A world in white and the end of 2009

There is a thick layer of snow on the ground, the sky has a beautiful blue hue and the moonlight is reflecting off of the pure cold white. It is Christmas Eve and I am sitting on the sofa taking stock of a year that has passed by lightning quick. Overall 2009 has been a busy, confusing, fun, interesting, compelling and beautiful year. However, I do feel ready for 2010.

Some of my favourite things from 2009 (in no particular order)

• Watching the All American Rejects in Manchester – great gig, Ritter Glitter and an array of very dodgy t-shirts
• Moving into a very cute cottage (wild elemental weather and moving chaos aside)
• Making some new friends & reconnecting with some old ones
• A very fun weekend with E in Liverpool – (Beatlemania in its purest form, plus a very fun trip to the Tate Modern – Hooray for Jackson Pollock and his awesome paintings)
• A couple of very awesome holidays – esp. The holiday in Ireland
• Being creative – I managed to get a fair amount of artwork done and worked on some new songs
• (500) Days of Summer – the best film I saw this year at the cinema

I am pretty much settled into the new house – the water pipes have now defrosted so I have running water again (always good) and I have unpacked pretty much everything. So I am on track to have a very enjoyable stress free Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you have a fantastic festive period filled with lots of fun, joy and happiness. Let’s make 2010 an awesome year.

I Heart Huckabees:
Vivian Jaffe: Have you ever transcended space and time?
Albert Markovski: Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about.

Into the wild...

Well I am busy packing bags and boxes in preparation of moving into my dream house.
This house is a very cute cottage, surrounded by beautiful views at the top of a hill. It has the original stone walls and giant windows and there is a really nice garden with a pond, a separate veggie patch and plenty (read massively) huge amounts of room for the dogs to run around and get into trouble in. It will be an adventure – I just hope we manage to get settled before Christmas – I wonder if Santa will still know where I live? ;-)
I imagine that it will get very wild living so high up. Especially when the snow starts to fall or when the storms start to rage... we will see.

November has been a busy month. Apart from sorting out all things to do with moving. I have been dealing with irritating hospital appointments and annoying waits in doctor’s surgeries - you gotta love the healthcare system. But I should not complain – they are helping (waiting times aside). I have also been to see some live music, I have thought about going to the cinema and then not got around to it and I have been working on some new drawings as well as trying to work out what to get people for Christmas – oh and I seem to have eaten an enormous amount of noodle meals this month (mostly from Wokon – a totally fab noodle bar). All in all it has been a pretty sweet month and the cherry on the cupcake has def been the new awesomely cute cottage.

So I went to see Poison the Well, Thursday and Rise Against play in Manchester the other day and they were awesome. I esp. liked Thursday (well they are one of my favourite bands) when they played ‘Understanding in a Car Crash’ my heart nearly beat right out of my chest. I love their music so much and live they are amazing. I wanted them to play for hours, but as they were a support act they couldn’t very well do that. Rise Against were fantastic, I was really impressed with the way they whipped up the crowd, getting everyone to sing in unison and really listen to what they had to say. The frontman Tim jumped around the stage, climbing on amps and anything else he could possibly jump up on - all the time singing perfectly! I felt quite swept up and in the moment. It was very exciting.

Christmas spirit is starting to tingle in my veins. The Christmas lights have been turned on in Leeds and every night I walk past the giant tree and see the coloured lights twinkling – it never fails to make me smile.
However, I have noticed an increase in ‘Bah humbuggers’ this year. People rolling their eyes at plans being made at Christmas, people commenting that Christmas is just a wacked out holiday for the religious types or a hopped up excuse for toy companies to start bleeding parents dry of their hard earned cash. Hmmm being someone who is pretty much on Christmas countdown from April – I find ‘humbugger’ types unsettling - I like to think that even if you are not religious, Christmas is a time when people come together to catch up and show their loved ones that they care, be it thorough any number of ways including (but not limiting it to); phone calls, dinners, presents, hugs, kisses or an e-card. I see It is as a time for magic to seep into everyone’s insular worlds – to feel the satisfaction of waking up on Christmas morning being surrounded by (hopefully) your loved ones faces and being able to spread the joy you feel further. We spend so much time feeling alone (even when we are surrounded by people) it would be nice if people could start helping each other. I don’t know – I feel like I am not getting my point across. I just feel like Christmas is a time for people to suck it up and start making an effort with each other, make amends, find the fun, spread the joy, spread the peace. Follow your bliss people – let’s make this time of year so good that the joy spreads out and infuses the whole of 2010. Blah, blah, blah – Christmas rant now over :-)

I better be going – so much to do and I am getting hungry!

