Paris

Just got back from Paris. I want to put up a nice long post all about it, but John has the guidebook, and as my French is rubbish, I need it to make sure I get all the names right. And, I haven't sorted the photos yet either, and the trip deserves some illustration.

So, for now, I've fixed the bold thing on the '150 post' below for your perusal. And a much longer post on Paris will follow soon. And I'm hoping that it will be soon - things should calm down at work in August (can't believe we're in August already!) and I should therefore have a bit more time on my hands. Talking of which, I'm going to go and read my book in the bath - a rare Sunday night luxury!

OK...

So then, my technical ineptitude was such that I couldn't get the bold formatting to work. Tonight, my drunk ineptitude is such that I can't correct it. But I can assure you that I have done some of that stuff. Details in bold will follow. No, honest, they will. They really really will

150 things

As I'm struggling to find the time/insipration/inclination to be writing long posts about me on here, I thought I'd cheat a bit instead! I borrowed this from Jo (who won't be any wiser as to how I found her site since the last time I borrowed something from there, because I'm not!). The idea is that you bold the ones you've done, and then add them up...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip on a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Got drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states (but really really want to… maybe that’ll be a New Year’s resolution sometime!)
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends (Not had, do)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken for longer than when you were in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office (I think an SU counts)
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

Update Steve and Marty have done this too. Steve has done 67, Marty 61. John has done 96. I've done 71. Mum?

Hot

So, again, a long time between posts. I think this is partly because I've had a really busy patch, and partly because as I've been spending rather a lot of time in the company of John, he's getting my ramblings instead!

So, again, a lot has happened between posts - the highlight being Jenna and Mark's wedding (photos in the usual place), which was just fab. It was great to be in Jersey again too, especially as my mum retired this weekend... but she'll have plenty to occupy her, working out what the spies are up to! Congratulations Mum!

I can't believe that it's nearly the end of July. I've totally lost track of where the past few months have gone, but they have been, on the whole, great. August will bring many exciting things... and hopefully some substantial rest.

Yay.

More later... hopefully. I'm aiming for a proper update for you (all?!) at the beginning of August once things calm down!

Umm

So. It's been a long time since my last post. Possibly an unprecedented gap between posts since I started this blog (although I've not actually been back to check.)

A whole massive amount has happened since I last posted: A rather nice dinner at La Gavroche; a rather odd weekend helping a friend moving house; a rather lovely but odd Sunday dinner; Pirates of the Caribbean II at (quite frankly the best in London) the Electric Cinema; a rather odd but good play; and a shopping in Covent Garden; a two hour stint in a dress shop in Watford in the Saurday heat; a massive birthday celebration for Pete and Helen (photos in the usual place (although not titled, Flickr wasn't playing ball, and I was too hot and bothered to do anything about it! Soon though, there will be (hopefully humerous) titles; a rather nice hotel with a fantastic shower and bath; a birthday barbie for Rish; and then a rather strange dinner in culmination of the effort on a project on which I have been working since seeing being appointed nearly three years ago.

There's so much to say. Suffice to say for now that the said 'new influence' is rather a good influence. And I very much like spending time with you. He makes an experienced point of view into a conversation and stimulates me. I like that.

7/7

Many many many people have, I'm sure, blogged about the events which occurred one year ago today, from London, the UK, and no doubt across the world. I can't possibly compete or do justice to the poignancy and emotion conveyed in many of those posts, especially those from the direct survivors of the attacks.

My take on it is this: at this point last year, I was embroiled in some complicated situations. The beginning of July has specific memories for me, for what are in comparison insignificant personal reasons (although one them was my bro graduating, good).

On 7/7 2005, I was scared. But quickly, I became proud of being a Londoner. Proud of the way that everyone pulled together. Proud that only hours before we'd been awarded the 2012 Olympics.

Today proved that London can bounce back, albeit with increased security on display today. As we respected the 2 minute silence at work, the magnitude of the events again struck home (although some idiot rang during that time, duh!). We're strong things, us humans.

Food Frustration

Today I have food frustration. I left work really wanting fresh tuna and salad = there was no tuna in the shop, and the salad I have in the fridge is frozen. So I had salmon and asparagus pie instead = but no salad, and no frozen veg in the freezer apart from old sweetcorn = not nice.

And then, just when a nice glass of wine had re-balanced the karma, I thought I'd treat myself to the rather nice looking passionfruit creme brulee from Fru... = great, until I dropped it getting it out from under the grill and spilt it everywhere, salvaging just enough to make me realise what I was missing.

Great. Perhaps someone is trying to tell me something - perhaps I've neglected my cooking skills so much that I should just give up and eat out or get take away all the time instead!!

Anyway, I've returned from a second weekend in Jersey in a row - this time it was Jenna's hen night = photos are in the usual place. A good time was had by all, and we're now very much looking forward to the wedding!

I've also sorted out my bookshelf tonight, in an attempt to ease some of the food frustration... and it's made me realise how many books I have sitting there to read!

But, top of the list at the moment is my new Rouge Guide to Paris... where I'm very much looking forward to going at the end of July. Counting the days...!