The wish-bones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem
The jaw-bones: Doing all the talking but very little else
The knuckle-bones: Those who knock everything
The back-bones: Those who carry the brunt of the load and do most of the work
Interesting!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Cool recipe finder site from my friend - check it out and feedback
Hello - my friend has just unveiled the beta version of her recipe site. Do check it out - she'd like to have feedback especially if you encounter any problems. To get in touch, simply use the 'contact us' link on the site.
So please go have a fiddle at http://www.cheffy.com/ and you may just solve tonight's dinner problem too.
In advanced search you can find recipes that are gluten free etc., meals under x calories that are a good source of iron, ones that suit kids parties and even desserts that can be made in a certain amount of time you know for when you tasted the tub of Haagen Daaz and accidentally ate the whole thing while watching Eastenders!
You can also set up your own cookbook and meal plan. You'll get the low down on calories per serving and if it's low or high GI. By George - it'll even let you dictate that the recipe is to be for X people, measurements in lbs and with temperature in F.
I'm sure you'll find something in it to bring you web happiness and you will certainly become hungry. Enjoy!
So please go have a fiddle at http://www.cheffy.com/ and you may just solve tonight's dinner problem too.
In advanced search you can find recipes that are gluten free etc., meals under x calories that are a good source of iron, ones that suit kids parties and even desserts that can be made in a certain amount of time you know for when you tasted the tub of Haagen Daaz and accidentally ate the whole thing while watching Eastenders!
You can also set up your own cookbook and meal plan. You'll get the low down on calories per serving and if it's low or high GI. By George - it'll even let you dictate that the recipe is to be for X people, measurements in lbs and with temperature in F.
I'm sure you'll find something in it to bring you web happiness and you will certainly become hungry. Enjoy!
Faking it hits the big time
This article is a real insight into how advanced excuses for being late/not at work have become. Your phone can even play traffic jam noises in the background and there's a world of nutty web people willing to be accomplices in your treachery.
The guy who wrote this has a kickin' travel diary too which I discovered when thinking about seeking out penguins in Argentina - see http://www.rhymer.net/traveldiaryoptions.htm
The guy who wrote this has a kickin' travel diary too which I discovered when thinking about seeking out penguins in Argentina - see http://www.rhymer.net/traveldiaryoptions.htm
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Bite me - I'm the devil!
Lonely girl, wondering how to survive living alone, seeks pet and goes to animal rescue shelter.
I an shown round by a very kind young girl Jenny. We find a lovely affectionate cat called Ella who keeps head butting me and demanding affection. I cuddle her. We see other cats (I'm really saddened by their stories and the neglect of such beautiful animals) and come back to Ella who I have fallen for with her super soft fat fur coat and loving nature. More cuddles are demanded. More are given.
Suddenly she hisses and scratches my hand for no obvious reason. I am really shocked and also so dissapointed as I thought I'd found the cat for me. It's PMT time, my boss treats me like shit, my love life sucks and I'm moved to tears. In fact I very embarassingly can't stop crying. We see some dogs but all the barking is a bit overwhelming. The rabbits do nothing for me. As a special treat to 'cheer me up' Jenny takes me to see this adorable 12 weeks old puppy Foxy. I stroke him. All of a sudden he growls and snaps at me. "Well that back fired on me - I'm so sorry" says Jenny who escorts this shivering wreck to her car.
I drive home thinking my insatiable urge for pet has been replaced with fear. I also remember animals are a good judge of character and I must be truly evil. I remember my friend's dog in Chicago suddenly growling and then biting me. Also my step dad's dog biting my bum while I was minding my business doing the washing up. I deduce I am the devil incarnate and that makes me very unhappy.
It's so good to be home. I shut the door and go through my post. Suddenly I am aware of something. A black cat is at the top of my stairs looking at me. "Oh bloody hell - now they come to my home to attack me!" That will teach for leaving the cat flap open. She has a big belly and teats and walks funny. Looking for a calm place to have kittens perhaps. She seems hopeful to make a friend as she makes her way back to the cat flap. I call her and she comes but is nervous. I am nervous too. I reach to stroke her after she's sniffed my hand and she jumps to my touch so I leave it there. She rolls around seductively on my rug but I am not sure how to react so I open the front door and allow her to leave without having to do a cat flap and fence in her delicate state.
What a day! Now wrapping the family's presents. Mark is packing for the Sydney trip and then coming over tomorrow. Hurray!
I an shown round by a very kind young girl Jenny. We find a lovely affectionate cat called Ella who keeps head butting me and demanding affection. I cuddle her. We see other cats (I'm really saddened by their stories and the neglect of such beautiful animals) and come back to Ella who I have fallen for with her super soft fat fur coat and loving nature. More cuddles are demanded. More are given.
Suddenly she hisses and scratches my hand for no obvious reason. I am really shocked and also so dissapointed as I thought I'd found the cat for me. It's PMT time, my boss treats me like shit, my love life sucks and I'm moved to tears. In fact I very embarassingly can't stop crying. We see some dogs but all the barking is a bit overwhelming. The rabbits do nothing for me. As a special treat to 'cheer me up' Jenny takes me to see this adorable 12 weeks old puppy Foxy. I stroke him. All of a sudden he growls and snaps at me. "Well that back fired on me - I'm so sorry" says Jenny who escorts this shivering wreck to her car.
I drive home thinking my insatiable urge for pet has been replaced with fear. I also remember animals are a good judge of character and I must be truly evil. I remember my friend's dog in Chicago suddenly growling and then biting me. Also my step dad's dog biting my bum while I was minding my business doing the washing up. I deduce I am the devil incarnate and that makes me very unhappy.
It's so good to be home. I shut the door and go through my post. Suddenly I am aware of something. A black cat is at the top of my stairs looking at me. "Oh bloody hell - now they come to my home to attack me!" That will teach for leaving the cat flap open. She has a big belly and teats and walks funny. Looking for a calm place to have kittens perhaps. She seems hopeful to make a friend as she makes her way back to the cat flap. I call her and she comes but is nervous. I am nervous too. I reach to stroke her after she's sniffed my hand and she jumps to my touch so I leave it there. She rolls around seductively on my rug but I am not sure how to react so I open the front door and allow her to leave without having to do a cat flap and fence in her delicate state.
What a day! Now wrapping the family's presents. Mark is packing for the Sydney trip and then coming over tomorrow. Hurray!
What kind of pate is it? Bird flu pate!
E popped over to lunch with me today and I cooked proper food. Must be Mark's influence. It was about 6 months ago he totally flipped out on me and there in the middle of an aisle, in Marks and Spencers flagship store no less, prized a packet of ready to microwave instant mash out of my fingers. I put it back in the trolley and outraged he told me completely seriously "It's me or the mash! I can't date a girl who buys instant mash". We did however survive the trauma and he's eaten said mash many a time since but I'm, of own will, buying a potato masher to add to my kitchen implements! Now I have since peeled potatoes and mashed them. S was impressed until I told her I'd used new potatoes and left the skins on for nutritional goodness. Apparently you don't mash new potatoes. Learn something new every day!
I digress. So E brought me some of the home made pate she has slaved over. Made from poultry it is super rich and she insists on taking some to the US for her lover out there. The rules on not bringing food in are no challenge to her. "I'll tell them it's bird flu pate!"
I digress. So E brought me some of the home made pate she has slaved over. Made from poultry it is super rich and she insists on taking some to the US for her lover out there. The rules on not bringing food in are no challenge to her. "I'll tell them it's bird flu pate!"
Friday, December 16, 2005
Was that me?
It’s funny how much and what you forget as you get older. S, a very good friend of mine came over and two things she said about the old me shocked me. Or should that be the younger me?
S and I met when I went to work for the advertising agency where she was a Director in charge of client services. Initially I was a temp and then permanent. We kept in touch and it was later we became close friends.
