I *need* to borrow your time machine.
There are only 24 hours in each day and it's not long enough.
Help please x
Monday 21 June 2010
Friday 11 June 2010
I've been spending a chunk of time this evening wandering around the internet. I have an increasing list of blogs bookmarked, and tend to glut on them. One of my weaknesses, that keeps me online for hours, and leads me down all kinds of rabbit holes is link posts. Gala darling has linked to some illustrations where the artist has drawn out the spam email he gets. Some of them are a bit nothingy but a couple made me laugh. For example...
I hope you can see that ok. I like the idea of removing the power of annoyance these emails have by ridiculing them, especially with this pleasing line-drawn style. The whole collection is here.
The reason I've been enjoying the internet this evening is that the world cup has arrived. A and I only have one TV that's set up enough to work so vegetating wasn't an option. I'm glad really, as I dislike the faintly disappointed feeling I get after a whole evening of channel surfing. I can get it about the internet as well, but this evening I have tried to be an active surfer rather than be dragged along by the flow of the information super highway.
The posts at whitehottruth have been interesting me and sparking some potentially deep thoughts. I'm not an entrepreneur, and don't have any great dreams of becoming a business person, but I find a lot of the things she says make me stop and think. And in a life as hectic as mine feels at the moment that's a powerful thing. There is wisdom that can be applied to a lot of situations in the pages of her blog. I wonder about the e-book, but haven't been convinced enough that I would follow through and commit to it enough to make it worth the money.
I have a habit of dabbling with these kinds of self improvement things but not pushing through with them enough. I have an aversion to worksheets; maybe I'm secretly afraid of when I might find out about myself. Obviously I have a a lot of Hoff to give (can't find the Hoffarmations on the internet, so no link to that delight for you) but I have a sneaking suspicion that if I started really examining myself I might find out that the things that are really meaningful to me and that I'm really good at are actually things I don't value as highly as I should cognitively.
As a 'modern woman' I've picked up on the idea that to be really succeeding you need to be all things. Powerful, organised, funny, confident, business-like, career minded, ready to have kids at any second and be able to cope whilst complaining because that's expected too. And that's before you consider the expectations of society generally that are applied to all people by default, as expressed in the attitudes of TV, magazines etc etc (though why they should be I don't know, and have realised I could not face the psychological dissection and debate of any kind of course type thing about the subject). Look out for number one but don't forget that society's falling apart. What about me. Be a success (at what we all consider to be successful). Be yourself but not too much.
Be yourself, but not too much. That's resonating with me at the moment. About the wedding..."it's your day" but you can't possibly want that! what about what Joe, Grandpa, all the neighbours will think. And everybody's so focused on one day. What about the rest of our lives? That's what this is all supposed to be the gateway to. Celebrating the beginning, helping us to set off in style, with the support of the people who love us and who we love. Anything that helps everyone to slow down and remember that has got to be a good thing. Time to think, to plan, to imagine. What is my life going to look life after this lifechanging event. Our life. How is the focus going to be different now it's shared. But there's the DJ crisis to solve, the RSVPs to chase, the flowers and cars to debate.
They don't matter. They are window dressing. A and I will be there, thankfully most of the people we care about are able to be there, to start the rest of our lives together.
Pulling the whole thing together has helped us to practice some together-skills that will be very important as life goes on. Never agreeing to anything without checking is probably the biggest. Not even expressing vague interest (as that's taken as yes in our families, and is why we ended up with 5 different types of tea lights and a panic over rings).
There has been stress, tears, frantic phone calls, and it is not done yet, but I think so far overall the benefits of being engaged and planning a wedding are winning the race. Though it has been close at times.
By the way, my dress? not window dressing. Possibly the only time in a woman's life nowadays when she can focus on finding an outfit that makes her feel amazing with absolutely no guilt and not worry that anyone will *dare* say anything negative. Mine I could have bought an alright second hand car with the money, but I really don't mind. It's one stereotype I'm glad to say I have found to be true.
Have you kept up with my train of thought tirade this evening? I fear I am not reader friendly, but there is plenty in there to inwardly digest if you feel so inclined.
