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

Black blog. Black mood.

Hello friends. It has been quite a while since I blogged. This is mostly because I fear my sole readership consists of my Mum and my sister. And my sister doesn't own a computer. Bless their cotton socks. Much appreciated, loyal family, but it does rather lower my blogging motivation (or blotivation?!)

It has been 2 or 3 weeks of grey, overcast weather and a grey, overcast mood for Lindsay. Today, things change, beginning with getting organized. I am going to fully spring clean my flat, finish unpacking the last of the boxes, start tacking my pictures up on the wall, and build the last of my flat-packed furniture, recently purchased from a large, well-known and particularly unhelpful Swedish furniture chain and waiting patiently for me in the cupboard.

But first, I might just watch Neighbours!

Aforementioned job application led to a job interview. This led to a very expensive but delightful shopping spree to purchase a new suit, and of course, appropriate accessories. For those who are into details and fashion, I ended up with a browny-grey wool trouser suit, with faint pinstripes. I selected a white button up shirt for underneath, with pleat detail alongside the buttons, and teamed it with my brown bag and brown high heels, and tiny diamond (ok, diamante) studs. It made a nice change from my usual blue and white striped uniform, but I did rather feel like a little kid playing dress-up!

After procrastinating on catching up on new nursing research and Department of Health guidelines, I was up at 5am the day of to prepare (who says I'm deadline driven?) In the end, I was 2nd place for the job. However, the Sister who interviewed me was very nice, and said she had been impressed with me and had passed on my details for another job opening up in a few weeks' time, in the same department, but actually a higher level job than the one I applied for, because it would be in my chosen specialty, children's nursing. So we'll see how that one goes. At least I have the suit!

This has been my most boring post yet. Before I go, a request: I am looking for snaps people have taken of Alberta. I plan to put some on my wall, in some rather funky frames I purchased from the Swedish place. If you have any nice pictures, of anything at all, I would love to see them, please e-mail them on.

Have you seen David Hasselhoff's new video, Jump In My Car? You MUST!

http://www.video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3382491587979249836

Make it the one thing you do today!

Soundtrack for this blog session:
Lil Chris - Checkin' It Out
Jamelia - Something About You

He was injured. Injured bad.

Have watched this about 10 times today. It just made me smile at first but each time I watch it, it gets funnier!

P.S.

I have just realized that if you click on each photo, it will take you to a bigger version. Handy. However, it has led to the need to retract my previous statement about that being a tame photo of me and my girls. Very, very unsure what is going on there. I'll leave it to you guys to draw your own conclusions. Suffice it to say we are all, to my knowledge, just friends. Heterosexual friends. If you're eagle-eyed, you will also spot in that photo a very fresh burn on my leg, courtesy of the muffler on Travis' motorbike. It is still healing now, nearly a month later. I feel it will add yet another scar to my extended (and grudingly loved) collection.

Ooh. And it has let me download my bruise picture. Yeah.

Photies

Greetings all! I am back from a lovely 4-day weekend, whisked away to beautiful Wales to enjoy breathtaking scenery and generally revel in not being at work. Also, the job application is done, dusted and submitted. Feeling fresh, I am willing to give this photo-posting another try. So will this work? Hope so. I have had to post them as minis, I hope they are viewable. If not, I will have to find a Plan B. In the random order in which they appear, they are:


All of us at our farewell dinner at The Cattle Baron. Mike said to me this weekend that this was the best meal he has ever had, so chalk one up for real Alberta Beef! On the right in the orange is my Aunt Carol, my Dad's sister, visiting for a few months from Zimbabwe.

Mike and I at the Osooyoos Golf Course, where we went for an amazing meal overlooking the Okanagan Valley, and enjoyed watching an electrical storm during 35+ degree heat followed by a double rainbow.
Me and the girls, of course. This is one of the tamest ones of us I have ever seen!
Mike canoeing on Lake Louise. Doesn't it look like a movie backdrop? Having been to Lake Louise at least once a year for my whole life, I can honestly say it is still jaw-droppingly stunning each time I see it.

Moi - on the other side of the canoe! My weak girly-arms meant Mike did the lion's share of the rowing, bless him. Aforementioned double rainbow over the Okanagan. So beautiful.
At the beginning of our whitewater rafting trip. We drove at previously unreached land-speeds to get to the Canmore McDonalds in time to meet the guide. (Admitting to criminal acts in blog = wise? Do they monitor this kind of thing?)