Anyway I was showing her the hairstyles I’d selected from uploading my photo to www.thehairstyler.com and she commented how I had this annoying bit of hair that kept falling into my face when she interviewed me that was enough not to want to work with me or have to resort to some scissors. She then went on to remind me that I was rejected but rang her up and bullied her to give me the job.
I couldn’t remember this and didn’t recognise myself but apparently the younger me was suitably ballsy. Apparently armed with the 3 points the recruitment agent gave me as reasons I wasn’t chosen, I called up and said “Can I talk to you about why I didn’t get the job?” “Point number 1 was … but although it didn’t come up in interview I have done x, y and z” “Does that sound like it’d fit your needs?” “Good, point 2 was …..” “…. So that’s point 3 covered. Do you have any objections regarding my suitability?” “You don’t. Great – then I get the job!”
What was funnier was S’s reaction when I commented about students on their sandwich year wearing inappropriate clothing to the office. We had ‘pots’, ‘kettles’ and ‘black’ as she recalled me in my early/mid twenties surprising her by sauntering round the office with my midriff on show.
Oh dear, oh dear – that’s exactly what I cite today as inappropriate and say I’d never think of doing. Youth – eh!
S and I met when I went to work for the advertising agency where she was a Director in charge of client services. Initially I was a temp and then permanent. We kept in touch and it was later we became close friends.
Anyway I was showing her the hairstyles I’d selected from uploading my photo to www.thehairstyler.com and she commented how I had this annoying bit of hair that kept falling into my face when she interviewed me that was enough not to want to work with me or have to resort to some scissors. She then went on to remind me that I was rejected but rang her up and bullied her to give me the job.
I couldn’t remember this and didn’t recognise myself but apparently the younger me was suitably ballsy. Apparently armed with the 3 points the recruitment agent gave me as reasons I wasn’t chosen, I called up and said “Can I talk to you about why I didn’t get the job?” “Point number 1 was … but although it didn’t come up in interview I have done x, y and z” “Does that sound like it’d fit your needs?” “Good, point 2 was …..” “…. So that’s point 3 covered. Do you have any objections regarding my suitability?” “You don’t. Great – then I get the job!”
What was funnier was S’s reaction when I commented about students on their sandwich year wearing inappropriate clothing to the office. We had ‘pots’, ‘kettles’ and ‘black’ as she recalled me in my early/mid twenties surprising her by sauntering round the office with my midriff on show.
Oh dear, oh dear – that’s exactly what I cite today as inappropriate and say I’d never think of doing. Youth – eh!
What’s better – thoroughly clean or undamaged?
I forgot in seeking out my Bracknell cleaner again how clumsy she is. She’s like a whirlwind how she talks and moves. I can’t work from home when she’s there because it’s non stop chat. She is brilliantly finding every bit of dirt and dealing with it. Just means each visit something doesn’t survive.
I had to ask her to give the Xmas tree, adorned with hand made glass baubles from Poland, a wide berth. God my house looks gorgeous now - come and see! Or may be it’s the minimalist thing with having less each of her visits and having to hide things for their own safety.
I had to ask her to give the Xmas tree, adorned with hand made glass baubles from Poland, a wide berth. God my house looks gorgeous now - come and see! Or may be it’s the minimalist thing with having less each of her visits and having to hide things for their own safety.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Inexpensive glasses/spectacles
Mark bought a rather dashing pair of glasses for £15 all in - frames and lenses! He's real pleased with them. Check out http://www.glassesuk.com/ and other such web sites. You'll need your prescription and to know what style of frames suit you. A bargain worth sharing I thought.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Theory from Marta and new fact from Mark
Marta's déjà vu theory: I was in a situation that seemed absurd and quite ridiculous the other day - you know the type that has you scratching your head trying to make sense of it all -when I had a déjà vu moment. Later that week while driving it suddenly ocurred to me what déjà vu is about. Ready for this? It's the world's way of telling you that what is happening is for a reason, it's all part of the grand plan of life and you are on your true path, so don't worry it's all meant to be and will lead on to something better.
Mark's new fact: Smokers are 10 times more likely to die in a work accident. This amazing deduction was from the fact that the smokers at his work spend all day in the lfits going out for a smoke so if there is a lift accident they're the ones most likely to be involved. Another great reason to give up!
Mark's new fact: Smokers are 10 times more likely to die in a work accident. This amazing deduction was from the fact that the smokers at his work spend all day in the lfits going out for a smoke so if there is a lift accident they're the ones most likely to be involved. Another great reason to give up!
Joke: Texan Surgeons
Three Texan surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed.
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident. I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident. I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal infield events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train travelling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States !"
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident. I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident. I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal infield events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train travelling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States !"
Monday, December 05, 2005
Long time no blog – an update on this year
Okay okay, so I’ve been a lil busy – I got my voluntary redundancy, got two job offers in my last week after a lot of effort and fretting, chose the one that paid much less but leads to greater job satisfaction I hope i.e. a move out from IT focus and into the people and communications side.
What a challenge! – taking the hard edge off the culture in a logistics company so it can blossom into a beautiful place to work, weather the storms and grow grow grow as it rightly should. It’s great because I get to use my cognitive psychology, 6th sense for usability, writing skills, commercial sensibilities etc. to look at moulding how a whole organisation behaves. Last week I went on two fantastic courses – 1) Working with senior leaders to engage staff and build trust, and 2) Communicating change.
In the last 3 months I have lived in three different places – Riseley with Timi, moved to Bournemouth hoping to find work by the sea (can I call it moved as spent all my time with Mark), lived with Mark in Purley but it was too much of a commute to the new job (often 2 hours by train or sat on the M25 – gawd, I hate motorways and they seem to hate me too!) so I’m now in Bracknell and enjoy driving through Great Windsor Park to work. Now I dodge badgers instead of drivers asleep at the wheel.
Bracknell is finally starting to feel like home but all this upheaval is pushing me over the edge. If my sofa doesn’t finally get delivered this Friday I will have to find some railings to chain myself to in protest.
Not satisfied with changing job, living in four places, buying a flat in Bournemouth, having a heart operation, having a myomectomy with 6 weeks recovery, falling in love (yes Mark featured heavily above) all in one year - I also nipped to Poland to buy some land as an investment with my redundancy money, learnt about running a commercially successful small hotel on a course in Florida, had a Knowledge Management conference in Berlin with Mars, had a great time in Cuba, went wild in Mallorca with Ewa, spent a week on the Amalfi coast in Italy and had a weekend in Warsaw with friends.
No wonder I’m exhausted. I am getting wiser though. I ditched the evening course in counselling realising a new job was going to be all absorbing for the first few months and it certainly is.
What a challenge! – taking the hard edge off the culture in a logistics company so it can blossom into a beautiful place to work, weather the storms and grow grow grow as it rightly should. It’s great because I get to use my cognitive psychology, 6th sense for usability, writing skills, commercial sensibilities etc. to look at moulding how a whole organisation behaves. Last week I went on two fantastic courses – 1) Working with senior leaders to engage staff and build trust, and 2) Communicating change.
In the last 3 months I have lived in three different places – Riseley with Timi, moved to Bournemouth hoping to find work by the sea (can I call it moved as spent all my time with Mark), lived with Mark in Purley but it was too much of a commute to the new job (often 2 hours by train or sat on the M25 – gawd, I hate motorways and they seem to hate me too!) so I’m now in Bracknell and enjoy driving through Great Windsor Park to work. Now I dodge badgers instead of drivers asleep at the wheel.
Bracknell is finally starting to feel like home but all this upheaval is pushing me over the edge. If my sofa doesn’t finally get delivered this Friday I will have to find some railings to chain myself to in protest.
Not satisfied with changing job, living in four places, buying a flat in Bournemouth, having a heart operation, having a myomectomy with 6 weeks recovery, falling in love (yes Mark featured heavily above) all in one year - I also nipped to Poland to buy some land as an investment with my redundancy money, learnt about running a commercially successful small hotel on a course in Florida, had a Knowledge Management conference in Berlin with Mars, had a great time in Cuba, went wild in Mallorca with Ewa, spent a week on the Amalfi coast in Italy and had a weekend in Warsaw with friends.