I hope you can see that ok. I like the idea of removing the power of annoyance these emails have by ridiculing them, especially with this pleasing line-drawn style. The whole collection is here.The reason I've been enjoying the internet this evening is that the world cup has arrived. A and I only have one TV that's set up enough to work so vegetating wasn't an option. I'm glad really, as I dislike the faintly disappointed feeling I get after a whole evening of channel surfing. I can get it about the internet as well, but this evening I have tried to be an active surfer rather than be dragged along by the flow of the information super highway.
The posts at whitehottruth have been interesting me and sparking some potentially deep thoughts. I'm not an entrepreneur, and don't have any great dreams of becoming a business person, but I find a lot of the things she says make me stop and think. And in a life as hectic as mine feels at the moment that's a powerful thing. There is wisdom that can be applied to a lot of situations in the pages of her blog. I wonder about the e-book, but haven't been convinced enough that I would follow through and commit to it enough to make it worth the money.
I have a habit of dabbling with these kinds of self improvement things but not pushing through with them enough. I have an aversion to worksheets; maybe I'm secretly afraid of when I might find out about myself. Obviously I have a a lot of Hoff to give (can't find the Hoffarmations on the internet, so no link to that delight for you) but I have a sneaking suspicion that if I started really examining myself I might find out that the things that are really meaningful to me and that I'm really good at are actually things I don't value as highly as I should cognitively.
As a 'modern woman' I've picked up on the idea that to be really succeeding you need to be all things. Powerful, organised, funny, confident, business-like, career minded, ready to have kids at any second and be able to cope whilst complaining because that's expected too. And that's before you consider the expectations of society generally that are applied to all people by default, as expressed in the attitudes of TV, magazines etc etc (though why they should be I don't know, and have realised I could not face the psychological dissection and debate of any kind of course type thing about the subject). Look out for number one but don't forget that society's falling apart. What about me. Be a success (at what we all consider to be successful). Be yourself but not too much.
Be yourself, but not too much. That's resonating with me at the moment. About the wedding..."it's your day" but you can't possibly want that! what about what Joe, Grandpa, all the neighbours will think. And everybody's so focused on one day. What about the rest of our lives? That's what this is all supposed to be the gateway to. Celebrating the beginning, helping us to set off in style, with the support of the people who love us and who we love. Anything that helps everyone to slow down and remember that has got to be a good thing. Time to think, to plan, to imagine. What is my life going to look life after this lifechanging event. Our life. How is the focus going to be different now it's shared. But there's the DJ crisis to solve, the RSVPs to chase, the flowers and cars to debate.
They don't matter. They are window dressing. A and I will be there, thankfully most of the people we care about are able to be there, to start the rest of our lives together.
Pulling the whole thing together has helped us to practice some together-skills that will be very important as life goes on. Never agreeing to anything without checking is probably the biggest. Not even expressing vague interest (as that's taken as yes in our families, and is why we ended up with 5 different types of tea lights and a panic over rings).
There has been stress, tears, frantic phone calls, and it is not done yet, but I think so far overall the benefits of being engaged and planning a wedding are winning the race. Though it has been close at times.
By the way, my dress? not window dressing. Possibly the only time in a woman's life nowadays when she can focus on finding an outfit that makes her feel amazing with absolutely no guilt and not worry that anyone will *dare* say anything negative. Mine I could have bought an alright second hand car with the money, but I really don't mind. It's one stereotype I'm glad to say I have found to be true.
Have you kept up with my train of thought tirade this evening? I fear I am not reader friendly, but there is plenty in there to inwardly digest if you feel so inclined.
Monday 7 June 2010
In other news...
I've had a few lurgy-free weeks but now I have a cough. I'm acting like this is a mystery illness but one of my friends at work pointed out that even if I don't feel it right this second I'm probably quite stressed. She's probably referring to the just moved house, wedding in less than four weeks, working an extra shift a week state of my life. Or maybe there's something else I haven't noticed :P
A and I are trying to keep life as close to normal as we can. I have had a lovely weekend of relaxing, but also being productive. It started on Friday when I made the sensible decision that another day of writing reports in the (open plan) office would not be productive - or good for my mental health. So I didn't go in. I'm making that sound all rebel-rebel when it really isn't as work owe me enough hours for nearly three days off.
