tale 'The Dragon of Ravenswood'

And I think I'll name the fairy tale book 'Ravenswood Fairytales' or something similar.

(Ravenswood is right near where I grew up in Australia, and funny enough its also the name of the school Martin went to).

So, tomorrow I'm going to go to the Borough Market by London Bridge and see if there are any stalls that are selling Dragon Fruit. I simply MUST have more, but I'm not going to shell out £2 at Tesco for every one.

Here are a few more pics I found. The Dragon Fruit is from a cactus plant and has night-blooming beautiful white flowers.

JD and Daniel Craig in Those Little Blue Shorts

I've got a great evening planned. Martin is cooking me some kind of texan chicken dish for dinner, I'm supplying a bottle of JD, and we're going to cozy up on the couch and watch Casino Royale.

We saw it at the cinema and both loved it (although, really, a lovely body shot of Daniel Craig in tight pants - what is there not to like). So, we're going to buy it and add it to our ridiculously out of control DVD collection.

Lately we've been working through Family Guy. How on earth that series started up without my knowing I have no idea, but now that I've discovered it I'm catching up steadily and laughing heartily all the way.

We're also getting into Heroes. Its not out in the UK, but there are ways of getting these things... hehehehe. I must say that the acting is a little drab and the 'heroes' aren't quite as grateful for their powers as the normal human bean would be so its frustrating in that way. Its handy that we've got almost the whole first series to watch one after the other, not like Lost where we are up to date and so have to wait week by week to catch the next episode.

Speaking of Lost.. WTF? When are they going to start answering questions??? They just keep opening up new storylines without giving us satisfying closures.

SO anyway. I didn't expect to blog about TV shows. Just goes to show how boring my life is and how addicted I am to it. Its really sickening how much the TV dominates my life.

Hang on.. I know why I'm blabbing about TV. Coz I finished reading Assassin's Apprentice (by Robin Hobb) this morning on the train. My mind is aching to fill the gap that finishing the book left. I tried to buy the second one before I got to work, but WH Smith only had the first and third of the trilogy. ARRRGH!! Sooo not fair. I dont think there are any bookshops near where I work, and my lunchtime hour is slowing trickling away.

I'll just have to stop in somewhere after work when I go to pick up the JD and Casino Royale (fingers crossed that I can find both of those. I went to Sainsburys last night to do a big shop and they were out of both of them!! Not happy!!)

Well, here's hoping to a successful hunt for JD, DVD, and book two of the Farseer trilogy, and I hope I have a most pleasant evening as expected.

Chocolate!!!

Check out Julia's chocolate competition HERE!

SAD

Apparently there is a syndrome that certain people get when the weather is particularly dull and depressing. Its called SAD. I've no idea what it stands for, or where I even heard about it. But I'm sure its just making a mountain out of a mole hill about being a bit glum when the weather is grey.

Yesterday, however, was clearly a day to be miserable about. I mean, I like snow and all, but not with that much wind or biting chill in the air. It was bloody horrendous.

Today had the same chill in the air, but no wind and the sky was the most beautiful blue. How can anyone not feel elated by a turn in the weather like that.

I dont know if I suffer from SAD or anything quite so uselessly particular, but I do know that the sunshine on a pleasant day does brighten me up.

In other news Martin has bought us tickets to go see Metallica in July. It'll be the third time I've seen them, so that should be fun. I'm not a huge heavy metal fan, but as I've had to endure a lot of Metallica because Martin likes them then I've grown to be able to enjoy their stuff.

In turn for going to Metallica I'm dragging him along to see Loreena McKennitt in early April! It couldn't be further up the other end of the musical scale of styles from Metallica!! I love her music and I recommend it to anyone!!

Rock on!

Workin' Well

So the new job is going well. I dont think I've made any monumental fuck-ups, which is great. There are still loads of gaps in my brain, but they're slowly filling in. I've come to realise that Alastair (the boss) is a complete social cunt. He's one of those high up managers with no social skills whatsoever. When asked how I was doing I replied, 'Good. I'm getting along just fine.', and he said surely the job couldn't be that easy. Prick. How stupid does he think I am?

So apart from that, things are just groovy.

