The Hotness

Found these whilst looking through my Mum's old knitting patterns - if I get knitting quick enough, it's all my Christmas presents sorted out! Send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and I can send you a copy so you too can knit your way into people's hearts!



You may not be able to read the smaller print - it suggests that if there is any extra material left over, you can use it to make an attractive matching belt or headband accessory! My problem now is, I 'm just not sure which outfit I like best.



For every baby in your life, nothing says loving like an all-in-one orange knitted outfit.

A little known fact that my Mum, sister and I once posed for a knitting pattern. I think it's a good look. I particularly like the tag-line near the top: "Body-stocking freedom". Neatly illustrated by the small picture too; have you ever seen anyone who so exudes freedom and delight from their knitted body stocking?

My absolute personal favourite. Everyone has a man in their life who could be a little bit more enriched for owning a knitted 'helmet'. Just hang onto him tight, the other girls in the neighbourhood will soon be trying to sink their claws into him!

Arrival

I have arrived!

Who says a 9-hour flight with an overtired 2 year old is too much?! Aghh... The less said about it the better. Suffice it to say, we have arrived in glorious Canada, to my house with my amazing parents, and life is looking better and better.

You'll be glad to hear, I'm sure, that both the dishwasher and wallet situation were resolved. Hurrah. Apparently, it is possible for me to be wrong! (I know - I am still getting over the shock too. No-one tell Mike!!!) I blame aliens for implanting false memories of me bringing my wallet home with me (I was so sure!) Can I put my blog to good use yet again and thank the extremely kind soul who found my wallet dropped outside Tesco and turned it in totally intact. You are a good person, I wish I knew who you were so I could thank you and give you a great big thank you smooch under the mistletoe. But you'll just have to know that you made this girl a very happy bunny.All I can say is it is great to be back, but you all suck for living so far away!! I miss my girls and don't know what I'll do without you. Holls and Jess, I hear you're gonna be around - anyone else, let me know, though I admit I have been a very bad pal the last few months and have not been in touch. Big apologies. Anyone who wants can get an apology smooch under the mistletoe!! :) Just joshing.

But I AM sending a big kiss under the mistletoe to Mike. Yes, it is a bit sickening. But we had the most amazing weekend away together before I left. Smooches, walks in the rain, holding hands over hot chocolates. All the stuff that makes me ill and I laugh at as being cheesey. It turns out that I am a cheesey mushy girl after all!! And I miss him. Aw...

Over and out comrades. I am thinking of you all as Christmas gets near and we all like to have friends and family around! Except for the people who are here by accident or who got here by random blog search. I'm not thinking about you, but only because I don't know you. I'm sure you're very nice people. Drop me a Christmas comment (or some mistletoe!!) :) and I promise I'll think of you too!

Feliz Navidad!

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Soundtrack to this blogging session:

Knick knack paddywhack - Ben Lunn

Looking for the Ogo Pogo - Ben Lunn

Twinkle Twinkle - Ben Lunn

If You're Happy and You Know It - Ben Lunn

My nephew is listening to records and singing along beside me !

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Holly Hoo Hoo

Happy Birthday
25!
Especially for you, as a birthday treat, a picture of a smiling koala

And now, a picture of a brand new toilet. I hope it brings you joy.

Have a great birthday. You're an awesome friend. MWAH!!!! Can't wait to see you whenever you're in Calgary.

What I'm Thinking

Countdown until leaving for Canada:
6 days

Things that I have to do before then:
Lots and lots and lots and lots

Things getting in my way:
1)My washing machine broke yesterday. Again. Mid-cycle. Again. With a very loud thump. The man can come fix it, maybe tomorrow, maybe in the afternoon, maybe not. Until then, my nice new blue sheets sit forlornly inside in a puddle of soapy water.

2) I have lost my wallet. Again. Sadly, not with a very loud thump. The worst part of this for me is that I KNOW the last time I had it was inside my flat. And I realized I had lost it before I left my flat again. This leads me to believe that is must be inside the flat, somewhere.

Places I have looked:
In/under the couch
In my underwear drawer
In my laundry bin
Behind the loose skirting board in the kitchen
In the fridge and freezer
Inside and on top of every single cupboard, also inside the cups and bowls and Tupperware
Through the whole garbage can - yes, I hunted through that puppy!
Through every bag and piece of clothing I own
Behind my bookshelf and behind each individual book

Random Recent News Story That This Relates To:
Apparently, a girl was wedged behind the bookcase in her room, quite dead, for 11 days, while her poor frantic family searched everywhere for her, thinking she had been kidnapped. It appears she had been trying to adjust the TV plug, fell behind and got stuck.