No wonder I’m exhausted. I am getting wiser though. I ditched the evening course in counselling realising a new job was going to be all absorbing for the first few months and it certainly is.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Bournemouth and Work Thoughts
Have had a lovely weekend in my Bournemouth flat. Quiet, sunny, great shopping, stunning sea views and park walk from my house to the clifftop or the walk through the Upper East Side (that's my Bon Mouth talk for East Boscombe which is a des res area and made me think a detached home, with an in out drive, is something to aspire to) to le feesh n chip shop in Southbourne. No need to convince myself why I bought a flat here - it's bloody marvellous. Felt on cloud nine driving into Bournemouth centre, sun shining, tree lined avenues, music up loud. In fact going to stay tonight too and drive to work tomorrow morning.
I will look for a job down here as well as Reading/Basingstoke/Bracknell. Would prefer to live here full time if I can find a decent enough salary. Whatever happens I don’t want a 60 hrs per week job with lots of travel – rather I need a job which allows me to continue my great work/life balance with time for my creative interests, art house movies, friends and the regular w/end away.
I will look for a job down here as well as Reading/Basingstoke/Bracknell. Would prefer to live here full time if I can find a decent enough salary. Whatever happens I don’t want a 60 hrs per week job with lots of travel – rather I need a job which allows me to continue my great work/life balance with time for my creative interests, art house movies, friends and the regular w/end away.
There’s not only sea salt in my air, but love
Well long time no blog. Been a busy girl. You know recuperating from op (feeling great and healing very nicely), debating over whether to take voluntary redundancy (looks like I should) or not, coming to terms with my role vanishing in the new corporate structure (crying over all my hard work being thrown out and my role not being valued), debating whether to live in Bournemouth or not (it’s so bloody gorgeous but salaries so low), doing up my Bournemouth flat (pretty much there except for that bloody blue skirting I inherited), procrastinating against painting the skirting in the form of enjoying the seaside and the glorious sunshine (short walk to cliff top is so much more alluring than another paint tin exploding in my face), and finally being utterly distracted from my woes by a man. Alas his stupid company keep sending his to the US for work.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Online quizzes - a great way to recuperate
I think I've just become a quiz addict. My favourite one was which Madonna song would you be and I loved the result. See below.
Well I think this http://www.blogthings.com/quizzes.html is going to help me keep to one spot and rest for a few hours now
Well I think this http://www.blogthings.com/quizzes.html is going to help me keep to one spot and rest for a few hours now
What my birthdate says about me and living to 79
Being born on the X day of the month is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of X allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental.
There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, "couldn't care less" attitude.
You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist.
You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters.
You are affectionate and loving, but sometimes too sensitive.
You are subject to rapid ups and downs.
http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/
and I'll live to 79 and die in an average way - http://www.blogthings.com/whatagewillyoudiequiz/
but I act 26 http://www.blogthings.com/whatagequiz/
There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, "couldn't care less" attitude.
You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist.
You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters.
You are affectionate and loving, but sometimes too sensitive.
You are subject to rapid ups and downs.
http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/
and I'll live to 79 and die in an average way - http://www.blogthings.com/whatagewillyoudiequiz/
but I act 26 http://www.blogthings.com/whatagequiz/
Is this me? Personality test
Your #1 Match: ENFP
The InspirerYou love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.You are also unconventional, irreverant, and unimpressed by authority and rules.Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're qutie the storyteller!You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.
Your #2 Match: ESFP
The PerformerYou are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others.A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic.You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally.You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic.You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.
Except for the actor they are all careers I have considered at some point or even tried. Yes that's right. Vote for Marta. I was told by a teacher at age 17 I'd make a good politician having given a presentation on abortion rights. What an insult although I think she meant it because I had strong views and stuck to them. That's not how I think of politicians.
As I have got older my personality has definitely changed - I don't want work to define who I am and my success as a human being anymore. I think this reflects that.
Check out your personality at http://www.blogthings.com/mbtiquiz/
The InspirerYou love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.You are also unconventional, irreverant, and unimpressed by authority and rules.Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're qutie the storyteller!You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.
Your #2 Match: ESFP
The PerformerYou are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others.A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic.You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally.You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic.You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.
Except for the actor they are all careers I have considered at some point or even tried. Yes that's right. Vote for Marta. I was told by a teacher at age 17 I'd make a good politician having given a presentation on abortion rights. What an insult although I think she meant it because I had strong views and stuck to them. That's not how I think of politicians.
As I have got older my personality has definitely changed - I don't want work to define who I am and my success as a human being anymore. I think this reflects that.
Check out your personality at http://www.blogthings.com/mbtiquiz/
Wow! Answer a few Qs about pets and you get this...
Do it, do it with love at http://www.blogthings.com/keystoyourheartquiz/
"The Keys to Your Heart:
- You are attracted to good manners and elegance.
- In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you.
- You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.
- You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.
- Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.
- Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
- You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.
- In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.
"The Keys to Your Heart:
- You are attracted to good manners and elegance.
- In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you.
- You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.
- You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.
- Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.
- Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
- You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.
- In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.
I have a 14% chance of going to hell
Do it yourself at http://www.blogthings.com/howsinfulareyouquiz/. What's yours?
My Deadly Sins:
Gluttony: 40%
Sloth: 40%
Lust: 20%
Envy: 0%
Greed: 0%
Pride: 0%
Wrath: 0%
Chance I'll Go to Hell: 14% ... You'll die from food poisoning - and then the natives will feast on your fatty limbs.
Hang on - let me just adjust my halo
My Deadly Sins:
Gluttony: 40%
Sloth: 40%
Lust: 20%
Envy: 0%
Greed: 0%
Pride: 0%
Wrath: 0%
Chance I'll Go to Hell: 14% ... You'll die from food poisoning - and then the natives will feast on your fatty limbs.
Hang on - let me just adjust my halo
Didn't know who to vote for?
Marta's Political Profile:
Overall: 40% Conservative, 60% Liberal
Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal
Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal
Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal
Try it at http://www.blogthings.com/liborconquiz/ or sod that and go to www.subservientchicken.com and have some fun instead
Overall: 40% Conservative, 60% Liberal
Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal
Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal
Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal
Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal
Try it at http://www.blogthings.com/liborconquiz/ or sod that and go to www.subservientchicken.com and have some fun instead
What Madonna song would you be?
I thought mine was very apt...
"You are HOLIDAY.... You are spontaneous and fun-loving, with a sense of adventure and need for attention. You're kind of childish, and just want someone to play with. You do things that make you happy and you won't betray the things you like just because some people think they are tacky!"
Again try it and let me know through the comment here - http://quizilla.com/users/mamaj/quizzes/What%20Madonna%20Song%20are%20You%3F/Not as bad as I thought
I am 65% normal which is normal!.... "Otherwise known as the normal amount of normal. You're like most people most of the time but you've got those quirks that make you endearing. You're unique, yes... but not frighteningly so!"
Try it yourself at http://www.blogthings.com/hownormalareyouquiz/ and comment here with your score please.
Try it yourself at http://www.blogthings.com/hownormalareyouquiz/ and comment here with your score please.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
New neighbours from hell
So Friday I go down with dad and my brother Marek to move some stuff to my new Bournemouth flat. He used to like to be called Fonzie but now tells us that is very old school and we must call him Marek.
I'm not too sure about the curry smells in the hallway but that is nothing compared to the happy excited squeals of the 2 little kids downstairs. I meet their dad and introduce myself. Seems like a nice chap. We exchange names and shake hands. He quickly asks out of the blue "What hours do you work?" I reply "9 to 5 pretty much." He responds "Oh that's no good. I come home from work at 11.30pm."
Well I'm sorry I will just change my life to suit I guess. "Are you telling me I need earplugs?"