I saw Pan's Labyrinth over the weekend and I fucken loved it. It gets my imagination soaring through fairy tales of old etc and methinks I'm going to write my own fairy tales (short stories) and put together a collection that have a similar magical theme.

I also watched The Prestige! Fuck me is that a good film! Christian Bale, always on my 'to-do' list, is absolutely stunning. Its also got Hugh Jackman in it, but I dont find him as hunky dory. The whole magic theme of that film also added to my urge to write fairy tales.

This is kinda bad. Coz for a few weeks now, hmmmm actually months, I've been supposed to be revising Fleeting Life (my Nano novel), but I seem to have hit the breaks on that one. I think rather than trying to force myself to finish it when my heart isn't in it is just going to make it turn out crap.

I'm going to shelve it. Not indefinitely. But just for a while so I can throw myself into writing some fairy tales or short stories, and also get a good start on my book about cloud people.

I've got three books to write this year, and write them I will damn it!

What Books Have You Read?

(Got this meme from Deep Thinker.. and thought I'd do it!)

What Books Have You Read?

Look at the list of books below:
* Bold the ones you’ve read
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave the ones that you aren’t interested in.
(I've also made a note of the ones I've seen the film of)

**If there are any books on this list that I didn't italicize and you think I should read, let me know in comments! Also, what other books do you think belong on this list and why?

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) (SEEN FILM)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) (SEEN FILM)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) (SEEN FILM)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) (SEEN FILM)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) (SEEN FILM)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) (SEEN FILM)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) (SEEN FILM)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) (SEEN FILM)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) (SEEN FILM)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling) (SEEN FILM)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) (SEEN FILM)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) (SEEN FILM)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) (SEEN SERIES & FILM)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) (SEEN CARTOON & FILM)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) (SEEN FILM)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) (SEEN FILM)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) (SEEN FILM)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay) (SEEN FILM)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) (SEEN FILM)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens) (SEEN FILM (old & new))
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) (SEEN FILM)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) (SEEN FILM)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo) (SEEN FILM)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) (SEEN FILM)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) (SEEN FILM)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) (SEEN FILM)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) (SEEN CARTOON)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) (SEEN FILM)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) (SEEN FILM)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams) (SEEN CARTOON)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) (SEEN FILM)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) (SEEN FILM)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) (SEEN FILM)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Hmmmm... there are definitely some gaps in my reading history!

Cat or Dog?

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Finally!

Finally got the damn profile photo to upload. The stupid thing kept chucking out an error message at me. It was probably coz I copied the first of the two image addresses which would have been the image that was over 50k.

Anyway, its done now.

Though I'm not sure I like this picture either.

I dont actually think I'll be happy with any picture there.

Hmmmm...

I will have to think on it.

But not too much.

Thinking hurts my head.

And I need my head to function.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!

So, Becky went into labour this morning, so rather than have three more days of shadowing her in her job I've been plunged into the deep end of the Underwriting world. Ooo.. it sounds all underhanded and dark doesn't it.. but its not. Its dull and there are so many gaps in my knowledge I am like swiss cheese!

I'm enjoying reading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. I tell ya, I wasn't expecting it to be in the first person. It kinda feels wierd reading a book in first person, especially when its through the life of a boy. Anyway, the story is good and I'm liking where its going. Of course I am humbled by her writing and vocabulary and I feel absolutely inadequate and inferior as a writer, but I'm sure I'll be able to drown that out over the weekend with some Jack Daniels (although we ran out last week and the supermarket only had Jim Beam.. so I'm on the Jim instead of Jack).

March 17th, that deadline I am blindly following, is looming and its making my knees tremble. I'm supposed to go to a friend's birthday tonight, in fact there was another one last night too but I didn't go, and I think I'm not going to go it coz for one I just cant be bothered, secondly I've got a bit of a headache and I'm a bit anxious about my job etc and just need some quiet time, and thirdly the hubby needs to study for his exams and while he's doing that I can write write write write write...

Yes, its sorted then. I'm not going.

HELP

I tried to change my profile photo, but I kept getting an error 'link broken' message.

WHY?

Damn this stupid blogger thing!

Bowling

Went bowling with the work crowd last night.

Needless to say I was absolutely shite.

My highest score was 80-something.