Two Best Ever Quotes From This News Story, Courtesy of BBC Website
"The family told the newspaper that they had noticed a strange smell coming from the room, but blamed it on rats"

"Her death was eventually discovered when her sister noticed a foot protruding from behind the bookcase. 'I'm sleeping in the same house as her for 11 days, looking for her. And all the time she was right there in the bedroom', said her mother"

What I Have Decided
I love my wallet, and even more so the little plastic cards it contains that buy me things. But if it is stuck behind the bookcase, I think it can stay there.

Final Thought
I didn't know rats had a smell

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Soundtrack for this blogging session:
Dolly Parton - Workin' 9-5
Venga Boys - Venga Bus
Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas
N'Sync - Bye Bye Bye

(Songs inspired by a fantastic weekend out partying til the early hours to gay anthems!)

This One's For The Girls

This video has a great message, and while I have (slight) issues that it is still at essence manipulative adverstising for a multibillion dollar corporation who is out for profit, I did think of it at the salon today, flicking through a magazine of hot chicks, and was comforted. I laughed at one viewers' (very un-PC) comment that it is like watching a night out at the bar for him - the chicks start off so-so and by the end of his night have morphed into supermodels. Anyways, enjoy. Heads held high, girls!

Bouncing here and there and everywhere

Don't I always say you heard it here first? The other day, after posting my blog, I turned the radio off and did some chores around the house. When I turned it back on, what were they doing but asking listeners to text in about their favourite kids' tv show! More proof that I secretly rule the world, I think much! The winner, voted by the great British public, was Gummi Bears.

I babysat my nephew Ben last night. It was great. He is very cute and is at the stage of rapidly expanding his vocab. He soaks up anything you say and repeats it with great delight. I have spent a highly amusing time with him, teaching him vocab like, "Hammer Time"and "jaundice". Mild abuse of aunty position but it makes me laugh. My sister, the yuppy, takes him out to Starbucks with her and orders him a 'babyccino" which is milk in a mini coffee cup, with frothed milk on top and a marshmallow on the side. Yes, seriously. Groom them young!

Speaking of hot drinks, I have a see-through electric kettle. I made myself a hot-water bottle the other night and watched it boil. Proof, I think, against the old adage that it won't do that if you're watching it. It also led me to question how the kettle knows when the water is boiling to turn itself off. My answer? It must have some kind of thermostat inside.

Now you remember why you come here, eh?
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Soundtrack for this blogging session:

Akon ft. Eminem - Smack That

Nostalgia

Right now, I am so into nostalgic TV.

It all started with an innocent conversation with my good buddies Laura and Travis over an extremely suspect Chinese buffet.

(Ginger fried cat, anyone?!)

Heaven only knows how it turned to the television shows of our childhood, but I think I managed to avoid mentioning my long succession of extremely dodgy celebrity crushes, starting with Adam from "You Can't Do That On Television", followed by a brief obsession with Jonathan from New Kids On The Block (remember him? No? No-one does. That's because he was the ugly one whom no one fancied except me because I was a strikingly odd child). There may have been more but the only other one I can remember is PJ Phil from YTV. Remember they used to have those presenters in-between the shows who would make crafts and things? I didn't even watch YTV but I used to tune in with the hope of catching Phil. I think he may have been in a Crunchie commercial too. Can't beat a Canadian-lad-done-good.

But I digress. Back to the Chinese.

We reminisced about Today's Special. What a great show! I had forgotten about the computer that spit out answers and about the mime lady. Hilarious. Can you imagine being a TV producer and sitting around thinking, "You know what would be a GREAT idea? Let's set a show in a department store after-hours, and make it about a security guard, a mouse and a mannequin that comes to life. And, hell, chuck in a mime and a talking computer."

If you are extremely sad like me, or just need a nostalgic boost, go to

http://todays-special.schuminweb.com/main-page.asp and click on the multimedia bit, to watch the opening sequence.

My good buddies then reminded me about Square One. This one is slightly hazy (hatred of math from an early age I guess) but I do remember MATHMAN. Remember this takeoff of PacMan who used to eat numbers or get eaten by a tornado?