Later.

Christopher McCandless: “Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.”

(Into the Wild)

A month of glitter, mist & vampires...

I could see my breath this morning. Clouds of wispy white mist left my mouth as I hurried down to the station to make my way to work. I walked through the park, carefully avoiding fallen branches, mulched leaves and the masses of conker shells scattered all over the paths, whilst feeling the cold bite my fingertips. October is in full swing and Summer already seems like a distant memory.

I have been feeling a bit down over the last week or so. But I am hoping that going away for a few days this week will lift my spirits. It is so easy to feel down and then let the unhappiness linger – so I am going to do my best to not wallow and snap right out of it.

I went to see the All American Rejects the other night. They were brilliant. The music was amazing. The sound was tight and the set list was really good. Plus Tyson Ritter kitted out in a chieftain headdress and a very glittery chest was definitely a fun sight to watch. He is also hilarious. I have never laughed so much at a music concert before. It was great. I am so glad I went.

I have also recently finished reading all 4 novels in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I read them back to back and enjoyed them immensely. I esp. liked the last book Breaking Dawn, the ending was excellent. I really like how it played out like a game of chess. I love the way that throughout the series you can really see the characters develop and mature. The books sweep you in to their own little universe and you experience the journey fully like you are actually there. Once I started reading I could not put them down and I read the series in less than a week. I really enjoyed them and they left me wanting more.

My ice skating is going well. My two foot spins are really coming along and I feel quite confident on the ice. It helps that my instructor is totally sweet and helpful & seems to always find a way to break a move down to me so that I am able to understand what I need to do. She is also very patient.
I really feel that my ice skating and horse riding is helping me to be less of a klutz – never a bad thing.

I am off to watch Season two of Brothers & Sisters...

Later!

Lost in Translation

Charlotte: “I just don't know what I'm supposed to be.”

Bob: “You'll figure that out. The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”

Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled

I found my first conker of the year at the weekend - which for me means that it is officially Autumn. I really like Autumn, the colour changes of the season are beautiful - from bright greens to reds, oranges and gold and also the autumnal feel that you get when the weather starts to get crisper and the nights start to draw in with the promise of Christmas not far off in the future. Lovely :-)

The wedding I went to a couple of weeks back was gorgeous. The ceremony was really touching and the speeches and readings were beautiful. The bride looked fantastic and totally rocked an already awesome dress and the groom's family (including the groom himself) looked fab in their matching kilts. The whole day was loads of fun - plus I got to meet some really sweet people. I also walked like a pro in my heels (professional, not prostitute - just to be clear) - I was quite relieved not to be in enormous amounts of pain after walking in them all day, even after some rather dodgy dancing, tis true I can not dance to save my life, but I am not ashamed. If it is acceptable anywhere to dance badly then I guess a wedding would be the place.

Buffy went to stay in Kennels for the first time whilst I was away and seemed to have enjoyed it. The kennels were very patient with me ringing up to check on her… They were very professional, kind and helpful and I will use them again (in fact I have already booked her in as I am planning on going away next month). If you need a good kennel who will take excellent care of your beloved dog then Alfie's kennels is the kennel for you (if you are in West Yorkshire) please check out their website - plus I think they board cats as well. I feel so relieved that I have found somewhere nice for her to holiday at whilst I am holidaying myself. Their web address is: http://www.tranta.co.uk/

I had an ice skating lesson last Saturday (yes more precarious ways to possibly damage myself by choice) and I had an excellent time. After the first 10 mins of clutching white knuckled to the edge of the rink - I gained some confidence, listened to my instructor and skated. I learnt the basics of skating backwards, doing small turns, some forward skating techniques, plus the best skill of all - how to stop without crashing into a barrier (bonus). I even managed not to fall flat on my butt all lesson - yay me! I liked it so much I have booked another lesson for this coming Saturday.

