I've started an online dream journal. It is here if you'd like a look!

Ahh, what a lovely weekend it was. On Saturday we went out with Andrew to play laser war games and mini golf and pool and arcade shooting games - none of which I'm much good at, but I still enjoy! And Sunday I sat in the sun - yes, the sun shone!!! - and did cryptic crosswords, then watched The Wedding Singer with my dinner while Aidan was out. But now I have to return to the real world and go to work.

As I watched the microwave countdown to my breakfast this morning, it struck me that everything occupies Time. I felt Time almost as a tangible thing, marching onwards no matter what small and trivial thing I did. You wouldn't think that you could measure the tiny amount of Time taken up by getting a spoon out of a drawer, but it was four seconds. That's four seconds of Time which will never happen again, that Time is gone. And yet, upon further consideration, Time is a concept dreamed up by humans to keep track of our mundane lives. What time is it? Do we have time? Time is running out! The world has it's own measurements, ignoring our little seconds and minutes and hours. The world has day and night, and seasons, and these seem to have no relationship to the seconds ticking by on my microwave. However you measure time, use it well. It will not happen twice.

I just wrote a lovely long rambling blog post, and then I deleted it.

My favourite appliance is the electric heater in the bedroom. I especially like when Aidan has to work an early shift - the earlier he gets up, the earlier he turns on the heater, and the warmer the bedroom is by the time I get up!

Yesterday was my wonderful husband's birthday! It's always hard to know what to get or do for him, because he always just says he doesn't know, doesn't care, or suggests things he doesn't actually want such as going on a ferris wheel! However, I got him a pump for his bike tyres and a t-shirt with Gumby on it and we smoked a cigar together last night. I've never done that before, it was kind of nice although I couldn't finish the whole thing - a bit too much! Maybe next time. So he's a quarter of a century old, and I'm not too far behind (March 8th, make a diary note). That makes me feel old!

I feel even older since I've decided to stop or limit my drinking. Again. I've given up drinking a few times in my short life, but I think this time I mean it. I invariably end up having a little too much, and the illness and dizziness just aren't worth it! I'm a person who doesn't hold alcohol very well - female, for starters, with a small build... whatever it is, my system just doesn't handle it as well as I'd like.

For me, the dizziness associated with excessive alcohol consumption has sinister overtones: several years ago I suffered with a virus which I probably can't spell - labrynthitis. It effects the inner ear, the little hairy things which control your balance and co-ordination. The upshot was, I spent a considerable amount of my time dizzy to the extent of being unable to move or even stand up. So now, being dizzy is something to be wary of, or almost scared of, with the ever-present possibility of recurrence. It's been quite a while since my last episode, but believe me: once you've had something like that, you never forget it!

Anyway, I have digressed. Happy birthday to my beautiful wonderful fantastic sexy husband! May the next 25 years be 25 times as happy as the first 25!

I just went for my first scoot! Round and round in circles for most of it - we have a big loop near my house, like a very large square roundabout, so I rode round that a few times, then out by the industrial estate and stuff and then home. Just a short ride, nothing taxing, a little traffic to deal with of course... Actually I was surprised how easy and comfortable it was. It felt a lot better than the scooters I rode during my training. Here I am, coming round the corner, look!!


Photo courtesy of Aidan, thanks honey! In my dorky but oh-so-safe helmet, and my father-in-law's old motorbike jacket! It's a good thing I don't ride for vanity. Actually the helmet's pretty cool. Here it is on the couch. I know it belongs on my head, but I find it hard to photograph my own head, it was easier on the couch.


So anyway, I had fun and now I know I can ride my scooter! (I mean, I can scoot!) I was a little nervous - since it's been a good few weeks since I've ridden at all, and that was in a supervised training environment, and I've never ridden this scooter at all. I was kind of supervised this time - Aidan got on his pushbike and came along with me! We'll have fun fun fun till my baby takes my Bella away! (Sorry, Beach Boys!)

Me and my scooooter!!! It got delivered this afternoon! Yay!!!

Ok, I've been tagged by Jewel to do something called a meme. This has never happened to me before, so lets see how I do:

8 Random Things About Me

I drink my tea strong and black and with no sugar. This gave waiters in English cafes heart attacks while we were over there.

It was in Rome that I originally fell in love with scooters - over 18 months ago, and I finally went and paid for mine today and it will be delivered tomorrow!

Aidan says I'm cute.

I still want Hagrid to knock down my door, tell me I'm a witch, and bring me to Hogwarts. Either that, or some old friend of my father could tell me I'm a Jedi Knight.

I wear hiking boots almost everywhere, including to work.

Every time I see a giraffe I think of my mother. She collects them - statues, pictures, clothing, you name it.

I can't stand using a damp towel. It can't dry me if it isn't completely dry!!!

I like Marilyn Manson and Emmylou Harris. Can you get any more eclectic?

Ok, now I'm meant to give the names of 8 more people to post 8 Random Things About Them. Aidan, Within Without, and I really can't think of anybody else who would actually do this! How about I tag everybody, and then you can all do it if you want?!

One of my favourite words in the English language is draw.

To draw tea is to steep it.
To draw the curtains is to close them.
To draw lots is to select an item at random.
To draw a race is to finish at the same time.
To draw close is to get nearer.
To draw money is to take it from the bank.
To draw water is to take it from a well.
To draw out is to extend.
To draw a picture is, well, to draw!

What kind of mongoloid language has that many meanings for one tiny little word?

This is about to be my scooter! My father-in-law procured it and got an extremely good price for me, through his numerous (seemingly never-ending) contacts! Is there anything this man can't do? I'm so excited! I'm going to be a scooterer! Now I just need a helmet and gloves and some practice, yay!

I was looking at finance options last night, and I couldn't believe it: my credit card has a better interest rate than any loan I could get from anybody. To get a decent interest rate on a personal loan, you've got to borrow about $30,000. No good, I only wanted to borrow about $3000, and nobody gives a good rate on low loans! Who'd have thought that a credit card would turn out cheaper?!

Anyways, I'm really hungry. I just got back from my jog - I didn't do so well this morning, I had to stop to tie a shoelace near the end and I just couldn't start jogging again after that. So I walked about 200m further than usual. I've got to find something to eat.