Then there was the Canadian Sesame Street with Louis the polar bear and his friend the orange cat (bear?) who used to fly a plane and speak French. There was also a shrieky Grandma and a girl in a wheelchair.

And, judging by this photo, they used to invite Canadian celebrities to join in the fun. Well done, Kurt Browning. If I was a Canadian celebrity (and I use that term loosely) I would have loved to be on Sesame Street!!

A few years after that malarkey came what I would consider the best show of my childhood, Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego? I remember as the opening credits started and they would say, "Hit it Rockapella!" And the winner of the game had to earn his prize by standing on a huge map and marking each country that was called out with a big flashing lights. If I remember correctly, it was really unfair, as one week they would have a relatively easy map of say, North America, and then the next week they would have to mark African countries or something.

I can't leave without mentioning KidStreet, filmed in our very own Calgary with the lovely Kevin hosting. Kids used to sit in little go-karts with their siblings and answer such brainteasers as, "How many telephones are in your house?" It was great. Their trademark was a huge cavern filled with toys that the winners used to go play in, and that the kids had to clap with their hands over their heads after every commercial break. I have the great privilege of knowing two girls who were on the show in its prime and they let me know (exclusively!) that this was because if they clapped at chest level, it would have been right into the microphone, and any higher up would have obscured their face, so above their head was the only option. Not having any siblings of an appropriate age to join me, my best friend Allison Cuppen and I used to plot how we could sneak onto the show by pretending to be siblings. I'm sure this would REALLY have fooled the producers, not least because we were about 4 months apart in age.

Thanks for joining me down Memory Lane, guys. Please please submit any other ones you can think of, I am enjoying this!!

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Soundtrack for this blogging session:

Radio 1, with Jo Whiley. She is OK but definitely my least favourite host.

Success

I seem to have fixed my blog. But I'm not too sure how.

Well, hello again, my little bloglets.
How are YOU today? I don't ask you enough!

I'm killing time before my last EVER shift as a permanent employee at Birmingham Children's. It will, however, be anticlimactic, as I return on shift the very next day (we are paid extra to cover any unfilled shifts). Woo hoo :(

I don't think we've really chatted since I went to Wales to visit Claire. May I draw you a mental image of what a perfect few days it was?

The journey:
I set off up the Hagely Road, one of the big vessels through Birmingham. I am stuck in traffic. It is grey outside. The trees have shed their orange and yellow leaves and they gather on the road and in the drains. The rain slooshes as my wipers lazily wipe it away. I have the heat cranked and I am warm and toasty. As brake and indicator lights blink at me through the haze, and it gets almost imperceptably darker and darker, I watch everyone on the streets around me, dashing through the rain, rushing with black umbrellas raised, stopping to chat with newspapers raised above their heads. On the radio: Damien Rice, 9 Crimes. Could there BE a more perfect soundtrack for being cozy and people watching? If you are unscrupulous like le moi, download it and listen while you read this. You will see what I mean.




Down the motorway:
I am cruising at 80mph down the motorway, my little Micra Jessie May huming happily like a mosquito to be out and on the road again. I am accompanying Amy Winehouse to her fab new song, Rehab. I can't stop bopping as I drive along. Diva, moi.

The arrival:

It is dark as I stop in Abergavenny for gas and to grab a bottle of nice red wine and some flowers for Claire. For my non-British readers, you may not have heard a mid-Wales accent, but it just grabs you and pulls you into a big welcoming hug! As I wait to pay for my stuff, the locals around me are making idle chit-chat and I wish desperately that I could be one of them, living in their beautiful town in one of their cozy grey houses, gathering with them in their local pub for a beer near the fire every evening.

(Though, in retrospect, away from the welcoming glow, I suppose that would mean having grown up in mid-Wales which is certainly far down below even Calgary on the list of exciting places to be reared!)

I pull up outside the farm where she is staying, having turned off the main road long ago and followed an endless two-tire track for miles and miles. This place could be a in a movie. A rambling stone farm house, surrounded by fields and field of sheep and a barn with 6 fluffy grey dogs, snouts through the crack in the barn door to, woofing for all they're worth to herald my arrival.

She welcomes me inside with a big hug - we haven't seen each other in a long time. For those who don't know, Claire was my flatmate at University. She is amazing. I lived with two Claires, BrownHair Claire and Crazy Clare. This is not Crazy Clare.