I went to the cinema on Friday and saw what is definitely my favourite film so far this year. '500 Days of Summer' with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt. It was definitely not a romcom more like an independent truthful depiction of what happens when you are in a relationship and one person is in love and the other is not. The script was fantastic and I thought it was acted perfectly. There is nothing that I would change in this film. The cinematography was beautiful and the editing was like a perfectly crafted puzzle. I loved how the film jumped between different days and how JGL's portrayal of the male lead, was so amazing you felt his pain and disappointment as well as his excitement when his character basically fizzed with love. ZD was fantastic as the female lead, her performance felt honest and mesmerising and it was easy to understand why JGL's character was so head over heels for her. The characters had vulnerabilities and flaws and were really just very human and managed to lead you on a spiralling journey ranging from the headiness of bliss to the depths of unrequited love. Overall I loved the humour (I laughed so loud at one point I think I startled the poor viewer behind me), the honesty and the chemistry that the 2 leads definitely had with each other. I would definitely recommend this film. If you have not seen it - drop what you are doing and head to the cinema right now.

It is AWESOME! Well I have rambled on enough for today… I will write again soon.

Tom: What happens when you fall in love?
Summer: You believe in that?
Tom: It's love, it's not Santa Claus.

(500 Days of Summer)

Learning to walk in heels

I am off to a wedding at the end of this month and I decided that I was going to wear heels to go with my dress. So for the last week I have been practicing walking in heels. So far, from my week of heeldom I have gathered that some benefits from heels are: Your legs look slimmer, they make you taller and if you pick some nice ones your feet look very pretty. However, I have spent most of this week tottering around feeling like I am going to topple over at any second, and I am sure my walk on many occasions has mirrored Bambi's first attempt of movement. Hopefully with some more practice I will be able to walk quicker than a three year old, in a straight line and not feel like I am about fall flat on my face… Practice, practice, practice.

I went to see Taking Back Sunday play the other week and thought they were really good, though I much prefer their old songs to their new. Plus OMG how tall is the lead singer!!! The best performance of the night in my opinion was the song 'Cute without the e, cut from the team' - it was awesome how pretty much the whole crowd joined in - the atmosphere was electric.

Recently I also went to see 'The Proposal' with Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds. It was nothing original (how many times has the theme of pretending to be in love with someone and then actually falling in love with someone been done before?) aside from that though - the physical comedy was great, the script was very witty and the chemistry between Reynolds and Bullock was like a cork ready to pop from an excellent vintage of champagne. I really enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend it. Plus it is not one of those 'romcoms' that are doe eyed and soppy I think there is enough banter and comedy to appeal to the men in the audience as well.

I have been hitting the girlie mode on my 'lifeometer' pretty hard over the last couple of weeks - what with wearing heels (strictly around the office and at home, I don't think I am ready to tackle the outside world in them yet), then clothes shopping with one of my close female friends at the weekend - which by the way was loads of fun, plenty of girlie chat with a sprinkling of lengthy discussions about horses, and then to top it all off this coming weekend I am getting my hair done. Add in some bubble baths and a pink hair clip…… I feel my girlieness is on overload! Not that I want to man it up or anything - but I am feeling the need to play x-box 360, read a comic book and reconnect with my inner geek.

I will write again soon

John Keating: Sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone.
(Dead Poets Society)

Summer rain

July so far has been pretty hot and dry for the most part but over the last couple of days the rain has returned. It is still hot and the rain almost feels tropical coming down in fierce showers with raindrops almost the size of pennies. I actually quite like it. At least it does not feel too humid.

I am in the mood for wrapping myself up in my quilt and spending the day vegging out on the couch watching martial arts movies and reading film magazines. I feel like I might be getting a cold which is probably why I am feeling a bit mopey.

