Still here. :)
So... not sure that the weekly updating thing is going to stick, but I thought I'd just sit it out and wait for inspiration to hit.
So... BOOM.
But actually, there isn't a whole lot to report. So I may just bullet point some things.
1: Browsing on Mumsnet over the weekend (don't judge me, the forum is quite good for a chuckle sometimes), on the Education section, where a request for a maths tutor in my town catches my eye. Anyway, to cut a long story short, it's becoming increasingly likely that I might be tutoring a local 9 year old girl at some point in the not-so-distant future. I'm charging £15 for an hour session for a little *coughcough* cash in hand pocket money.
2: It's half term week here. Glorious weather for the first 2-3 days, then rain and wind ever since. Typically.
3: I just had a really tasty dinner. I make some fantastic potato wedges with pepper, chilli and garlic and phew, they taste good! With a chicken kiev and some mixed steamed veg, I got the skills. It was only when I moved out of the parents home, when I realised that things like potatoes could have a flavour beyond blah. BURN.
4: Got my hair cut today, which it badly needed. My hair doesn't grow terribly evenly it would seem, because I always end up with it being really thick and bush-like on top, and fine and dainty everywhere else. I'd meant to go last month, but the ol' financials were not in the best of health. And it's stuff like hair cuts that can be taken off the to-do list without too much bother. Anyway, I'm back to super-short and picked up a home dye kit to get back to "the colour I am in my imagination" later on tonight.
5: Tomorrow or Friday I'm meant to be meeting up with my friend Louise (an old work colleague who it would be beneficial to keep in touch with for various long-winded reasons - namely, I'll need someone who will write me a reference or 6 at some point in the future, I'm sure) for lunch or something. Only problem is, that passed the initial "hey! we should meet up! - "Sure! I'm free Thursday or Friday!" - "Great! Thursday?" I haven't heard back from her. I should text her.
(I just read point 5 back... That makes me sound like a bitch who only keeps on contact with people who can do her favours... I actually like Louise a lot. We're good mates. I'm not a bitch.)
So... that's pretty much it in my world for now.
Because it's a Wednesday night, I'm waiting for Mum to phone. Ever since my first year at university days, Wednesday evenings, between 6 and 7pm have always been our time to chat. Regular as anything. Bless.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Epic Walk Season Begins Again
It seems like loads of my Grobie contemporaries from the LJ world are setting up new blogs at the moment.
First Kirstie set one up, then me, and then Kristen set up a new one as well *waves in case she happens to drive by*. I've been wanting to for a while - and you can see my first post here for more on that - because I've wanted to keep blogging, despite the increasing concern that LJ is turning into a rapidly sinking ship. I still read LJ every day, comment and participate in the odd community, but the friendship group I had around me in my 2005-2008 heyday are rapidly departing for pastures new. So it's a bit like... *crickets* *silence*
I tried repeatedly to get back into the habit of blogging on LJ, but it just wasn't happening for me there. Which puzzled me, because I like blogging, and I like LJ. Unfortunately I just wasn't feeling it over there any more.
Shall I ever go back to regular posts there...? I doubt it if I'm being honest, but I still want to read it and keep up with people. It's just not a platform that particularly suits me any more. If I was really sensible, I should try and export my journal from there... It's almost 10 years of my life on and off, and I'd be devastated to lose it. Perhaps I should make it my summer project when the 6 week break rolls around in July.
Sooo... What's gone down this week?
Not a whole lot really. Just the usual working stooge things. Get up, drive to work, do work, drive home again, sit on the sofa until bedtime.
But this weekend is a 3-dayer! Woot!
Today I restarted my (ir)regular summer tradition of the "Epic Walk". About 4 years ago now I walked 20 miles from my home in Newbury, to Reading. In my converses (which aren't know for their long-distance-walk-design) and with no particular intentions. I completed the walk with a suspected stress fracture, and the walking bug.
Now, I'm actually the unfittest person in the world, but for some reason, have the capacity to just walk and walk and walk almost indefinitely.
A year later I completed the walk again, but in the other direction, and thus "walking home". After 20 miles I had some massive blisters, but huge self-accomplishment.