Then he tells me the woman who was in my flat couldn't stand kids and came down to him distraught saying "I can't take it anymore with your children". I don't like her either. She's left me loads of crap in the cupboard, old sofa cushions and a shitty sideboard to dispose of. Dad offers to take this back to Aylesbury and dispose of it for me. Lovely lovely dad. Argos deliver the wardrobe but wheel it down the street because of the one way system to get to me. They say the sofa will not go up the stairs to my flat so we rush to dismantle the sofa into parts in the parking area before the rain comes. Some pratt has parked his enormous BMW too close to our driveway and we scratch my car on the way out. On the plus side we get to meet some neighbours and I get an incredibly warm welcome to the neighbourhood. Very friendly people which is one reason I like Bournemouth.
My mentally retarded brother shouts rather than speaks and likes to be argumentative. The wardrobe takes 6 hrs rather than 1 hr to build and is a colourful experiencewith much banging and debate. I leave feeling game set and match on noise levels to flat 3. Take that.
I'm not too sure about the curry smells in the hallway but that is nothing compared to the happy excited squeals of the 2 little kids downstairs. I meet their dad and introduce myself. Seems like a nice chap. We exchange names and shake hands. He quickly asks out of the blue "What hours do you work?" I reply "9 to 5 pretty much." He responds "Oh that's no good. I come home from work at 11.30pm."
Well I'm sorry I will just change my life to suit I guess. "Are you telling me I need earplugs?"
Then he tells me the woman who was in my flat couldn't stand kids and came down to him distraught saying "I can't take it anymore with your children". I don't like her either. She's left me loads of crap in the cupboard, old sofa cushions and a shitty sideboard to dispose of. Dad offers to take this back to Aylesbury and dispose of it for me. Lovely lovely dad. Argos deliver the wardrobe but wheel it down the street because of the one way system to get to me. They say the sofa will not go up the stairs to my flat so we rush to dismantle the sofa into parts in the parking area before the rain comes. Some pratt has parked his enormous BMW too close to our driveway and we scratch my car on the way out. On the plus side we get to meet some neighbours and I get an incredibly warm welcome to the neighbourhood. Very friendly people which is one reason I like Bournemouth.
My mentally retarded brother shouts rather than speaks and likes to be argumentative. The wardrobe takes 6 hrs rather than 1 hr to build and is a colourful experiencewith much banging and debate. I leave feeling game set and match on noise levels to flat 3. Take that.
Neighbours from hell - "Sorry to hear about your divorce
... by the way your bum still looks really good." Inappropriate comment no. 233. What do you say to that or do you just run away like I did?
Oh the world is full of charm isn't it - not. I must surround myself with better company.
How things change! I went over to say hello to this old neighbour when visiting Ewa. More as a defensive strategy so my beloved Golf wouldn't be keyed while I was inside. Only 2 years ago it was a raging war between us and the **** superglued my front door, started a hate campaign and tried to intimidate me to move out. A stupid thing about parking.
Two people who rented couldn't park because all the spaces for our flats were taken so they went to the flats next door and got clamped. Their complaint led our freeholder to bring clamping in for us too and we were supposed only to park on our numbered spaces or get clamped. Thing is we all had devised our own spots of many years that didn't fit the numbering. The taxi driver and carpet fitter wanted their vehicles outside their window so they could hear if someone was breaking into them. I wanted my car at the bottom in case I forgot to put my handbrake on (blonde moment). Some had 2 cars. I was convinced we could suss a plan using visitors spaces where everyone parked where they wanted so I went round and got everyone's parking space vote and marked it out on a map with registration numbers which the clamping company got with instructions not to clamp any of those cars. However Dave and John decided because I had done this, in my mind helpful thing, I had brought about the clamping too and the shit hit the fan.
They just wouldn't listen at all. Would bad mouth me to the other neighbours who came to me saying they knew I hadn't done anything wrong but they were too afraid of these bullies to protest. I had a blazing row with John in the middle of the parking and told him it was the last thing I was going to do and not to worry. But on it went and it was horrible. I dreaded turning in to come home in case I'd see one of them. It wasn't a misunderstanding - just their imagination and the people who had done the complaining not having the balls to say they did.
One day I passed David pretending I was invisible as had become the style. He turned back and asked me again when I'd be moving out. I started to explain that what they believed to be true wasn't. I got called a fucking bitch or something as bad. Thing was Armen was at home and heard. He's not one to take that kind of crap for a second. It seemed that within seconds Armen was downstairs and punching Dave. I also had hold of Dave at this point upset and pleading with him to understand that I was telling the truth and to give it up. Suddenly it all made sense to him as if a block had been lifted. He completely changed personality, apologised to me and came round 5 minutes later with chocolates. Armen gave him a bottle of wine. I became convinced very quickly that violence IS the answer. John apologised to me every Xmas card then on. I thought good that you feel bad - you made my life hell at what was already a shit time for me and home should have been my retreat.
Then I would have liked to see Dave burn in petrol that I'd poured on him but now when I talk to him it is fine and I hold no resentment. I'm not sure about the bottom comment though - I do resent that.
Oh the world is full of charm isn't it - not. I must surround myself with better company.
How things change! I went over to say hello to this old neighbour when visiting Ewa. More as a defensive strategy so my beloved Golf wouldn't be keyed while I was inside. Only 2 years ago it was a raging war between us and the **** superglued my front door, started a hate campaign and tried to intimidate me to move out. A stupid thing about parking.
Two people who rented couldn't park because all the spaces for our flats were taken so they went to the flats next door and got clamped. Their complaint led our freeholder to bring clamping in for us too and we were supposed only to park on our numbered spaces or get clamped. Thing is we all had devised our own spots of many years that didn't fit the numbering. The taxi driver and carpet fitter wanted their vehicles outside their window so they could hear if someone was breaking into them. I wanted my car at the bottom in case I forgot to put my handbrake on (blonde moment). Some had 2 cars. I was convinced we could suss a plan using visitors spaces where everyone parked where they wanted so I went round and got everyone's parking space vote and marked it out on a map with registration numbers which the clamping company got with instructions not to clamp any of those cars. However Dave and John decided because I had done this, in my mind helpful thing, I had brought about the clamping too and the shit hit the fan.
They just wouldn't listen at all. Would bad mouth me to the other neighbours who came to me saying they knew I hadn't done anything wrong but they were too afraid of these bullies to protest. I had a blazing row with John in the middle of the parking and told him it was the last thing I was going to do and not to worry. But on it went and it was horrible. I dreaded turning in to come home in case I'd see one of them. It wasn't a misunderstanding - just their imagination and the people who had done the complaining not having the balls to say they did.
One day I passed David pretending I was invisible as had become the style. He turned back and asked me again when I'd be moving out. I started to explain that what they believed to be true wasn't. I got called a fucking bitch or something as bad. Thing was Armen was at home and heard. He's not one to take that kind of crap for a second. It seemed that within seconds Armen was downstairs and punching Dave. I also had hold of Dave at this point upset and pleading with him to understand that I was telling the truth and to give it up. Suddenly it all made sense to him as if a block had been lifted. He completely changed personality, apologised to me and came round 5 minutes later with chocolates. Armen gave him a bottle of wine. I became convinced very quickly that violence IS the answer. John apologised to me every Xmas card then on. I thought good that you feel bad - you made my life hell at what was already a shit time for me and home should have been my retreat.
Then I would have liked to see Dave burn in petrol that I'd poured on him but now when I talk to him it is fine and I hold no resentment. I'm not sure about the bottom comment though - I do resent that.
Love and other emotions
I am just wondering does anyone else ever experience an intense feeling on occasion that they are full of love to share, so much so that other people must feel it radiating from you? That they want to hug their dearest friends and possibly even trees, there is so much love emanating from them? Do parents feel this and feel it often?