For various uncertain reasons, I cannot upload the piece-de-resistence, a fullsize shot of possibly the most impressive bruise I have ever earned (those who know me well know this is quite a claim) after an unfortunate run-in with a mailbox (Legal proceedings against the box mean I can say no more.) So you have been spared. Hope the rest were worth the wait? (She smiles hopefully, if pathetically, into the vast void of Webland. Silence. The wind blows. Tumbleweed rolls by. Are you out there, readers?)

Well, I am just about to go to bed, the quicker so that tomorrow comes and I can rush back to a 14-hour day at work, after a 4-day weekend. It's like Christmas! (Feel sorry for me?!) Just waiting for my songs to finish downloading. Uhh... Legally, of course. (Mercifully heavens, this is turning into some kind of confessional forum!) If my posts suddenly stop, you know they have tracked me. While we're confessing, I have used the Alberta Beef icon without permission. May I use this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge and grovel to the Alberta Beef people?

Chat to you soon folks. My bed calls.

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Switch

ARGH! Job application time. They are the most awful things in the world, with the possible exception of the interview itself.

Personal Highlights: (Dream Sequence)

• The guy who asked, "And what else?" after every answer until I was forced to poke him in the eyes with forked fingers and bellow that when I stop talking, it means I'm done!
• The guy who, having applied for a job while still at school and therefore having padded my CV with hobbies etc., said, "You did ballet? I thought ballet dancers had to be, you know, skinny and petite."
• The 2 charming ladies who interviewed me in Sheffield, opening with that nursing-relevant gem, "So, what are your hobbies?" (answer: fat-girl ballet!!) and finishing the interview abruptly and with a certain stony silence when it was established that I had no surgical nursing experience because the job I applied for was not a surgical nursing job. ("Well, yes, we did advertise for a different position, but we have since decided that we need a surgical nurse instead. So, you say you have NO surgical experience...hmmmm...")

Not bitter at all.

Hate, hate, hate applications. So, I turn to you, dear blog readers, to keep me sane and allow me to procrastinate. A very good site for this, incidentally, is www.freeonlinegames.com. May I recommend "Stack the Cats", a tetris-esque game involving stacking cats (thus the name, I guess.) Type the title into the search bar of that website and up it pops. Play with sound turned up for funny cat mews and screeches.

Must go and sell myself. Note to self: Putting blog URL on application form NOT a good idea - may reveal craziness. Note to self #2: Check what URL means to ensure you are using it correctly.

PS - Yes, I know I was supposed to be posting holiday pictures. But they won't work. So, I'm not right now. Mutter, mutter...

Care Bear Stare!

Welcome to my new-look blog. Black. Minimal. Not sure that I love it. It will do until I find something else. Watch this space.

So. Are you sitting comfortably? Then it's time for some pictures. That's right, holiday snaps for you, my dedicated (albeit entirely imaginary) blog-readers. They don't seem to want to post in this posting so I'll finish this one then open a separate one. Technology fun.

On a more serious note: Never one to be political, I must nevertheless say how disgusted I am at the news reports that a group of holidaying Britons refused to board their flight home until 2 Asian gentlemen were removed from the flight by security. Apparently they thought the men, 'looked suspicious and might have been terrorists'. An already deep-seated racism that has been allowed to run rampant, fuelled by the media. I think it is so wrong. Where will it stop? It doesn't seem so far-fetched that Asians will start being tagged, like the Stars of David pinned onto Jews during WWII. Makes me ashamed to live here. Someone needs to teach these people that not all Asians are Muslims, and by no means are all Muslims terrorists.

And if I may, newsflash to the Limeys: It is not the terrorists who wish to bomb your cut-price flight from that tacky European holiday destination (they have bigger fish to fry!); it is the long-suffering locals at said holiday destinations who have had their beautiful islands ruined by your boozing, clubbing and generally atrocious behaviour that makes Britons the most hated tourists in Europe, bar none.

Ok, rant over.

Does anyone out there remember the 80s sitcom, Perfect Strangers, with that American guy and Balki? No idea what reminded me of it, but there you are. Random.

Oh, and the post title? Because I can. Randomness rules today.

I must now go and watch Neighbours.

I'm getting old!