I will spare you the details of our in-depth girly chats but we sat by a HUGE hearth, drinking wine, eating steak, a cat curled up on a pillow next to us and some of the fluffy grey dogs snoozing at our feet. At bedtime, we mounted stone stairs, through this mansion with tapestries on the wall and lofty balcolnies teeming with every book imaginable, and I crept into a four poster bed and snuggled down, listening to the wind howling and lashing the windows as I fell asleep. Bliss.

Who says winter sucks?

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Soundtrack for this blogging session:
Damien Rice - 9 Crimes

Amy Winehouse - Rehab

Lily Allen - Little Things

All Saints - Rock Steady

Oh Dear

What has happened to my blog?!?!?! My whole layout has moved around and I don't know how to fix it!

ME

This website scans your blog and makes a word cloud. I think it's nifty, though I wish I could make it bigger. You can also choose to change the words.

www.Snapshirts.com

Should I be considering a career change?

I just love this -

Found in REAL magazine, which I bought on my lunch break the other day for just a pound. Sample headlines: "My pregnant daughter was murdered by her ex" "A slice of pizza could kill me" "I found love on my XBox". So you know we're talking classy!!

"Dear REAL,
Reading My other job is porn films (Issue 19) I never would have guessed that although Lisa is a dedicated student nurse caring for sick patients, her other job is a porn star! Lisa has no need to feel ashamed. Unfortunately, it seems she needs the money porn brings in, because nurses are not paid very well. This is a shame as they do such wonderful work and help so many. Maybe this article will be the boost needed so that nurses can finally be paid what they deserve!"

Hands up who thinks the powers that be, whilst reading REAL in the back of their chauffeur driven limo, or perhaps while eating their 100pound steak lunch at the exclusive Ivy restaurant, are going to think, "Good heavens!! We know they have one of the highest suicide and burnout rates, longest hours and one of the lowest salaries in the country - but we didn't realize they were turning to porn. We must up their salaries immediately."

Call me cynical.

And thanks, Lisa, for lowering the profile of nursing. Ever heard of working behind a bar to get yourself through university, like the rest of us did?

Unbelievably, the well thought out piece above was not even the star letter of the month - that honour went to a woman who was outraged at the article, "Are you a sex kitten or a librarian", because she is a librarian, and demands to know why those at the 'forefront of knowledge and information management' (ha!!) cannot be sexy too. Some people are obviously taking their lunchhour reading a little too seriously.

I think I feel my brain shrinking!

In other mind-numbing news, Britney getting a divorce. Whoda thunk it! It is very sad really, but there must be a slight tinge of we told you so. 24, 2 babies and twice divorced - who wants fame?! Not I!!

I'm off to Wales now to visit my wonderful friend Claire. I may be putting myself out on a limb here, but I know I have a couple of regular visitors. Can I ask a huge favour. This Saturday, the 18th, can I create a prayer web for her? She is having a tough patch, and I really feel she could use it. Thank God for making her the truly amazing person she is and ask Him for his hand and guidance over her life. Would you spread the word on your blogs, and if you will take a few minutes to remember her on Saturday, would you leave me a comment and let me know you're doing this, so I can encourage her. What better use for a blog!!!

12 days to go until I am an ex-parrot. Sorry, an ex-employee. 6 shifts and counting!

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Soundtrack for this blogging session:

Nothing. Just the sounds of my keys clickety clacking

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**DISCLAIMER - Not for a second do I wish to suggest that librarians are not at the forefront of knowledge and information management. I laugh merely because I would have thought that, as such, they would not feel the need to big up their role with such inflated prose. Call yourself what you are and be proud, I say. Why call a gas pumper a petroleum management engineer? Librarians - I salute you (especially my lovely librarian from St Catherines Elementary School - she read to us and was very nice**

No more Miss Nice Nurse

Yesterday, I handed in my formal notice of resignation. In 28 days I will no longer be employed! (Aghhh). Can't believe I made it for 18 months with no-one noticing that I never went to university and my qualification was written on grease-proof paper!!

Seriously though. It is a scary prospect and I can't believe how much shock, upset and support I have had from everyone there. If you need an ego boost, quit your job! :)

I look back to my first day of hospital training at university, when I had literally only been inside a hospital twice before, and I spent the whole first day delighting in being able to walk through all those mysterious doors that say NO ADMITTANCE STAFF ONLY. My only task that day was to dress and feed a baby and I was terrified as I couldn't remember being allowed to hold a baby before (I KNOW what you're all thinking, with good reason right! Well, I have never dropped one so far!)