Have just been to see my wonderful friend Ewa back from her holiday and now happily doing some sewing to make some pillow cases for my new flat. I love her to bits and yes we hugged – three times. Drive there and back was in the sun through beautiful wooded roads. I was listening to Dolly Parton and am hoarse from singing along. No tree hugging let me assure you.
Feel very happy as I write this and I have much to be happy about. Strange in a way because this morning I was incredibly sad and cried in sympathy for someone Timi knows well and their family who lost someone very dear to them in the early hours of this morning. A few days ago I cried with joy reading the email from William describing the birth of their baby girl Olivia and becoming a dad. It was beautiful. There are endings and there are beginnings. To live through these experiences leaves one forever changed and makes us special people. You can (well I can) see and feel in someone that they have had such experience. To not live through them can leave us naively empty and emotionally underdeveloped. A friend used to irritate the hell out of me with their suffering is a gift spiel, including and especially my migraines, but I might be 10% there to understanding what they meant. Sorry – I know I am being obscure.
Anyway I am even more happy Olivia wasn’t a he, otherwise they were going to call her Bernard. Sorry guys but we are going to have to talk especially if you get pregnant again ;-)
Have just been to see my wonderful friend Ewa back from her holiday and now happily doing some sewing to make some pillow cases for my new flat. I love her to bits and yes we hugged – three times. Drive there and back was in the sun through beautiful wooded roads. I was listening to Dolly Parton and am hoarse from singing along. No tree hugging let me assure you.
Feel very happy as I write this and I have much to be happy about. Strange in a way because this morning I was incredibly sad and cried in sympathy for someone Timi knows well and their family who lost someone very dear to them in the early hours of this morning. A few days ago I cried with joy reading the email from William describing the birth of their baby girl Olivia and becoming a dad. It was beautiful. There are endings and there are beginnings. To live through these experiences leaves one forever changed and makes us special people. You can (well I can) see and feel in someone that they have had such experience. To not live through them can leave us naively empty and emotionally underdeveloped. A friend used to irritate the hell out of me with their suffering is a gift spiel, including and especially my migraines, but I might be 10% there to understanding what they meant. Sorry – I know I am being obscure.
Anyway I am even more happy Olivia wasn’t a he, otherwise they were going to call her Bernard. Sorry guys but we are going to have to talk especially if you get pregnant again ;-)
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Find out which celeb is the right one to date for you
http://www.magnum7sins.com/thesun/ddate.html
I must read Hello magazine or something. I don't know who all these people are but surprise surprise, I got Clooney. Destiny you see!
I must read Hello magazine or something. I don't know who all these people are but surprise surprise, I got Clooney. Destiny you see!
Monday, May 09, 2005
These glasses work wonders you know
Now here's a contradiction given what you get to know about me from my blog. I had my interview feedback finally today for the internal job I went for. The first bit of their assessment of me was that I was "very intelligent". This amused me no end because it seems to headline all feedback I get. Even when an admirer last year nutshelled me, the first thing they listed about what made me rock was that I'm intelligent. It's so obviously not true but it certainly pays to be a girl that wears glasses. Come on. I mean you'd have to be stupid to admit to the dumb things I do and do so in a blog. My brain cells are very much affected by bleach on the hair - speaking of which I hate my hair and it is time to get rid of this Las Vegas given exotic bird look.
Welcome to Marta's world - the supermarket visit. I promise there is a laugh at the end
I decided to have another go at driving today and go a bit further as I am recovering well after the op - Sainsburys in fact. The purpose of the visit was to buy some carpet cleaner because Timi knocked over Jim's coffee onto the cream carpet in the house we rent. It was all in the frenzy of excitement leading up to her displaying her new belly dancing moves at the weekend. The organic lamb had also turned a very odd colour way before the sell by date so I thought I may as well return it.
It was so exciting being in a supermarket after all this time confined to the house. Jasper Conran has this really cool range of home ware there. I bought a candle that matched perfectly the coffee coloured circles theme for the lounge in my new Bournemouth flat (that will be good camouflage for coffee stains) and having seen the rechargeable batteries that may or may not fix our kaput walkabout home phone were £9, I decided to just buy a new phone for £20. What I didn’t bloody well come home with of course was the carpet cleaner which resulted in much cursing on realisation of this.
As I left the supermarket the phone made the security check beep and I decided I couldn’t be bothered to go back so kept walking calmly. An assistant hurried out after me and I started to run because it amused me to – after all he’d probably had a really boring night. I had this image in my head of the Coyote chasing Roadrunner and us zig zagging around the car park lot. After seeing my receipt he asked “Why did you start to run?”. “Oh” I replied “It’s such a long time since I was chased by a guy, I wanted to remember what it felt like.”
It was so exciting being in a supermarket after all this time confined to the house. Jasper Conran has this really cool range of home ware there. I bought a candle that matched perfectly the coffee coloured circles theme for the lounge in my new Bournemouth flat (that will be good camouflage for coffee stains) and having seen the rechargeable batteries that may or may not fix our kaput walkabout home phone were £9, I decided to just buy a new phone for £20. What I didn’t bloody well come home with of course was the carpet cleaner which resulted in much cursing on realisation of this.
As I left the supermarket the phone made the security check beep and I decided I couldn’t be bothered to go back so kept walking calmly. An assistant hurried out after me and I started to run because it amused me to – after all he’d probably had a really boring night. I had this image in my head of the Coyote chasing Roadrunner and us zig zagging around the car park lot. After seeing my receipt he asked “Why did you start to run?”. “Oh” I replied “It’s such a long time since I was chased by a guy, I wanted to remember what it felt like.”
You saw my painting a few entries back and now for some poetry
This was written 12th March 1995 on the back of one of my B/W photos of New York. I had put an ad in Time Out because I wanted to meet people in London to hang out with who enjoyed doing the same things as me. I met a Jewish girl called Amber who took me one Sunday afternoon to a disco/club thing in a church. It was weird - like a church fete full of hippies on god knows what substances, lying on mattresses, staring up at this huge screen with random images projected onto it. After seeing an insect I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and scribbled this down...
The insect climbed onto the sheets
Into the warm and into her lair
She breathed out silently
And put her clothes on the chair
He rubbed his legs together
And rolled on his back
She eyed up the circumstances
And then she stepped back
With shiny black eyes
He gave her a stare
Seizing the moment
She squashed him right there
The insect climbed onto the sheets
Into the warm and into her lair
She breathed out silently
And put her clothes on the chair
He rubbed his legs together
And rolled on his back
She eyed up the circumstances
And then she stepped back
With shiny black eyes
He gave her a stare
Seizing the moment
She squashed him right there
The blog of an accidental bint
That's me in case you were wondering. I am wondering how in the short space of a week I can be such a walking disaster. I was cutting off a branch of grapes and knifed myself - a nasty nick on the thumb (that sounded like someone from Eastenders then). I was wiping the nail scissors and stabbed my finger tip. I walked my funny bone into the bathroom door. Earlier I walked into a trolley leaving a red lump on my right leg and then matched it on the opposite side same height by opening the dishwasher onto my leg. Symmetry at least. Someone please wrap me up in cotton wool for my own good.
However none of this is as unfortunate as last year in Andalucia. While preening prior to a Spanish friend's wedding, I was shaving my legs with a razor in the bath. I stupidly managed to cut the vein on my ankle, soon realising this REALLY was the kind of shaving cut that is difficult to stop bleeding. I called for help from the incumbent of that time and we plastered it up tight. Then I lay on the bed with my leg up the wall praying for the bleeding to stop so I could go see my beloved friend get married. She didn't have a boyfriend for a decade, then fell in love with this wonderful toyboy who adores her and now they are with child moving into a bigger house. Then incumbent felt faint having endured the blood bath scene, so had to lie on the bed too. Bloody great - what a pair! At least I had boots rather than sandals for my outfit and I even managed to dance staying to the end which is considered good manners in Spain. This was at the beginning of the holiday so I had to have my foot up on the dash everywhere we drove to, try to avoid walking and if walking, keep my foot in the same position. I rang my GP back in the UK for advice! Of course when you are in Granada you have to go to the Alhambra and that takes a lot of walking or rather limping and hopping up and down staircases. I was so mad at myself for doing something so daft.