This summer I would like do a couple of Epic Walks. At the moment I'm thinking my house to Daventry (about 17 miles). It's quite pretty/scenic and would be suitably epic.
On my bucket list is a desire to walk from my house to my parents home in Shropshire (100 miles or thereabouts). Now THAT would be Epic.
Anyway, back to restarting the summer tradition. Because I'm a bit poor at the moment, free/cheap entertainment is the way forward, so I set out at 9:30 this morning with an intention to walk to a forest a few miles down the road. However, it seemed the road I wanted had no footpath next to it, and cars doing 60mph 2 feet away from me - no thanks.
So, changed plans and just decided to follow a country lane that looked interesting. Passed through a pretty village, through an industrial park, past a river and through another village before getting home. Almost a circle. The exact mileage, I'm uncertain of, but looking at the route I took on Google Maps, I reckon it was probably about 9 miles. Definately not a record Epic Walk, but a good warm-up starter and apart from some oddly tingly feet, my legs feel fine.
Anyway, nothing much else planned for the rest of the long weekend. I've just got back from the supermarket, and am currently snacking on some poshly packaged sugardrop tomatoes. I also have Ben & Jerrys in the freezer... Shhhh!
First Kirstie set one up, then me, and then Kristen set up a new one as well *waves in case she happens to drive by*. I've been wanting to for a while - and you can see my first post here for more on that - because I've wanted to keep blogging, despite the increasing concern that LJ is turning into a rapidly sinking ship. I still read LJ every day, comment and participate in the odd community, but the friendship group I had around me in my 2005-2008 heyday are rapidly departing for pastures new. So it's a bit like... *crickets* *silence*
I tried repeatedly to get back into the habit of blogging on LJ, but it just wasn't happening for me there. Which puzzled me, because I like blogging, and I like LJ. Unfortunately I just wasn't feeling it over there any more.
Shall I ever go back to regular posts there...? I doubt it if I'm being honest, but I still want to read it and keep up with people. It's just not a platform that particularly suits me any more. If I was really sensible, I should try and export my journal from there... It's almost 10 years of my life on and off, and I'd be devastated to lose it. Perhaps I should make it my summer project when the 6 week break rolls around in July.
Sooo... What's gone down this week?
Not a whole lot really. Just the usual working stooge things. Get up, drive to work, do work, drive home again, sit on the sofa until bedtime.
But this weekend is a 3-dayer! Woot!
Today I restarted my (ir)regular summer tradition of the "Epic Walk". About 4 years ago now I walked 20 miles from my home in Newbury, to Reading. In my converses (which aren't know for their long-distance-walk-design) and with no particular intentions. I completed the walk with a suspected stress fracture, and the walking bug.
Now, I'm actually the unfittest person in the world, but for some reason, have the capacity to just walk and walk and walk almost indefinitely.
A year later I completed the walk again, but in the other direction, and thus "walking home". After 20 miles I had some massive blisters, but huge self-accomplishment.
This summer I would like do a couple of Epic Walks. At the moment I'm thinking my house to Daventry (about 17 miles). It's quite pretty/scenic and would be suitably epic.
On my bucket list is a desire to walk from my house to my parents home in Shropshire (100 miles or thereabouts). Now THAT would be Epic.
Anyway, back to restarting the summer tradition. Because I'm a bit poor at the moment, free/cheap entertainment is the way forward, so I set out at 9:30 this morning with an intention to walk to a forest a few miles down the road. However, it seemed the road I wanted had no footpath next to it, and cars doing 60mph 2 feet away from me - no thanks.
So, changed plans and just decided to follow a country lane that looked interesting. Passed through a pretty village, through an industrial park, past a river and through another village before getting home. Almost a circle. The exact mileage, I'm uncertain of, but looking at the route I took on Google Maps, I reckon it was probably about 9 miles. Definately not a record Epic Walk, but a good warm-up starter and apart from some oddly tingly feet, my legs feel fine.
Anyway, nothing much else planned for the rest of the long weekend. I've just got back from the supermarket, and am currently snacking on some poshly packaged sugardrop tomatoes. I also have Ben & Jerrys in the freezer... Shhhh!