So instead of a stuffy day in a cloying open plan office I went out for a lovely countryside lunch with my folks and then took the dog for a walk around Pennington flash, which is a nature reserve just a few miles up the road from where we live.
Then home for tea with A when he got in from work. I made an incredibly yummy spring risotto and everyone seemed to enjoy it (asparagus, pea and leek - aparapeek!).
On Saturday A and I went into town to open a joint bank account. It makes me feel incredibly grown up, but also like a child playing make believe who is about to be found out.What if one day the rest of the world realises that some days I really am still a teenager inside, one who simply wears a fairly effective grown-up-costume most days?
In fact Saturday had already started for me before the trip to the bank. I had got up at a reasonable hour, put a wash on, done some gentle yoga type exercise and tidied the living room (the grown-up costume in action). After the bank we got the shopping from the market and then took the wedding decorations to the florists and finalised all that with her. Then in the evening A's folks came over, and fell in love with the Wii fit. They really did seem very impressed, though I think his mum may have been happier without an audience. They're going to borrow it whilst A and I are away next month, and I worry we may have trouble getting it back!
A lazy start to Sunday was rudely interrupted when I realised there's a chunk missing from one of my back teeth :( I haven't had much luck with my teeth over the last few years, despite regular brushing and generally pretty good dental care, so this was another blow to be honest. I feel cheated, that somehow my tooth-caring efforts are not being rewarded. I have an appointment at the dentists' on Tuesday, presumably to have another filling packed into what's left of the tooth.
The rest of Sunday went according to plan. A and I had decided to try out a local park/nature reserve we'd found out about.
Sankey Valley park is a long linear park, along a disused and partly infilled canal. Some parts of it are really beautiful, and it runs pretty much alongside the local river as well. We took our (much neglected) bikes along about half of it (and back - it's *very* important to remember you need to get home again) and really enjoyed exploring. We've spotted some elder trees and embankments of berries that we have our eye on for the autumn. We'll just need to beat the kids and the birds to them.
It's a shame that we didn't know about this park sooner, as one of the access points is only a few minutes ride from our house. I guess it says something about our motivation, but also that perhaps the local council could be a little bolder in advertising what they have. It really was a gorgeous surprise to ride down through an industrial estate, and not to turn the corner onto a scubby towpath, along a rubbsh strewn old canal as I was expecting. To instead find myself riding across a rustic wooden lock, along a beautifully kept now walking/cycle path, past fishermen who actually had a hope of catching something other than a bike wheel (really big fish - honestly, it.was.this.big. - I saw them), seeing new wildlife every couple of minutes was stunningly refreshing. Maybe that's why the council keep quiet about it, to keep it safe.
Sunday evening was quiet, with only a hint of that Sunday evening depression that knowing there is work again in the morning brings. It seems I missed some excitement though. Whilst I was chilling out in the back garden, catching up on the news papers, sorting out my summer clothes and generally being domestic one of the factories by the motorway (a mile or so from us) was exploding. Apparently there was a very large fire at a paint factory, and lots of it exploded. Our houses are the last before the motorway and A's cousin (who lives down the road) watched the whole thing - it was huge, you couldn't miss it, etc. Somehow, despite being in the front bedroom, with a clear view of all these explosions, with the window open to hear the sirens, I did.
I feel that takes a particular skill. I must really have been focused on sorting out that wardrobe (it does look pretty amazing).
Hopefully I'll be here again with another proper update soon x
A and I are trying to keep life as close to normal as we can. I have had a lovely weekend of relaxing, but also being productive. It started on Friday when I made the sensible decision that another day of writing reports in the (open plan) office would not be productive - or good for my mental health. So I didn't go in. I'm making that sound all rebel-rebel when it really isn't as work owe me enough hours for nearly three days off.