It is true how bad luck can run in threes. As a young girl I remember getting out of the bath to dry myself in our tiny loft conversion bathroom. I sneezed and hit my head on the towel hook. I stepped back impaling myself on my earring I had left on the floor and to cap the whole eventful bathtime off, after cutting my toe nails the small ones just came off completely while filing them. Sorry - do you need a bucket now? You weren't ready for that I'm sure. Needless to say I have never filed a nail since. Right I should finish before you lose your appetite completely.
However none of this is as unfortunate as last year in Andalucia. While preening prior to a Spanish friend's wedding, I was shaving my legs with a razor in the bath. I stupidly managed to cut the vein on my ankle, soon realising this REALLY was the kind of shaving cut that is difficult to stop bleeding. I called for help from the incumbent of that time and we plastered it up tight. Then I lay on the bed with my leg up the wall praying for the bleeding to stop so I could go see my beloved friend get married. She didn't have a boyfriend for a decade, then fell in love with this wonderful toyboy who adores her and now they are with child moving into a bigger house. Then incumbent felt faint having endured the blood bath scene, so had to lie on the bed too. Bloody great - what a pair! At least I had boots rather than sandals for my outfit and I even managed to dance staying to the end which is considered good manners in Spain. This was at the beginning of the holiday so I had to have my foot up on the dash everywhere we drove to, try to avoid walking and if walking, keep my foot in the same position. I rang my GP back in the UK for advice! Of course when you are in Granada you have to go to the Alhambra and that takes a lot of walking or rather limping and hopping up and down staircases. I was so mad at myself for doing something so daft.
It is true how bad luck can run in threes. As a young girl I remember getting out of the bath to dry myself in our tiny loft conversion bathroom. I sneezed and hit my head on the towel hook. I stepped back impaling myself on my earring I had left on the floor and to cap the whole eventful bathtime off, after cutting my toe nails the small ones just came off completely while filing them. Sorry - do you need a bucket now? You weren't ready for that I'm sure. Needless to say I have never filed a nail since. Right I should finish before you lose your appetite completely.
If you go down to the woods today ...
I was more adventurous today and went off into the unknown, i.e. to the right of the country lane and over the bank and into the woods. Thoroughly gorgeous. I saw the biggest hare in the world - as it hopped away from me, it reminded me of the Monty Python's Holy Grail bunny. Only that was small and vicious. This was one big mother of a rabbit. I honestly thought it was a dog at first. I'm not joking. If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise - bunnies on steroids eating cake.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Discovering dad
You may not know that after 14 years of having the hump and being incommunicado with my father I decided to let bygones be bygones and get in contact. For good reason I might add. I'm almost proud to say that when I saw a counsellor for a few sessions after my divorce she sat back in her chair and announced "Everyone says they have a dysfunctional family but bloody hell Marta, you really DO have a dysfunctional family."
It's been great to let go and find out he's not a homicidal maniac after all. I first detected he may actually be somewhere close to a normal parent when I heard on the family grapevine he was thinking of buying a place in Spain or Cyprus. My brother and he are going to help me move some stuff in to the Bournemouth flat and to build furniture, put up shelves, etc. Wow - family life!
It's funny how I forgot what he sounded like. I had thought he was much more English than mum but he in fact has a very dodgy entertaining foreign accent and speaks considering every word. He also can be quite funny - when I met him the first time he accidentally drank my boyfriend at the time's wine and laughed "Oh dear. Excuse my wandering hands, won't you!" As an adult getting to know him is a real experience and today I discovered he has an utter contempt for Tony Blair. If his 21 year old car hadn't failed its MOT he was going to paint 'Down with Blair' and drive it around Aylesbury for the last few weeks. I admire the sentiment but maybe he's not that close to being a normal parent after all. Anyway no wonder I'm barking mad.
It's been great to let go and find out he's not a homicidal maniac after all. I first detected he may actually be somewhere close to a normal parent when I heard on the family grapevine he was thinking of buying a place in Spain or Cyprus. My brother and he are going to help me move some stuff in to the Bournemouth flat and to build furniture, put up shelves, etc. Wow - family life!
It's funny how I forgot what he sounded like. I had thought he was much more English than mum but he in fact has a very dodgy entertaining foreign accent and speaks considering every word. He also can be quite funny - when I met him the first time he accidentally drank my boyfriend at the time's wine and laughed "Oh dear. Excuse my wandering hands, won't you!" As an adult getting to know him is a real experience and today I discovered he has an utter contempt for Tony Blair. If his 21 year old car hadn't failed its MOT he was going to paint 'Down with Blair' and drive it around Aylesbury for the last few weeks. I admire the sentiment but maybe he's not that close to being a normal parent after all. Anyway no wonder I'm barking mad.
Mum's mussels are aching
My poor mum's quote mussels unquote are hurting her since the accident. She also keeps having the sensation glass is falling on her. Can you believe the guy who drove into her came round hoping she wouldn't be making an insurance claim. What does he think she's going to drive after writing off her car? He's quite shocked at the £350 cost of clearing the road up after the accident and the £700 for mum's helicopter ride to the hospital. I'm shocked too - never thought about charges for stuff like that. He has 3 cars so his insurance premiums are going to hurt. Perhaps he should have considered that before grabbing his cocaine and setting off down the country roads on the wrong side of the road while on a bend.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Remembering QVC experience on EasyJet flight
I was sharing my thoughts on chocolate with a friend recently which reminded me I must blog the wonderful EasyJet experience I had coming back from Andalucia last November. I like chocolate (used to eat dozen plus bars a day as an addicted teenager, bullying my mum to drive me to the garage to get more at times) but these days, as a migraine sufferer, I have to resort to bemusing all in the office as I give the stress signal – i.e. reach for and sniff my chocolate scented teddy bear bought on the said EasyJet flight. That was so funny. The stewards did a QVC shopping channel type show for us with the air hostess even appearing with trolley from behind the curtain to applause. The teddy bear was sold with the words… “now you will get the same effect by rubbing your loved one with a Kit Kat”. There was L’occitane Hand and Foot cream to "bring your trotters back to mint condition" and "enough cream in it to cook a korma". He advised we could ask Natalie the stewardess about any of the products as she lived near Blue Water and had shop lifted everything at some point. The whole plane was in stitches. I love EasyJet!!!
Watched clouds float by listening to Led Zep 1 and 2
What a wonderful May bank holiday Sunday. Had breakfast with Timi before setting off for a very pleasant walk around the village which includes some delightful country lanes beside fields and woodlands. I have my recuperative circuit established now.
I then painted something for my bedroom wall - needed to be red to match my new French duvet cover. I was quite pleased with how it turned out however I did wish I knew what I was doing and could apply some knowledge/skill to make it really stonking.
Timi went off to see Kylie in London and swapped places on the blanket to doze and watch clouds float by which seemed to be aptly accompanied by the sound of Led Zep.
As it clouded over I came inside to change my bed clothes into aforementioned red boudoir affair and tired by this activity had a nap on my bed. Lazy hazy days of summer are coming.
I then painted something for my bedroom wall - needed to be red to match my new French duvet cover. I was quite pleased with how it turned out however I did wish I knew what I was doing and could apply some knowledge/skill to make it really stonking.
Timi went off to see Kylie in London and swapped places on the blanket to doze and watch clouds float by which seemed to be aptly accompanied by the sound of Led Zep.
As it clouded over I came inside to change my bed clothes into aforementioned red boudoir affair and tired by this activity had a nap on my bed. Lazy hazy days of summer are coming.
Friday, April 29, 2005
What a brilliant idea!