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Deena's Hen Weekend
My initial intentions for this blog have fallen miserably by the wayside already. You see, I'd planned to update every weekend but... I've missed at least one weekend, if not two.
My excuse for last weekend however was that I was just busy. I spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday at Deena's* hen weekend. And boy, did I feel like a fish out of water...
You see, Deena isn't even a friend. She's a work friend of my actual BBF Adele, and I've hung out with Deena exactly 4 times prior to last weekend.
Time 1: A random night out with Adele, some uni friends of hers, and Deena. We probably said 3 sentences to each other.
Time 2: Adele's hen weekend, perhaps another 3 sentences exchanged.
Time 3: I was randomly invited to Deena's 30th birthday party. Bare in mind, that up until this point, I'd only met her twice, in a crowd. Soooo... not exactly besties. I did wonder why I was invited, but just saw it as an opportunity to hang out with my BFF and have some free food.
Time 4: Deena's hen weekend. I dunno why I was invited. Is Deena seriously short of mates or just the friendliest person in history? Again, I went along in my spirit of "saying yes more" and taking the opportunity to gather more experiences.
So... 4 times and I'm already part of the so-called inner circle of mates. So I pretty much attended every event for the weekend, despite not actually being invited to the wedding (which believe me, I'd have been seriously weirded out if I had been). At the end of each event, there was much "see you at the wedding!" with accompanying air-kisses, to which I smiled sweetly and silently thought, "nope."
Event 1 - Friday night: "Pamper Night" at Deena's house. Drinks and nibbles provided. "Pampering" consisted of the buy-one-get-one-free style of facemasks-in-a-packet. Chocolate coloured/scented no less. Deena's mother was a hippy-dressed, foul mouthed chav. Who did little more than tell stories that began with the phrase "I was 'avin' a fag when..." and punctuated with curse words. A real charmer.
Event 2 - An afternoon at the recording studio. Pretty good fun, because I love a sing-song. Got myself on the song 'Man, I feel Like A Woman' after Deena's 17 year old cousin cried when she couldn't get her entry right. I stepped in to fill the breach while she sat in the mixing room and sniffled in a corner.
Oh no. Wait. She wasn't 17. I asked Adele later. She's 28. 20 friggin' 8. She was baby-faced, sure, but who the hell cries when they can't get a daft song on a hen weekend right? Who the hell cares? Sorry, but what a div. I have no respect for that, especially when the rest of us are sent out the room so she can have a sympathy-sing with Deena "without an audience". Don't think you've got a future as a recording artist Lisa* love.
Event 3: Afternoon tea at Fawsley Hall. Pleasant enough, but not as nice as the tea I had at Rushton Hall earlier in the year.
This was on the Sunday afternoon. I'd turned down the opportunity for a meal out/drinks/partying on the Saturday, because I'd spent enough money and didn't actually give a shit.
Don't get me wrong, Deena is sweet enough. But we've really got nothing in common, apart from Adele. We're not friends. Mostly it just felt a bit strange. And I didn't give a whatsit whether she was marrying or not. Like I said, I barely know the girl. It felt a bit like I was gate-crashing, but I was invited specially and greeted warmly at each event... *shrug*
*Deena and Lisa's names have been changed to protect their identities.
My excuse for last weekend however was that I was just busy. I spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday at Deena's* hen weekend. And boy, did I feel like a fish out of water...
You see, Deena isn't even a friend. She's a work friend of my actual BBF Adele, and I've hung out with Deena exactly 4 times prior to last weekend.
Time 1: A random night out with Adele, some uni friends of hers, and Deena. We probably said 3 sentences to each other.
Time 2: Adele's hen weekend, perhaps another 3 sentences exchanged.
Time 3: I was randomly invited to Deena's 30th birthday party. Bare in mind, that up until this point, I'd only met her twice, in a crowd. Soooo... not exactly besties. I did wonder why I was invited, but just saw it as an opportunity to hang out with my BFF and have some free food.
Time 4: Deena's hen weekend. I dunno why I was invited. Is Deena seriously short of mates or just the friendliest person in history? Again, I went along in my spirit of "saying yes more" and taking the opportunity to gather more experiences.