But at least I didn't throw the ball backwards like Laura did. Hehehe.

There's something unsettling and unsatisfying about the overly polite and strained conversation that happens between work colleagues on a work 'do'. I had my boss and two people I secretary for in my team, so the swearing had to be wiped out.

Man it was hard.

BUT - TODAY IS MY LAST DAY OF BEING A SECRETARY!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Muse

Your Inner Muse is Thalia

You are most like this playful muse of comedy. Life is all about laughter to you, and you're a natural comic. You make people laugh until their sides split. And you're always up for some play time!

What Muse Are You?

Eternal Sunshine of a Spring Filled Mind

I can feel that delightful tickling of Springtime...

How fantastic has the weather been this week? I'm loving it! I think its probably time to put away the shoes that must be accompanied by socks, and get my little pinkies out in the sun. Annoyingly, I'll still have to wear socks with my trainers when I walk to work, but once there I can finally break in my new dark green mary-jane-esque shoes with their very reasonable heel height! (Anything up to 3 inches is fine. Any more than that and I throw shoes in things protest).

So, with this lovely ascent into the Springtime of 2007, and with my starting my new job next week I feel that the time to begin my Cloud People book is fast approaching. My plan is to have Fleeting Life finished by next weekend (17th.. St Patty's day!) so that I can begin planning and preparing. I'm already mentally gathering character names. After watching Dragon's Den last night I've already decided on a name for one of my main characters. So, I'm doing well. I'm terrible with names. I'm sure I wont be able to think up one for my heroine until the whole book is finished. Thats what happened with my Nano Novel. I did finally decide on a name. Instead of the working name of Ayla (from Jean.M.Auel's Earths Children series) I've named her Elena.. I think I have a thing for 'E' names.

Every few months or so the hubby and I debate about baby names... and we're aaaagggeeeesss of spawning little Wheelers! We have, however, decided on our first girl's name.

Eve.

I've always like it. So, I cant ever use it in any book/story I write coz that'd be just plain wierd.

Anyway. Nothing of note to write really. I'm just sitting by the window at work feeling the sun shining through the window on me.

Just lovely!

Hemmed and Happening

I've finally gotten around to hemming my work trousers (while at work!). I've had them pinned up for weeks and weeks and I thought it was about time I got around to sewing them up.

So, on the whole winter-cold-flu front I'm almost feeling absolutely tip top and methinks that I should get my goddamm lazy arse back to writing.

I've been meaning to email my novel to myself at work, but finding the time to even fart is frustratingly difficult. I just dont understand how I can go from being a child growing up with all the time in the world to a full time working adult (which is debatable) with absolutely no time at all to even scratch my arse. It totally sux.

I haven't even been able to keep up with reading the blogs that I like to follow. Now that is a tragedy.

I keep thinking that I'll have time on the weekend, but then the weekend rolls by in a blink of an eye and I'm left wondering what the hell happened.

I'm kinda falling down a huge black hole of nothingness, and if I dont start clawing my way out I'm just going to get sucked down deeper and deeper.

No more excuses.

Must do:
Treadmill exercise
No chocolate
Clean up pig-sty house
Cook healthy food, and
Write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write

Meme Me!

The Deep Down N Dirty Meme


Biggest fear: Not being able to eat chocolate anymore. And dying.

Most meglomanical ambition: World domination, of course!

When you’re talking to your boss, you’re usually thinking about: Food. Chocolate to be precise. Or wondering what kind of underwear they're wearing.

Most disgusting habit: Laziness. I almost wet the bed once because I couldn't be bothered to get up and go to the toilet. Luckily at the last second before letting go I realised the effort required to clean up such a mess would be a lot more hassle than actually getting up and going to the loo.

Criteria for judging other people: If they dont worship me then they're definitely filed under 'dickhead' Hehehe.

How do you measure up?: With a tape measure.. or a ruler.

What do you think when you see a fat person eating fast food?: I feel like bitch slapping them and stealing their burger!

How about when you see thin person smoking?: See above but replace 'burger' with 'cigarette' (except I dont smoke)

When you meet someone of the same gender who’s more attractive than you, inside you think: Fucking bitch!

When you meet someone of the opposite gender who’s less attractive than you, inside you think: Piss off you ugly mug and stop breathing your ugly germs on me!