The world of web dating becomes increasingly both amusing and alarming. I'm talking about the mug shots you see of these guys. I am remarking on this on this momentus day, when 'wabbet' AND 'catweasle' became my fans. I have just picked myself up off the floor from laughing - seem to be recovering well from the op then as it didn't hurt too much. Christ - I'm gonna be single forever. Actually there's one that looks like JC too (Jesus Christ) and he is even bathed in a divine light.
Anyway my brilliant idea is that I should become a web dating photographer.
Anyway my brilliant idea is that I should become a web dating photographer.
2 girls must stay in on a Friday night more often
because today we had the pleasure of a knock on the door from a Karate salesman. Looked interesting and if I wasn't convalescing and the missus wasn't dancing we'd be there right away. Take that! Ayyyha!
Help - cabin fever sets in
It's the long bank holiday weekend - a time where I'd normally be scooting up and down the country or even out of it on my travels. Alas everyone seems to be scooting off doing exciting things (Montpellier, Kylie Concert, etc) and I'm stuck at home talking to the four walls. It may be time to do some weird painting to preserve my sanity.
How many hours can you spend choosing colours to paint your new walls?
Well I think I must have clocked up at least 6 so far perusing the brochures while sat in bed spread over 3 different sessions. I think I have decided now and it's only 2 colours for 2 rooms I'm buying after all that mental effort. Needless to say you'll turn up and think 6 hours very well spent (or not).
Reviews of Boscombe where I'm buying my flat
"Ah Boscombe....the exploding growth area of Bournemouth - according to local Estate Agents....
Stroll along the beach or overcliff (Boscombe Manor) - stunning.....or practice swigging white lightning from a paper bag in the Crescent and then update content on the company intranet using the delightful .net powered Immediacy system - is the broad smile from the cider or the joyous interface?!
My Dad lives in Boscombe Manor and absolutely loves it! Walks along the beach every day pretending to walk a dog."
Stroll along the beach or overcliff (Boscombe Manor) - stunning.....or practice swigging white lightning from a paper bag in the Crescent and then update content on the company intranet using the delightful .net powered Immediacy system - is the broad smile from the cider or the joyous interface?!
My Dad lives in Boscombe Manor and absolutely loves it! Walks along the beach every day pretending to walk a dog."
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Mum survives headon collision
Monday afternoon mum called me from her car where she was trapped having met with a lunatic coming from the other direction who had been overtaking on a bend. The car is a right off after he scraped all the way down the side. Mum is only battered and bruised thank heavens and thank God for the people who invented air bags. She was crying and shocked when she called me from her mobile. I eventually failed to stay calm and not to get upset, but by then I was talking to the paramedics. I could hear the ambulance man trying to work out how to get her out. They took her out through the hatchback of her Ford KA and she was flown by helicopter to Bangor hospital. The stupid pleb who was driving could only curse and swear that his custom imported Golf with hundreds of pounds of security on it was tarnished. Grrrrrrrrrr
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Operation biological warfare - life after an abdominal myomectomy
Well I survived my second operation too - abdominal myomectomy. The great news is it was all routine. I managed to keep the vital bits so can still have children should I want to and didn't need any blood transfusion. There's always something you don't expect though like being a little lop sided now without my (quote gynaecologist) "little friend" inside me anymore. He wasn't that little and certainly became unfriendly but he's gone now, with only a photo to prove it which won't be going on the mantelpiece. The other unexpected thing was the amount of work to be done each day to retrain your muscles as they heal so that they heal functionally. What nothing can prepare you for is the pain of sneezing - imagine holding out your hand and having it thumped with a sledge hammer.
Laughing is also not good. Jim brought over 4GB of music videos to entertain me through convalescence and I was in stitches (pardon the pun) at the MTV presenter introducing 'Lady Marmalade' from the film "Moulin Rouge which took us back to a time where the whore houses were about the music." It's the sort of pain that reels through you afterwards that makes you know you are ALIVE in a strange way.
I tire easily – just a 15 minute walk and I want to have a 3 hour kip. Most frustrating is my memory loss which is common after anaesthetic. I was showing photos of the recent Berlin Conference and could not remember some of the names of my colleagues. Bloody hell - what will I be like with the details of my projects and billion n 1 things that happen in the team I run. Good job they know what they are doing.
Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor was very nice although the nurses, except the wonderful Spanish one, were not half as warm and friendly as those I’d had in the Royal Brompton. One was positively horrid when I called for a nurse in the middle of a night she came asking abruptly “And what’s wrong with you?” – well I’d just vomited as a reaction to the morphine, bad enough that you are straining your abdomen when you are not supposed to laugh but coupled with the fact I cannot move to lift myself up to be in a more comfortable position or away from myself so nearly choked. It really wasn’t what I needed.
Morphine also made me itch like crazy. They wanted to give me anti-nausea pills but they have their own side effects so I resolved to just wait it out of my system. Once I knew it was the morphine I refused all pain killers and preferred to deal with the pain myself, which apart from changing position, was just like a crippling day of period pain so not that bad. Dealing with pain stops you having energy to care about the aircraft noise outside (on flightpath to Heathrow airport). I do miss my multi level hospital bed though as that made it easier to get in and out of bed. Right now I have ropes tied to the end of the bed when I need to pull myself up.
I had lots of visitors which was fantastic. Bruce, Armen and Oksana popped in on their way to Ronnie Scott's Friday night. William and a very pregnant Esthea were there too. Bruce who is more obsessive about his blog took photos (censored) and wrote up at http://entropy.blogs.com/ "en route to Ronnie's we stopped off to see Marta in hospital, where she is making an impossibly swift recovery from her operation, laughing and joking, bemoaning the lack of wi-fi in what is after all a luxury private hospital, and generally behaving in a manner inappropriate to someone who's only a few hours out of surgery. I think they'll throw her out entirely by tomorrow. Hooray!"
And they did throw me out Saturday too. Saturday I actually felt awful like I had flu symptoms but still decided to put on the happy face, climb the stairs with the physio and get to my own home/bed. And no Sam, while in the hospital the sheets did not move so that I had a cheek glued to the plastic mattress.
BTW my biological mom was the warfare from stressful car journeys but mainly sitting in the overtaking lane as the world overtook us on the left, to making me evacuate my hospital room for an hour due to perfume overuse, to turning up over 2 hours late when I was starving and hypoglycemic waiting for her to help me eat breakfast and saying "great, you left breakfast for me!" as she tucked into it, to totally ignoring our telcon on me needing more help when out of hospital and booking the wrong holiday dates then offering to get me some strange Polish woman to be my nurse, to chasing Drs in the stairwell, to adjusting the table so it fell on my wound, to knocking every glass and bottle over at least once, to hiding things in my house from me and potential intruders (including the whip – a present when I left one job – that I had hanging on my bedroom door for show), to turning down the heating so much at home I returned to an ice box and was a shivering convulsing heap on the sofa under 5 blankets, to buying a new dress from the Jaegar sale to help HER cope with the stress of the operation. Saturday was the first day she got the hang of it and there was her 'care' without my 'fear'.
Dad was also funny – he rang Sunday to ask how I was. I managed to get out 6 words which really didn’t answer the question and he moaned for 20 minutes about how awful his health was. My family are barking. Mark, my 6 year older brother with a mental age of 11, would probably have been more sympathetic. He gave me a teddy he won in Brighton a few days earlier which was a pink pig with patches stitched on its stomach!
My wonderful friends have been a great help since mum left, keeping an eye on me, helping me with lifting and bringing me shopping. Being sick and hatefully feeling helpless has brought something positive to light and that is that I am so so lucky to have such wonderful people who care about me. Oksana brought over a lovely home cooked meal for me last night. Armen despite his mum visiting for a month and being busy at work has also been popping in. Jim came up from London. And they offered to drive me all the way to Wales to see my mum for the next part of the family saga. See post above
Laughing is also not good. Jim brought over 4GB of music videos to entertain me through convalescence and I was in stitches (pardon the pun) at the MTV presenter introducing 'Lady Marmalade' from the film "Moulin Rouge which took us back to a time where the whore houses were about the music." It's the sort of pain that reels through you afterwards that makes you know you are ALIVE in a strange way.