Then after slogging through university, my first day as a 'real' nurse, actually wearing the uniform, having people ask me questions, thinking I HAVE NO IDEA! It is important to note here that doors came into it again as I was delighted that my new hospital has automatic doors throughout and I took great pleasure in pretending to open them with a wave of my hand a la Harry Potter - shall I say here that I did this for the benefit of entertaining my kiddy patients, but I won't admit that I also do it when I'm walking around on my own!! (Whoops...)

So it's been a long journey. I truly cannot believe how much I have learned, the experiences of an emergency department that are now just normal to me, sometimes listening to myself answer questions, give advice, teach, or in a trauma or resus call and thinking, wow, is this me?

I remember leaving work on a high the first week and being called over by a parent standing outside smoking. He started off asking calmly why he had to wait to see a doctor and ended by screaming and yelling at me, kicking over the garbage can and saying if his child died it was my fault. I remember walking calmly back into the hospital and bursting into tears. The nurse in charge must have thought, "They're gonna eat this one alive!!" I am proud of my ability to now (mostly) take it in my stride, answer calmly, ignore threats and give them the finger when they're not looking

(haha!) (just kidding)

It has been uplifting and also completely soul-destroying. I have looked forward so much to going into work and also been more stressed out than I thought possible. I have been yelled at, threatened verbally and physically, I have been so tired, so hyper, laughed with my colleagues til my stomach hurt, bitched about them until I wondered if it was worth it. I love my job and hate it at the same time, I wonder every day why am doing it and can still not see myself doing anything else.

Anyways, still got a month to go, sorry for another reflective piece! I am now going to be late for work again. I should not be allowed to log on to blogger!

Soundtrack for this blogging session:
Garth Brooks - Greatest Hits (feeling nostalgic I guess!)

HUGS!!!

Before I start, I need to send out some loving. It's going to be sentimental, so if you're not the type, you might want to look away now! I'm am a lucky girl - I have lots of people to love and lots of people to love me. And sometimes, there are days when you need to send out some loving and extra special hugs:


To my fantastic friend Claire, who has always been an amazing friend to me and taught me everything I know when I moved to England on my own (without her I would probably be living in a cardboard box right now) She needs some *huge* hugs and prayers right now and I just want to say I am thinking of you.




To Laura, who was here recently (more on that later). She is feeling a little better now, but she was sicky-poorly and we all need a hug when we feel crap.

To Jani, who had some very sad news this week and is having to fly back to Calgary for a funeral. I'm so sorry for your loss and am thinking of you too.

To Mike. He is always a star but this week extra specially - most of all when Jessie May, my little Micra, broke down as I was leaving for the airport to collect Laura and Travis. The AA could not get to me for almost 2 hours and in desperation, I woke my man up at 8:30 when he had not got home from shift until 02:00. And with not a word of complaint he climbed out of bed and drove off into the grey morning to go get them for me.


To my sister. I hope I am safe now to announce that she is expecting baby number 2 in May



We are all excited, but just like last time, pregnancy is not agreeing with her. So this is a sister hug!!




To my parents. They are so great. I have booked my flight home for Christmas and was reminiscing about how much effort they put into making sure that we had a great childhood, not just Christmas but everything. Do we ever say thanks to our parents enough?

I had planned to say a lot more, but reading Holly's blog has introduced me to Picasa and I have been fooling around trying to make a collage which means it is now already time to go to work.

I know I have missed lots of people on this - so can I just send a big hug to EVERYONE!!

Soundtrack for this blogging session:

Something Kinda Ooh - Girls Aloud
Rudebox - Robbie Williams
Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence

Just like me

And this is why Canada (though I love and stand on guard for thee) will never be a world leader - our census bureau does not come up with cool things like this:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 18 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Rise and Shine

Good morning,

You will note, I hope, the fresh new look of Humdrum Chaos. The black felt oppressive and this is so much more 'me'. And all thoughtfully provided to you, the reader, for no extra cost! You can't say that's not a good way to start the morning.

My dear, dear friends Laura and Travis, are arriving bright and early tomorrow morning, fresh from a month of travelling around Europe. I am so excited to see them, view the pictures and hear the tales. It takes me back to my travels 5 years ago (can it really be?!!!!)I feel like a proud mama hen, offering them my advice, reluctantly cutting the apron strings and letting them discover for themselves and welcoming them back with a tear in my eye! Tee hee.