I was reading on Canada.com about the new trends taking over from body piercing and tattooing. It mentioned that people are going to the lengths of having their tongue split so it forks like a lizard tongue, then having magnets implanted or something (hey - I didn't say I read it carefully!). I tutted quietly to myself, just about to say to no-one in particular how crazy these people are to mess with themselves like that - after all, if you did permanent damage to your tongue, you might never be able to speak again. But here's the thing: As I tutted, my tongue stud banged against my front teeth... And it hit me. Weren't those very words spoken to me those many years ago when I went to get my tongue pierced? And didn't I sigh (in that adolescent way), roll my eyes and dismiss them as old fuddy-duddys? Maybe this is a sign I'm getting old! :(

On another note, if you are bored (and let's face it, if you're reading this, you must be!) go to google.co.uk (or your preferred Google), go to the image search and type in yours truly (Lindsay Atkinson). Check out pic. numero uno. My namesake - lucky him!! (Or is that lucky me?)

I have only had one comment on my blog so far (thanks Jani - true blue!!) Is anyone out there?
Must go get my car tires balanced. I really am old...
Ciao

Some sad news

Just wanted to take a moment to say how heavy-hearted I am that yesterday, my family took the sad decision to put Jemma down. She had deteriorated so much recently, apparently even more so just in the short weeks since I was there visiting. She was really struggling to move, and although she still had that same old "spark" to her, when the vet found she had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) we knew it was time.

She died just 2 weeks after her doggy-friend Pickles and on the 8th anniversary of my brother Greg's death, so I can cheer myself with the thought that maybe they were there to meet her, arms open/tails wagging.

Thanks, Jemma, for being a fantastic family pet for the past 14 years and for bringing us so much cheer and so many smiles!!

And isn't it ironic...don't you think

Is this the best example of irony yet? I was in the supermarket the other day, and glanced over the ads that people had hung on the board. You know, where they try to sell old couches and puppies etc. There was an ad that started,

"ARE YOU TIRED OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK OR WRITE ENGLISH PERFECTLY?"

"Ah", (I thought to myself, for I try to be a stickler when it comes to correct English), "someone who wants to teach people to use the language correctly. How wonderful." I then read on, where it went on to say,

"DO YOU SOMETIME FEEL ASHAME OR EMBARRASS OR IS WHEN YOU WANT TO SPEAK ENGLISH WRITE ENGLISH SAY ENGLISH , WHEN YOU TRY TO READ ENGLISH? WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ABLE TO WRITE ENGLISH CURRENTLY CORRECTLY?"

Is that the best example irony?! Obviously, I took down the number and will be calling this person immediately, the sooner to correct my ashame and embarrass..

Baby Crazy

Very belated, but I have to take the chance to say HUGE congratulations to two sets of proud new parents:

Holly and Matt Hildebrant, in Grand Prairie in Canada, who welcomed KATELYN JUNE to the world on June 14th weighing 6lbs 6oz. I got to meet her, yeah!! Check out some really cute pics on http://www.hollhil.blogspot.com/

Also to Ruth and Steve Sorrell, in Hertfordshire in England, who were delighted to welcome AELFRAED CHARLES EDWARD SORRELL (Freddie), born on June 26th weighing a handsome 9lb 12oz.

Well done you guys :)

Holiday over

Hi kids. Wow, it's been a while. Well, I'm back from 3 wonderful weeks in Canada. I wish I could describe just how much I enjoyed it. WHAT an awesome time! Loved the weather, did some whitewater rafting, canoeing, seadooing, camping...
So many thanks to my wonderful family who bent over backwards as usual to make it the best trip. Also to my fab friends, I know I didn't see you as much as I would have liked but it is always so much fun. I think retro-ironic trips to Outlaws should become a regular gig. Special shout to Holly and Matt, I finally got to meet their little sweetie, Katelyn June (more on that in the next post). Thanks to Mike for coming along, it would not have been the same without him, we had such a good time together and hardly fought (yah!). The post could not finish without a special mention of my little Jemma - still trucking at 14 years of age, and, as Laura pointed out, probably one of the only surviving dogs from our collective childhood pets. She is so cute. So old.

It was sad to come back to England and back to work. I laughed when I read my last post about being on nights and arguing over pizza orders, cause that's pretty much what is happening right now too! Speaking of which, some nursing to be done. Over and out...

PS - Jessie - Love your milk jugs, baby!