I have been a busy bee this month, working hard at my day job, my course and also on the set up of my design business - which I hope will eventually free me from the purgatory that is office work and will lead me into the wonderful world where I get to spend most of my time being creative.
So any bit of spare time I have in-between horse riding and the other stuff that I get up to has been spent on getting things sorted like logo's, equipment, a business plan etc. Many a spaced out hour was spent thinking about what to even call my business, (I settled on the name Speed of Light Designs) but I am well on the way now and I can proudly say that I am now the owner of speedoflightdesigns.com… the website however is not up and running yet as I am still in the process of designing it. It will be up sometime soon though. I even have my first official client - so on top of everything else I have also been spending time working on the design job they have hired me to do. To say I am busy, would be putting it mildly. But you know, who really needs sleep? The great thing is, is that I am loving it. I will update further when speedoflightdesigns.com is up and running.

I have recently been getting into the TV series Heroes. OMG Sylar is such a great character - evil but great. I think Hiro's storylines are the best and was delighted to see David Anders (Adam), (Sark from Alias) join the cast in Season 2 - He is always fun to watch :)

I guess I am a bit late to talk about Wimbledon, but I will anyway. I watched some of the matches and when Andy Roddick played against Roger Federer in the final. I felt really choked up when he lost. It was awful, I really wanted him to win. I am not really much of a tennis fan but Roddick really seemed to play his heart out and looked so defeated at the end, I felt terribly for him. I hope he comes back and wins it next year.

I am off to drink tea and work on some designs. But before I go do that below is one of my favourite quotes from a film that I am totally addicted to - Almost Famous (if you have not watched this film, you should, cos it is awesome!)

Lester Bangs: "The only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."

Happy thoughts, flowers and bubbles!
I will write again soon…

Don't Panic!

"First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words Don't Panic inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover."

I am, of course directly quoting from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy… wouldn't it be nice having something like this as a guide to the everyday! Especially when you are having a train wreck of a day.

I having nothing much of interest to really write about this month (if indeed you count my other blogs as interesting/ amusing/ stuff to print out and use as toilet paper (please print on recycled paper - think of the environment!)…). I have just been up to the usual work - riding - work - riding - some drawing - lots of reading - work and so on… I am sure you get the picture.

Actually though, I went to the Baltic centre for Contemporary Art last Sunday - they had some really interesting and beautiful pieces. I esp. liked Harland Millers show "Don't Let the Bastard Cheer You Up" his paintings of reworked dust jackets for Penguin books were really great, amusing and poignant I also really liked Sarah Sze's show "Tilting Planet" her sculptural installations made from disposable/ reusable found objects and from wool were intriguing, beautiful and quite thought provoking. I felt quite inspired after visiting.I think the Baltic has the nicest exhibition space. I also love that they still have the Yoshitomo Nara figure up on the main windows at the back of the building. I love going there. I would definitely recommend it: http://www.balticmill.com/

My cat Spielberg has been missing for a week. I have made up 'missing' flyers with his cute little face on and have called all the vets in the area but can not find him. I am hoping he will come back soon as I feel so worried about him. This probably has a lot to do with why I am not feeling full of the joys of summer… and yeah sure he is not the most super affectionate of cats but he has character and I am missing him.

So far this has been a bit of a weird month really, lots of the people I know have been having a really hard time of it recently - so I am hoping cheerfulness, smiles and good things will start to happen soon. I hate seeing people all depressed esp. when it is shiny, sunny and warm outside (in between thunderstorms and torrents of rain). But I am no one to talk as this month I have not been a cheerleader of all things happy in fact at points I have felt totally fed up. Hence the need for my own personalised Hitchhikers Guide… I know it is a geek need and I don't care.
Well I better be getting on with my day. But just to leave you with an amusing quote from one of my favourite films called Office Space…

Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime, so where's the motivation? And here's something else, Bob: I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?
Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.
Bob Slydell: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.

Later!

Eek! May already…

Oh my gosh! I can not believe that it is halfway through May already… time is just flying by. April was super busy & super fun. I really enjoyed my time in Anglesey, Wales esp. seeing Buffy's reaction to the sea. Plus the coastal scenery was fantastic. There was a really beautiful Lighthouse out at Penmon Point with a great view of Puffin Island just by it. I also had a really nice birthday and got several nice gifts and cards.
Plus I went to the cinema a few times - I saw:

Fast & the Furious - I thought the action was great
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - I really liked this
I love you, Man - I thought this was really funny.