Also like a mother hen, I am busily preparing my nest. There are counters to be wiped, sheets to iron and I supposed I should really have something delicious cooking in the oven when they arrive.

Happy Birthday Popsicle

Hi again, kids,

Sorry so long. I have long been logging onto my blog, staring at a blank screen, deciding I have nothing interesting to say, and logging back off. But guilt has driven me today. And the desire to say a very happy birthday to my Dad. 62 today!

Which adds to the guilt, because I did not wish a very happy birthday to my Mum on the 20th Sept (age withheld). Sorry Mum. Hope it was a great day and that the Porsche I sent makes up for the forgetful mention.

And while we are at it, a very happy upcoming birthday to Bry and Ben (31 and 2, respectively). There is something to be said for your whole family being born within a month of each other!

I have some exciting and possibly pre-emptive news to share with everyone. But first, a getting-to-know-you quiz, forwarded along to me by email. How high school!

What is your occupation? Paediatric nurse in the Emergency Room

What colour are your socks right now? Red and blue striped with monkey faces on the toes. Very mature.

What are you listening to right now? "Kick, Push" by Lupe Fiasco

What was the last thing that you ate? Totally truthfully, and this is embarrassing, toast with penut butter and Nutella, 4 Haribo sweets and some spoonfuls of Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough icecream. Mmmm...

Can you drive a stick shift? Yes

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Pink with sparkles

Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sister. She wanted to know what I had got my Dad for his birthday, as she wanted to buy him a present. I reminded her that his birthday is today and he is 8000 miles away. She realizes this, apparently

Do you like the person who sent this to this to you? I suppose I would not say no, even if I didn't, but happily I can report that I like Sandra very much. She was my first friend at RDL. I wish we were in better touch (my bad)

How old are you today? 24

Favorite drink: I am very very bad at drinking. I often go whole days without doing so, until my sister chides me and gives me ominous predictions for my kidneys. A cold glass of chocolate milk never goes amiss. Alcoholically, and ignoring my historically gnat-sized alcohol tolerance, I LOVE Malibu and Pineapple. Mmmm..

What is your favorite sport to watch? Ummm..??

Have you ever dyed your hair? Frequently

Favorite curse word? I try to abstain

Pets? No. And it makes me sad. Anyone who has met me for more than 5 minutes knows that I am counting down the days until I can start acrueing animals for my little farm full of rescue animals. I even have their names

What was your favorite toy as a child? My EZ Bake oven, which cooked brownie mix under a lightbulb (Health and Safety issues..?) and Snack Shop, which was a mini fast food counter where you could make burgers and icecream out of PlayDough. Oh, and my talking, life sized doll called Cricket. I used to wear her clothes, and she taught me to count to 3 in Japanese, which has been of very little use to me in my life, sadly.

What is your favorite Fall or Spring? Spring, oh I love spring

Hugs or kisses? I'm more about hugs

Cherry or Blueberry? Cherries

Do you want your friends to email you back? Emails are great but I would really LOVE some comments - c'mon. Just a few. I've seen you leaving them on other blogs, my friends. You owe me. It is becoming an obsession with me :)

Living arrangements? Me and the lovely Matt, my flatmate. He is an accountant from Kent. He orders a medium pepperoni pizza from Dominios at least once a week. But he plays a lot of football, so it evens out.

When was the last time you cried? Oh, heavens, most days. The stress piles up, and then suddenly the final straw breaks - something like a jar that I can't open, or a dropped contact lens - and the tears flow.

What is on the floor of your closet? My laundry bin and my fabulous knee high stiletto boots (nicknamed the hooker boots)

Who is the friend you have had the longest? Sandra

What did you do last night? Worked til midnight, then read in bed until 02:00

Favorite smells? Ralph Lauren Polo Sport for men

What are you afraid of? Rats. Oh how I hate them. And chinchillas. And mice. And rabbits. Anything furry that is smaller than a cat and has the potential to try to run up my pant leg/shirt sleeve.

Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? I have never heard of a spicy hamburger. Obviously too classy for me. I love a good greasy burger from the little vans that park on the side of roads here in England, and fry their burgers with onions, bacon, eggs and cheese. Hugely greasy spoon, which adds to the appeal.