The last lie you told was: See above

Tell us about the time you read someone’s diary/hacked into their emails/went through their stuff: I read real books and stuff that is more interesting than self pitying pathetic crap like someone's journal.. or blog. Heheh. Ooops.

You know that person who you’re secretly jealous of - and there’s a part of you, that you can’t quite suppress, that wishes they would, just for once, get to taste a bit of your luck? Tell us what you hate about them – go on let it all out: Noooo... I would be taken away by men in coats and bad shoes.

The most expensive thing you’ve ever stolen was: Hmmm... I would have to look through all the stuff I've stolen over the past years. I'd mainly just steal cheap stuff... so nothing over a tenner I dont think. Its the sentimental value that would be the most expensive.

Even though all this is true, you’re still a really good person because… I like monkeys.

Return of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Hangover!

This post has absolutely nothing to do with what the above title suggests. I did have a hangover over the weekend, that much is true, but as far as the other bit I just saw a notice regarding the new TMNT movie coming out when I was in McDonalds ordering a serving of fat & grease, so I thought I'd add it to the title.

Seeing the TMNT advertisement did, however, send my mind reeling back into my days of the teenage years, and I feel that my actions on Friday were a pathetic and stupid attempt at grasping for my youth which seems to be further and further out of my reach each time.

I went out with my friend Amy on Friday night. We went and saw a few Irish bands in Camden at the World's End/Underworld pub. We then sat in the bar until it closed at 3am, then we sat with the landlord and a few other old boys until about 6.30am! When the sun started to rise we swallowed (read that - 'messily gulped') the last of our drinks and stumbled out into the eerie light and hailed a bus to take us home.

When we got back to her house she insisted we put 'My Private Idaho' on. I've never seen the film, myself, and I can still claim that. I saw the opening shot of River Phoenix on a desolate road, then nothing. We both crashed out until about 12.30pm when we awoke bleary-eyed, tired, and still drunk.

It was horrible.

I stumbled out of her house and caught a bus to the tube station, a tube train to London Bridge, then a National Rail train to my home station, then a cab from the station to home (2 hours later!). It was the single most horrible and difficult journey I've ever made! I was so hung over that I couldn't eat the Burger King fries that I bought at London Bridge station. I took them home and gave them to Martin.

Thankfully Martin hadn't finished studying, so I went and took a nap while he finished up. After I awoke (1.5hours later) I felt much better.

Sunday rolled along wastefully. I had a mental list of all the things I wanted to get done - including the hour working on my book which I did not do the other day (I sooo hate myself for that!!!) - but I didn't do anything! I didn't even wash my work trousers or charge my ipod.

But, the weirdest thing occurred last night/this morning... and I hope to god its just the after effects of the huge drinking session. I turned over this morning when I heard Martin's alarm go off and my head spun as though I'd just done a double loop on a roller coaster. I had to shut my eyes and brace myself!

The dizziness continued everytime I turned over or even moved my eyes until I got up.
Although I haven't had a real dizzy spell since being awake and upright, I still feel pretty dazed and confused.

Man, I hope I haven't broken my brain! If I'm ever going to get motivated to write again then I'll need it to think up words and shit. Bugger.

I think, though, that I've done fairly well in being able to mash out this post. So all is not lost.

I'm going to enter 'Fleeting Life', my nano novel, into a writing competition (I mean other than the Writers and Artists Yearbook competition). I'm not sure I even want to mention it here though. I saw it in... wait for it - Cosmopolitan magazine.
Its called 'Miss Write' and I think it only real deals with that Chick Lit stuff. But I figure what the heck. Its not exactly what I'd consider Chick Lit, but perhaps if I make the protagonist moan and groan about lost love, and make the brief kissing scene a bit more developed then I might be able to swing it. Hehehe. Needless to say I'm not holding out much hope.

I'm not going to submit it today though. Perhaps later this week or on the weekend. I've only got one more week as a secretary so things at work are going to be a bit hectic!

*sigh* I'm so tired! I must must must must must keep in mind that in order to get what I want - ie sit at home all day as a novelist, then I must actually get my head down and write!

My tentative 17th March deadline to finish Fleeting Life is looming fast.