So... 4 times and I'm already part of the so-called inner circle of mates. So I pretty much attended every event for the weekend, despite not actually being invited to the wedding (which believe me, I'd have been seriously weirded out if I had been). At the end of each event, there was much "see you at the wedding!" with accompanying air-kisses, to which I smiled sweetly and silently thought, "nope."
Event 1 - Friday night: "Pamper Night" at Deena's house. Drinks and nibbles provided. "Pampering" consisted of the buy-one-get-one-free style of facemasks-in-a-packet. Chocolate coloured/scented no less. Deena's mother was a hippy-dressed, foul mouthed chav. Who did little more than tell stories that began with the phrase "I was 'avin' a fag when..." and punctuated with curse words. A real charmer.
Event 2 - An afternoon at the recording studio. Pretty good fun, because I love a sing-song. Got myself on the song 'Man, I feel Like A Woman' after Deena's 17 year old cousin cried when she couldn't get her entry right. I stepped in to fill the breach while she sat in the mixing room and sniffled in a corner.
Oh no. Wait. She wasn't 17. I asked Adele later. She's 28. 20 friggin' 8. She was baby-faced, sure, but who the hell cries when they can't get a daft song on a hen weekend right? Who the hell cares? Sorry, but what a div. I have no respect for that, especially when the rest of us are sent out the room so she can have a sympathy-sing with Deena "without an audience". Don't think you've got a future as a recording artist Lisa* love.
Event 3: Afternoon tea at Fawsley Hall. Pleasant enough, but not as nice as the tea I had at Rushton Hall earlier in the year.
This was on the Sunday afternoon. I'd turned down the opportunity for a meal out/drinks/partying on the Saturday, because I'd spent enough money and didn't actually give a shit.
Don't get me wrong, Deena is sweet enough. But we've really got nothing in common, apart from Adele. We're not friends. Mostly it just felt a bit strange. And I didn't give a whatsit whether she was marrying or not. Like I said, I barely know the girl. It felt a bit like I was gate-crashing, but I was invited specially and greeted warmly at each event... *shrug*
*Deena and Lisa's names have been changed to protect their identities.
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Harry Potter Wins The Cool Award
Currently undecided as to whether this below should be my new mug for work... Would it make me cool? Or a total loser?
I am a bit sick of having cold coffee though... I might just try it. ;)
I went with my lovely friend Laura, who I'd not had a chance to hang out with for over a year. She's getting ready to submit her PhD thesis in the next month or so, which is the culmination of 3.5 years of solid work.
I wouldn't recommend it personally. ;)
But anyway, here we are on the Hogwarts bridge. Many awesome moments filmed here!
I went for a ride on the Night Bus!
Went down Diagon Alley, knocked on the door of number 4 Privet Drive, visited the Burrow and walked down the Great Hall.
For a Potter geek like me, it was all pretty cool and really worth the money. Go and visit!
Blog #5's a good'un!
I love (and still do), the idea of an online presence beyond the usual Facebook/Twitter blabbings, and still want an online bloggy space. So much so, that since 2010 I've set up perhaps 6 blogs off LJ, 4 of them that stretched to post number 3 or 4. But then I lost interest in those as well...
But now I think I've working out what the problem was. I'd tried to theme them. For instance, one was a summary-style of all the fun things I'd found online recently, another was a "confessions" style blog, another was a "this is something fun I did" blog, and another was political/skeptic. All topics I'm still interested in, but not interested enough for them to hold down a substantial blog on their own.
So I've decided that blog number 6 will just be a mash-up of all those things, and anything, and nothing. It might be "I did this!" or it might be a rant, it might be "look at this funny video!" I don't know. But the only way it stands any chance of success is by determinedly NOT being stuck on single topics. Because I've learnt 4 times that those just don't work for me.
Oh, and the name "Wotsitweb"? I've used it before, still like it, and everything else I could think of was already taken. So "nurrrrr".
Oh (#2), if you've had an eye on other blogs of mine in the past, have no worries, I'm going to transfer some old content over here as/when I consider it relevant.
Peace, and sandwiches,
x S
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