Country you would most like to visit? La Reunion, where I have a penpal. It sounds amazing. Is it a country? I don't know. I think so. Also, Samoa and the Cook Islands, which I may be able to see soon (refer to exciting news below!)

Favorite dog breed? Lovely big mutts.

Number of keys on your key ring? 4

How many years at your current job? 16 months; 1 left to go! (again, below)

Favorite day of the week? Saturday

Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? No, but love being a passenger on Mike's. And I want in! So I stopped in the other day to sign up for my motorbike course! No one knows this yet. Mum, if you're reading this, sorry. But I am very excited.

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

So..my big news. Well, after lots of soul-searching, I have decided to quit my job and leave England for New Zealand! I had an interview on Wednesday and it looks like it might become a reality. I have not officially quit my job but if I do so very soon, as planned I can have a whole glorious month off with my family in Canada for Christmas before taking the plunge. Guys - I am SERIOUSLY excited about this. I would likely go for a year, with a holiday work visa. This would limit the amount of hours I could work, leaving me plenty of time to explore the country and the glorious places close by. So it is all very exciting. Super scary. Never even been there before! I'll keep you posted.

Soundtrack for this blogging session:
Beyonce - Irreplaceable

Simple Plan - Welcome to My Life

Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push

Jeff Foxworthy - The Rules of Marriage (Never stops being funny)

Razorlight - America

Shocked

I am horrified. HORRIFIED. I am not for a minute suggesting that I have good taste in music, but the song that I was blogging to last week, Checking It Out, is currently all over Radio 1. And they're cool, right? So, I have just looked it up to see if I could see the video. And who is Lil' Chris? A mousy little rock chick grrl with amazing (if gritty) clothing sense, a bad-ass guitar and a pre-pubescent boy voice, as I assumed? No. Lil Chris appears to BE a pre-pubescent boy, fresh from the 'hoods of Malibu, taking time from practising for his learner drivers' licence in Daddy's new 4x4 BMW to create a tune about his teenage angst.

Am I being harsh? I have only seen the video once. Maybe I have it/him totally wrong. I am just ashamed of myself for liking this song so much. Did everyone else realize this was the male version of Avril Lavigne?!

Giraffes look like aliens

So, today, I had my hand in a giraffe's mouth. It was great!!!!! We went to the West Midlands Safari Park and, though I'm not one for keeping animals in captivity, I really enjoyed myself. The giraffes were, without doubt, the absolute climax; I would submit that they are high on the list of the best animals ever. They are ginormous. With great, sloppy tongues. And they really like the animal feed that the park provides. Also, Hannah was a huge wimp and hid from everything that came near us, including the deer.


On another topic, I'm not one to blow my own horn (so to speak) but may I just say, you heard it here first: Mere days ago I invited you to watch the new David Hasselhoff video. Now, reports are coming in that his teenage daughter has attempted suicide by dramatically slashing her wrists. Coincidence?

Now, please don't think me callous. I don't make light of it, but as reports are also being published that she was in fact merely scratched by a cat and there was no suicidal intent, I think I can afford to be mildly flippant about it. I'm just saying, if you were 14 and your dad made a video like that, you'd consider it too!

(NB: I would LOVE here to have one of those fancy things that other people manage with ease that say, 'If you didn't catch his video last time, click here to view it', and the word 'here' would be purple and underlined, and if you clicked it you would be transported directly to the video. But I have no idea how).

Having had a break to go make toast in the kitchen, and finding my flatmate Matt doing the exact same thing (though his break is likely from doing important, accountanty-type things), I have had yet more confirmation for my long-held theory that boys do not cut their toast in half before eating it, and girls do. Has anyone else noticed this?

I intended here to have a picture of toast, and not (yet) being sad enough to take pictures of my own toast, I turned to my old friend google image, which revealed, that many, many people are sad enough to do so. And not just toast. Toast with marmalade. Toast with baked beans. The picture that I chose (but yet again, cannot upload, ?why oh why?) had the helpful caption, "Two slices of toast, a knife and a plate". I'm sorry to say that it appears you will not ever have the opportunity to see the picture. So, I will leave you with the tantalising opportunity to create your own mental image of. Don't say I'm not good to you.

Soundtrack for this blogging session:

Ridin' Dirty - Chamillionaire (CLASS!)

Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

LDN - Lily Allen

Somebody's Watching Me - Beatfreakz

From Paris to Berlin - Infernal