I tire easily – just a 15 minute walk and I want to have a 3 hour kip. Most frustrating is my memory loss which is common after anaesthetic. I was showing photos of the recent Berlin Conference and could not remember some of the names of my colleagues. Bloody hell - what will I be like with the details of my projects and billion n 1 things that happen in the team I run. Good job they know what they are doing.
Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor was very nice although the nurses, except the wonderful Spanish one, were not half as warm and friendly as those I’d had in the Royal Brompton. One was positively horrid when I called for a nurse in the middle of a night she came asking abruptly “And what’s wrong with you?” – well I’d just vomited as a reaction to the morphine, bad enough that you are straining your abdomen when you are not supposed to laugh but coupled with the fact I cannot move to lift myself up to be in a more comfortable position or away from myself so nearly choked. It really wasn’t what I needed.
Morphine also made me itch like crazy. They wanted to give me anti-nausea pills but they have their own side effects so I resolved to just wait it out of my system. Once I knew it was the morphine I refused all pain killers and preferred to deal with the pain myself, which apart from changing position, was just like a crippling day of period pain so not that bad. Dealing with pain stops you having energy to care about the aircraft noise outside (on flightpath to Heathrow airport). I do miss my multi level hospital bed though as that made it easier to get in and out of bed. Right now I have ropes tied to the end of the bed when I need to pull myself up.
I had lots of visitors which was fantastic. Bruce, Armen and Oksana popped in on their way to Ronnie Scott's Friday night. William and a very pregnant Esthea were there too. Bruce who is more obsessive about his blog took photos (censored) and wrote up at http://entropy.blogs.com/ "en route to Ronnie's we stopped off to see Marta in hospital, where she is making an impossibly swift recovery from her operation, laughing and joking, bemoaning the lack of wi-fi in what is after all a luxury private hospital, and generally behaving in a manner inappropriate to someone who's only a few hours out of surgery. I think they'll throw her out entirely by tomorrow. Hooray!"
And they did throw me out Saturday too. Saturday I actually felt awful like I had flu symptoms but still decided to put on the happy face, climb the stairs with the physio and get to my own home/bed. And no Sam, while in the hospital the sheets did not move so that I had a cheek glued to the plastic mattress.
BTW my biological mom was the warfare from stressful car journeys but mainly sitting in the overtaking lane as the world overtook us on the left, to making me evacuate my hospital room for an hour due to perfume overuse, to turning up over 2 hours late when I was starving and hypoglycemic waiting for her to help me eat breakfast and saying "great, you left breakfast for me!" as she tucked into it, to totally ignoring our telcon on me needing more help when out of hospital and booking the wrong holiday dates then offering to get me some strange Polish woman to be my nurse, to chasing Drs in the stairwell, to adjusting the table so it fell on my wound, to knocking every glass and bottle over at least once, to hiding things in my house from me and potential intruders (including the whip – a present when I left one job – that I had hanging on my bedroom door for show), to turning down the heating so much at home I returned to an ice box and was a shivering convulsing heap on the sofa under 5 blankets, to buying a new dress from the Jaegar sale to help HER cope with the stress of the operation. Saturday was the first day she got the hang of it and there was her 'care' without my 'fear'.
Dad was also funny – he rang Sunday to ask how I was. I managed to get out 6 words which really didn’t answer the question and he moaned for 20 minutes about how awful his health was. My family are barking. Mark, my 6 year older brother with a mental age of 11, would probably have been more sympathetic. He gave me a teddy he won in Brighton a few days earlier which was a pink pig with patches stitched on its stomach!
My wonderful friends have been a great help since mum left, keeping an eye on me, helping me with lifting and bringing me shopping. Being sick and hatefully feeling helpless has brought something positive to light and that is that I am so so lucky to have such wonderful people who care about me. Oksana brought over a lovely home cooked meal for me last night. Armen despite his mum visiting for a month and being busy at work has also been popping in. Jim came up from London. And they offered to drive me all the way to Wales to see my mum for the next part of the family saga. See post above
My destiny revealed
So there I am having successfully walked in, wrestled the guards, got into the secret chamber, opened the required air vent as per my plan of the building, then scaled the mostly vertical shaft by using my freehand rock climbing skills (that was really tricky as at times I had to put all my force against the surfaces not to fall down and I felt as if I were upside down), my accomplice follows me up and I am concerned about his ability to scale the shaft because he can only be described as Alfred Hitchcock. He tuts at me and soon I move to one side clinging on as he passes me to reach for device at the top which we work on together to dismantle. Soon we are running out of there mission accomplished but the most difficult bit is running through the shopping centre which feels like a maze. We run into the open air - Hitchcock into a car and I stripping off into bikini and shorts, plonking myself next to my family having a picnic. "Raquet ball anyone?"
That's it! That's it! That's it! I keep saying in the future I'd like a meaningful job that contributes to society. My dream has revealed it to me - Bomb Disposal Expert!
That's it! That's it! That's it! I keep saying in the future I'd like a meaningful job that contributes to society. My dream has revealed it to me - Bomb Disposal Expert!
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Today's mushy email really appealed to me
"Read Each One Carefully and Think About It a Second or Two
1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.
2. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.
3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
4.. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.
5. The worst way to miss someon e is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.
6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.
9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
11. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.
12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.
13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.
REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON."
1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.
2. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.
3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
4.. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.
5. The worst way to miss someon e is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.
6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.
9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
11. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.
12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.
13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.
REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON."
Monday, April 18, 2005
Strange dream number 504
Oh that was horrible. I dreamt I went to the cinema and they had this new concept of selling to you before the film started in party plan style. After sitting through a demonstration I was then ranting at the party plan woman to f' off with her inane questions and no I didn't want to look through her magazine. I came here to watch the bloody film.
May be it was the crocodile steak I had for lunch that day - yes really. It's amazing what you find at a Lulworth Cove restaurant.
May be it was the crocodile steak I had for lunch that day - yes really. It's amazing what you find at a Lulworth Cove restaurant.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Finally caught up with my blogging
Oh that feels so much better I've got all that off my chest and the photos I've been promising some of you too. There's pics from Gdansk, Cuba, My Big Fat Greek Birthday, Mallorca and Berlin here. Click on April in the right hand menu to see all the entries. If you're not on broadband may take some time to load.
Flights for 1 Euro? Time for a winter weekend in Gdansk then
If I had a blog back in December this would have been on then - thought I’d like to share it anyway…
Had some funny times with transport in Gdark (by 3pm it felt like 8pm) and Gdamp Gdansk - go only in summer for god’s sake.
Had some funny times with transport in Gdark (by 3pm it felt like 8pm) and Gdamp Gdansk - go only in summer for god’s sake.
The taxi driver saw traffic and set off down this unmade road in the middle of woods with steep banks. He forgave us for thinking we were gonna be murdered in those woods. He was very funny and kind - even if living a tough life - now that was a story and a half. We arranged that he’d pick us up for our way back.
Taxi drivers are always such a highlight of my times in Poland. When I organised a girly holiday for 9 of us in Zakopane the taxi driver we employed to minibus us around was a volunteer fireman and we were invited to the fireman's ball celebrating 80 years of the volunteer brigade. That was fab - we were treated like absolute royalty. They supplied a stream of dancing partners so no girl was ever left sitting alone. Rita and Josephine were asked to do traditional Irish dancing and the whole place joined in copying from grandmothers to toddlers. It was great. At the end of the night they presented me with this ciupaga - one of 5 especially made and carved beautifully for the occasion. It's got an axe at the top and a spike at the bottom. I keep it next to my bed (now a single woman) should I ever need it when there's a bump in the night ;-)
Picture below is from that holiday complete with axe and star taxi driver.
Picture below is from that holiday complete with axe and star taxi driver.
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