So instead of a stuffy day in a cloying open plan office I went out for a lovely countryside lunch with my folks and then took the dog for a walk around Pennington flash, which is a nature reserve just a few miles up the road from where we live.
Then home for tea with A when he got in from work. I made an incredibly yummy spring risotto and everyone seemed to enjoy it (asparagus, pea and leek - aparapeek!).
On Saturday A and I went into town to open a joint bank account. It makes me feel incredibly grown up, but also like a child playing make believe who is about to be found out.What if one day the rest of the world realises that some days I really am still a teenager inside, one who simply wears a fairly effective grown-up-costume most days?
In fact Saturday had already started for me before the trip to the bank. I had got up at a reasonable hour, put a wash on, done some gentle yoga type exercise and tidied the living room (the grown-up costume in action). After the bank we got the shopping from the market and then took the wedding decorations to the florists and finalised all that with her. Then in the evening A's folks came over, and fell in love with the Wii fit. They really did seem very impressed, though I think his mum may have been happier without an audience. They're going to borrow it whilst A and I are away next month, and I worry we may have trouble getting it back!
A lazy start to Sunday was rudely interrupted when I realised there's a chunk missing from one of my back teeth :( I haven't had much luck with my teeth over the last few years, despite regular brushing and generally pretty good dental care, so this was another blow to be honest. I feel cheated, that somehow my tooth-caring efforts are not being rewarded. I have an appointment at the dentists' on Tuesday, presumably to have another filling packed into what's left of the tooth.
The rest of Sunday went according to plan. A and I had decided to try out a local park/nature reserve we'd found out about.
Sankey Valley park is a long linear park, along a disused and partly infilled canal. Some parts of it are really beautiful, and it runs pretty much alongside the local river as well. We took our (much neglected) bikes along about half of it (and back - it's *very* important to remember you need to get home again) and really enjoyed exploring. We've spotted some elder trees and embankments of berries that we have our eye on for the autumn. We'll just need to beat the kids and the birds to them.
![[source]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1167/1294511125_d365a25a67.jpg?v=0){kind=link}
It's a shame that we didn't know about this park sooner, as one of the access points is only a few minutes ride from our house. I guess it says something about our motivation, but also that perhaps the local council could be a little bolder in advertising what they have. It really was a gorgeous surprise to ride down through an industrial estate, and not to turn the corner onto a scubby towpath, along a rubbsh strewn old canal as I was expecting. To instead find myself riding across a rustic wooden lock, along a beautifully kept now walking/cycle path, past fishermen who actually had a hope of catching something other than a bike wheel (really big fish - honestly, it.was.this.big. - I saw them), seeing new wildlife every couple of minutes was stunningly refreshing. Maybe that's why the council keep quiet about it, to keep it safe.
Sunday evening was quiet, with only a hint of that Sunday evening depression that knowing there is work again in the morning brings. It seems I missed some excitement though. Whilst I was chilling out in the back garden, catching up on the news papers, sorting out my summer clothes and generally being domestic one of the factories by the motorway (a mile or so from us) was exploding. Apparently there was a very large fire at a paint factory, and lots of it exploded. Our houses are the last before the motorway and A's cousin (who lives down the road) watched the whole thing - it was huge, you couldn't miss it, etc. Somehow, despite being in the front bedroom, with a clear view of all these explosions, with the window open to hear the sirens, I did.
I feel that takes a particular skill. I must really have been focused on sorting out that wardrobe (it does look pretty amazing).
Hopefully I'll be here again with another proper update soon x
Our honeymoon...
...has arrived![source]
I'll be busy this evening unpacking and trying to put this giant up.
Who wants to share with me at Greenbelt?
Saturday 5 June 2010
Today I have mostly been...
Introducing my future in-laws to the Wii, and thereby providing an evening of entertainment for all involved. Unfortunately there aren't any pictures; Andy's hula-hooping could've been a youtube classic.
We've offered to lend them our console whilst we're away next month, and they seemed to enjoy playing it so much that I'm worried we won't get it back!
We've offered to lend them our console whilst we're away next month, and they seemed to enjoy playing it so much that I'm worried we won't get it back!
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