May has also been pretty busy. Buffy was a year old on May 3rd, I gave her a new toy - which she managed to chew through within 24 hours (but I believe she got some enjoyment out of it - before it's cotton innards were scattered all over the dining room floor). I also took Buffy to be groomed see below for the before and after shots (she is now about half the size and looking totally cute)




I have been working on some new artwork which I am primarily doing for my MySpace site as I have decided it looks a bit rubbish and really needs to be a lot more interesting. I also want to put some of my new songs up there sometime soon, hopefully I will get around to doing this within the next couple of months.

My horse riding is going well - I am cantering now and I had a great lesson last Saturday where I got to go on a little hack and was cantering in the fields, was very fun. I rode a horse called Blue who has a very nice temperament and loves to canter. I am riding him again this Saturday and as always I am looking forward to my next lesson.

Things that I am currently loving:

• Buffy's new sleeker look


• Cantering


• All the good films that are being released at the moment: Bring on the new Terminator movie (I can't wait)


• The fact that I just got tickets to go see Taking Back Sunday play in July


• The news that Deadpool will be given the X-Men Origins film treatment - Yay - film it already :)

Things I am not loving so much:

• People in supermarkets who feel the need to stand with their trolleys chatting to each other in front of shelves that people like me need to get to. Really people is this necessary??? Take the item you want to buy off of the shelf, put it in your basket or trolley and then get out of the way! Is this too much to ask?


• The fact that I only just had time off from work and I really feel like I need more off again.


• That quite a few of my bestest closest friends live in countries far far away. It would be nice sometimes to just pop round to their houses for a chat … not so easy when they miles and miles away.

Last film I watched: Fur: an imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus

Book I am currently reading: Time out of joint by Philip K Dick

Last CD I listened to: Colonia - A Camp - It is a really great CD. I went to see A Camp and Kristofer Astrom play in Leeds a couple of weeks ago and they were both totally awesome.

Well I am off to feed Buffy.

Later

xox

Invading Wales

I cannot believe that it is nearly my birthday again. Only 8 days to go before I am another year older but alas I am probably not much wiser. This last year seems to have flown by. But I guess I got quite a lot done - like moved house, transferred into a new office, started studying and got a beautiful dog who will soon be 1 years old (on May 3rd).

Recently I went to stay with my friends in Wales. We celebrated Easter with an Easter Egg hunt which was loads of fun. It was really sweet watching their little girl hunt for eggs and chocolate bunnies. We also went to a really cool National Trust place called Erddig which had a really interesting old house and really pretty gardens, we also saw lots of cute animals at a farm. It was a really enjoyable and relaxing weekend and it was really nice catching up with them and hearing all their news.

This weekend I am off to Wales again - to Anglesey this time. I am really excited as the place where I am going to has Puffins right near it and this time the dogs will be coming too. I can't wait to see Buffy's reaction to the sea. It will be her first time at the beach. I really like Wales.
I also have booked next week off of work, so that I can enjoy birthday in peace.

I had a riding lesson yesterday that was really good but left me feeling very tired. I rode a horse called Big Jack and he was fantastic but hard work. I really feel like I am improving. Plus it is extra nice going riding now that the weather is nice. I just hope the weather holds out for the next couple of weeks. However, I am feeling very stiff and sore today - in fact any movement at all hurts (I think it was the Pilates at lunchtime in addition to the riding yesterday that pretty much finished me off). I will be spending tonight on the sofa trying not to move.

I just had a very funny memory that made me giggle. It was of me and my friend P carrying a super heavy mattress all the way through Sneinton in Nottingham, whilst being given very funny looks from people walking & people driving by... We had many rest stops and at one point (to be truthful, several points) I felt like dropping the sofa down onto the pavement and collapsing on top of it in a heap). P was very patient and totally sweet to help me carry it what felt like miles from his house to mine. We must have looked crazy! Ah memories... lol. I am glad we saw the task through though, as the matress is very comfy and I have enjoyed sleeping on it every night since I moved. Next time though - I am thinking I will hire a van!

Things I am loving so far this week...
'Almost Famous' - watched it again last night and still thought it was awesome.
Philip K Dick - the man is a genius
Catching up with friends who I have not heard from in ages

Things I am not loving so much...
The printer at work - Why does it not print from the drawer I keep opting to print from??? Horrible thing!
Worms - they seem to be everywhere at the moment.

Later! :)

The missing hour

I am typing whilst every now and then pausing to yawn. The clocks have gone forward and I am definitely feeling that missing hour. I am pleased that the nights will be longer and I am looking forward to the good weather.

Yesterday morning I went to Ogden Water. The sun was shining brightly and the air felt crisp and fresh - it was a lovely morning.
I love the size of the lake and the amount of wildlife and trees surrounding it. The paths are really pretty esp. the paths running alongside the water.
Buffy developed a renewed liking for puddles and mud and by the end of the walk her lovely cream fur was matted and a dirty brown so much so that I had to wrap her up in a towel so as not to get myself and the car all muddy.

I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks – I have a couple of riding lessons booked for this coming weekend and next weekend is a long one. I have booked the Thursday afternoon off as holiday and then due to Easter bank holidays I don’t have to be in work until the following Tuesday – very nice, and if that was not already fantastic, to put the cherry on top I get to see my friends as I am going to stay with them at their place in Wales. We will be getting up to some fun filled Eastery (think I may have just made that word up) days – and I think we will even be painting eggs… very themed and appropriate.

Some things I love this week:
Flicka
Maria Bello
Peanut M&M’s
Sunshine

Some things I don’t like so much:
Supermarkets
Rudeness
Rhubarb
Bugs

I am very much in the mood for watching a Sofia Coppola movie tonight. Her dreamy cinematography and hazy tones are exactly what I am craving. So maybe I will go do that.

See ya!

Spring: A new hope

I got a really cool book on Jackson Pollack’s art this lunchtime. It is a Taschen book and because it is their 25th anniversary they are selling their books at special prices. The Pollack book was only £7.99 which is a great price. Plus I love how they put their books together esp. as the image quality is so excellent. A brilliant deal and a book I will get lots of enjoyment from. I love Pollack’s paintings. I saw his Number 23 - 1948Enamel on gesso on paper at the Tate Modern in Liverpool at the start of February and absolutely inwardly (as I didn’t want to disturb everyone else in the gallery) went wild about it. It is so beautiful. It is layered and when you stand at different points of the room I felt I had a different reaction to it. Lovely :)

It was really nice walking through the park this morning. The daffodils were out and I could see new buds on the trees. I love the beginning of spring. I feel like there is an air of hope drifting around and for some reason I have a feeling that this year will be a good one. I have loads of interesting stuff happening like some new artwork that I am working on, my course, horse riding, looking forward to my holiday and of course watching Buffy growing past puppy to mischievous dog – I can’t believe she is going to be 1 yrs old in just a few weeks!!!

I watched a really interesting segment on Countryfile a couple of weeks ago about quarrying. Apparently quarrying rights were granted in the last 60 years but were not used and now can be used at anytime putting under threat coastal strips and National Parks. Anyone who owns mineral rights granted within the last 60 years can literally move their diggers in and start tearing up the land on sites which are now dormant quarries. These permissions are outdated and with a lot having changed ecologically in the last 60 years they seem ridiculous. I felt quite stirred up when I watched it. Please see the following link for an area soon to be obliterated (if the diggers get their way). http://www.saveportlandcoastalstrip.org.uk/index.html

Well I am off to drink a nice cup of tea and eat some apple crumble.

See ya! x

Yay! It's Friday

I am so happy it is Friday today. Plus I have the added bonus that I actually have today as a holiday day. Much needed I feel and I am already enjoying the beginning of my long weekend.

So far today I have taken Buffy out for a run around the park, done some yoga, surfed the net, worked on the beginnings of a new painting, and I have just had some lunch.

It is a beautiful day outside and I am currently sitting at my desk with the back door open listening to Buffy play in the garden. There is a nice breeze which is not too cold and the sun is out.

This week turned out okay and I am feeling pretty good. I stayed at a friends on Tuesday in her very cool house out in the country near York, I even got to meet her very handsome horse Jed. After looking in on him, we spent the evening eating Chili and watching movies. Was fun to have a nice girlie night. On Wednesday I went to my exercise class - which focuses on a mainly cardio workout and is so hard you feel like (well I feel like) I am going to keel over halfway through it. I am not sure how I manage it but I seem to get to the end of it each time. So tough, but fun. Thursday after work I mainly chilled out and watched TV. I have also been super busy at work.

Some nice things that have happened this week:

• Being given a cream egg a by one of the nice people I work for. It was a nice gesture that cheered up my day (in fact it happened twice this week and on both days my work was sucking so it helped me find my smile)


• Meeting Jed for the first time & having a lovely evening with my friend


• Being complimented on my picture on facebook.


• Hearing from an old friend who I have not heard from in forever

I get to ride twice this weekend and I am so looking forward to it. I am riding Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, and I really hope the weather stays like this.

I am playing the new All American Rejects album on my iTunes and I have been pretty much listening to it all week on my ipod. I love it. My favourite songs off the album so far are Damn Girl, Breakin', and Another Heart Calls.

Well I am going to go back up to my studio and do some more work on my new painting.

Later xox

Dark day

I am having a dark day today. Mentally I def got out of bed on the wrong side. Today I feel fairly sure that pretty much everything sucks. But that is just my mood I guess. I slept really bad last night, so I prob just need to chill and get some good sleep so that hopefully I will wake up tomorrow feeling bright and smiley again.

On the glass half full side of things though. I went to see Watchmen yesterday and it was awesome. Really fab. I want to see it again already.

Also my riding lesson on the horse I was worried about riding (Jess) was fantastic and I will be riding her again next Sunday.

Well I am off to seek some sleep and happy thoughts.

Ick snow again

Well I got rained on when I left work in Leeds... and then when I got off of the train in Bradford I got snowed on.

Where is spring damn it! This winter seems to be taking forever to be over with.

We have a responsibility to awe

I have been re-reading Rebecca Elson's volume of poetry and essays "A Responsibility to Awe" and it is so gorgeous. Her background as an astrologer and her life seems so interesting, plus her poetry is really moving. I would highly recommend it to anyone. My favourite poem of hers is: 'Some thoughts about the ocean and the universe' it is really beautiful and inspiring.

The sky outside is a dreary grey, with rain clouds hanging heavy like water balloons on the verge of bursting. I really hope I don't get caught in a down pour on my way home tonight. I am hoping the rest of the week will pass by quickly so that I can get to the weekend. I am planning on taking Buffy out (weather permitting) for a really long walk on the Moors, plus I have riding on Sunday which is always good to look forward to, even though I feel a little apprehensive about riding Jess. But I am sure I am just being silly and it will be nice to have a bit of a change from Jimmy. Even though last weeks lesson with Jimmy was the best yet. I feel that we really clicked and he really responded well to me. It was great.

I watched something quite interesting on Countryfile last Sunday. They were talking about Geocaching (outdoor treasure-hunting where participants use GPS to find containers full of "treasure", but the pleasure is in the chase) I have become quite intrigued by it. Apparently once you find the "treasure" you take it but then put some more "treasure" back in. sounds like fun and definitely something I would be willing to give a go - maybe even over my birthday week.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/programmes/b00j06n0/ext/_auto/-/http://www.terracaching.com/

I am currently listening to the Fountain soundtrack (Clint Mansell) on my purple skull candy headphones (Which are awesome btw - great sound quality) and thinking about being somewhere else. Off on another big adventure with no thoughts of work or bills...
Places I would most like to go to right now:

Arizona
Sweden
Iceland
Prague
Denmark
Japan

Well I better go...

Namastey!

The first signs of spring

I was listening to my ipod like normal when I walked through the park yesterday morning on my way to the train station, and instead of my head being filled with the music of Brand New what I could hear was Brand New with bursts of tweeting. Thinking there might be some weird thing going on with my pod I turned it off so that I could take a look at it, and then noticed that I was surrounded in a very loud chorus of bird song. It was beautiful. The early morning sunlight was filtering through the trees, the slightly wet path was sparkling under it's rays and the birds were singing their hearts out. It was beautiful. So I put my ipod back in my bag and walked through the park enjoying what felt like maybe the first signs of Spring. I certainly hope Spring is nearly here. I love it when the flowers start to bloom and the trees grow new leaves, there is something very cheerful about it and it feels like it has been winter for a long time.

My dog Buffy is sulking right now as I have just had to tell her off again for trying to eat cat food. For some reason she seems to love the stuff (though to be fair she seems to pretty much want to eat anything that is food like or is not... like plastic, Cd's, chairs, etc...)

I took a day off this week and had a private riding lesson, which was brilliant. My instructor put me on the lunge for a part of the lesson and I was able to really get my balance by trotting in circles quite fast with no hands. I really feel it gave me a lot of confidence, and Jimmy (the horse I ride) was really good for the whole lesson. My instructor had told me that I needed to be more bossy with him to make him listen to me and I feel like I really managed it as after the first couple of tries he was listening and doing everything that I asked him too. I feel very pleased and am looking forward to my next lesson on Sunday.

I was just so glad to have a day off from work this week. Over the last couple of weeks at points I have been so busy and overwhelmed with work I haven't felt like I have been able to have a clear thought. It is like having to constantly address emergency situations except with more boring things like presentations and spreadsheets etc. I feel like there is nothing really creative to what I do. But I guess it will all pay off when I have saved enough money to go and see my friends in Az and I manage to have a decent amount of time off.

Anyway today is Saturday and I don't have to work :) I am going to spend the day doing a bit of yoga, a bit of drawing and I might go and check out if there is any new exhibitions at the art gallery inside the park near me.

Buffy is now over her sulk and is snuggled up by my feet - she is never moody for long.

I am off to enjoy my day.

Snow storms

Well I walked home from the train station tonight in a snow storm that does not seem to be letting up. It has been snowing steadily all day and I think it is pretty much supposed to be like this all week... don't get me wrong I like the snow, in fact generally I pretty much love it. I am not really loving it on work days though. The whole getting soaked with snow and trudging up hill for half an hour wet, cold and dodging snow balls, kindly thrown by teenage boys at anybody who happened to walk in the vicinity of them is just not my idea of a good time...

hmmm anyway rant over.

My dog Buffy came in from playing in the garden last night with a snow beard - it was very funny.

I watched the film 2 Days in Paris again on Saturday night with friend Sara, I always manage to forget just how funny, weird and sweet it is. I really enjoyed watching it again. I feel in awe of Julie Delpy's talent, writing, directing and starring and even doing the music. She is awesome.

I went to my Pilates class at lunch today and it was a really good session, I left feeling really energised and happy. It is such a nice thing to break up the most horrible day of the week. Plus the place I got is so nice. The staff are really friendly and the classes are really small so you gets lots of attention when you need help getting into the more difficult positions. I really feel it is helping me lots with my posture and balance, which in turn helps my horse riding skills. Always a good thing.

I find myself wondering if Dar Williams wrote her song February after a day like mine...? (If you have not heard Dar's song, you should check it out as it is pretty damn sweet.

Well Happy February!

Windy day

Today I went out on another horse riding lesson - I have been having lessons for the last couple of months and I finally got Jimmy on a good, fairly fast rise and trot... He is a good horse, but pretty stubborn and if he feels like stopping he generally does. But I seem to be getting on well and I really love it. Every week the thought of my lesson kind of drives me forward mentally to the weekend a bit more. Be gone evil spreadsheets and hello very cold wind and fun times with Jimmy - though the cold wind is not so fun.

I got all 7 seasons of Buffy on DVD for Christmas and I have been watching them all over again - so far I am pretty sure I dislike Xander intensely and think Oz is just about the coolest werewolf ever :) It is really good. I have just started on the 3rd season and am loving it as much as when I first watched it.

With January comes thoughts of holidays and I have been looking all over the web for cheap flights. I need a holiday.

Well I haven't much to say today... apart from:
I can't wait for the new All American Rejects album to be out in this damn country
I wanna go see the new Underworld movie
I wish everyone lots of happiness and love
and I would very much like to get lots better at riding so that me and Jimmy can go out on a hack around the moors.

Much love and many flowers

Me x