Halloween

I've got a ton of sweets in a orange plastic half pumpkin, so I'm ready for the trick'n treaters. I like the little kids coming round , all dressed up. I don't want any scary big kids coming round though.. fingers crossed.
As a grown up things that scare me ( in no particular order):
interest rates going up.
expensive car repairs.
the boiler breaking
lack of money.
losing my job.
terminal illness.
loved ones dying.
getting murdered.
cooking dinner and poisoning everyone by accident.

As a child:
Using the stairs at night.

When we lived in East Ham ( we moved when I was 11) we lived in an Edwardian house with a cellar. I remember the house as being quite creaky and we used to get mice. If my Mum reads this, she will probably tut and say we had mice only twice in the 10 years we lived there. But I'm remembering this as a little kid. There was one loo in the house , and that was upstairs. Walking up the stairs wasn't a problem. But going down the stairs....I could feel the eyes of evil staring at my back. I NEVER looked round, I'm not stupid, you never look round. I tore down the stairs, jumping the last 3 or 4 (no wonder the house creaked) and rush in to the living room. Then I'd be ok, as obviously once you were in the living room you were safe.

Once Mum and Dad went to bed, downstairs was very unsafe. I remember waking up one night very thirsty, but there was no way on earth I was going downstairs for a drink.* I couldn't get a drink from the bathroom tap, as Dad drilled in to me that you can't drink the upstairs water. Is that really true? Is bathroom cold tap water unsafe to drink?Even today I never use the bathroom sink tap for a drink of water.

* Waking up my parents wasn't an option. You wanna see something truly scary - wake those two up.

My Glamourous Life

Friday evening:
Get in from work. After an ecstatic greeting from Tommy, go into kitchen. Ugh what is that stench? Find mouldy food in food refuse bin. It must have slipped under the newspaper lining. Ugh. Bleach bin. Feed dog. Put washing on. Have a cup of tea. Start to prepare dinner ( I know supper is posher but to me it is dinner). Washing finishes, put washing out. Bung dinner in oven for when the Lord and Master gets in.
It gets even better tomorrow morning. I'm going to Asda.

Lift Idiot

At work. I've just got in the lift, I'm the only one in it. I see a bloke coming towards me so I keep the lift open. He sashays in, head held high and heads for the back wall of the lift. The back wall of the lift is mirrored. He checks himself out and preens . No other word for it: he preens. Then he gets out on his floor with out a backward glance.
He wasn't all that.

London

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

I'll try and remember this when I'm trudging down Lower Thames Street , trying not to get run over by cyclists.

Up

We went to see Up last night. I don't want to spoil it for any one - but it was one of the best films I have ever seen ever. I've never seen a 3d film before and was a bit worried it would be a bit headachey but the The 3 D -ness was marvellous. The glasses even fitted comfortably over the glasses that I wear.

Interviews

On the front page of the paper today is a big banner: Exclusive George Clooney interview!!! Big bananas. Interviews with actors are boring. They trot out the same party line. the things they say are pretty banal. Interviews with up and rising actors are even worse - because they have nothing to say they come across as pretentious twits : Oh I was never interested in acting - I was offered this role - blah blah blah. Offered a role my eye- I never knew acting was such an easy profession to get in to.
So I don't read interviews any more. They are glorified adverts.

Greener

One of my friends was saying that he regretted moving straight from home to setting up home with his girlfriend. he wished that he had spent time living with his mates first.
Now I was a boomerang kid - I moved away to go to college and also want travelling. All very exciting but I would have loved to have settled down in my early 20s.
I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

This goes out to...

I twitted a link to my previous blog post and Chris Hawkins picked it up. He played a Queens of a Stone Age song for me this morning as I sat in the bath washing my hair. It was a nice start to the week. It reminded me when I was doing my O levels, listening to the Kid Jensen show (8 till 10, Monday to Thursdays) and I used to write in. I'd be revising, hoping that my request would be read out. Writing letters to radio stations ..how very 20th Century!

Radio Rise and Shine

The first week back to work completed! And it wasn't so bad.
Before I went back to work my radio alarm clock died. Well I say mine, it came with Steve when we moved in together but it ended up my side of the bed. Steve reckons it is about 20 years old. I used to wake up to Radio 2, but Sarah Kennedy started to get on my nerves. As I get ready for work at 5.45 I don't want to hear the presenter moaning about how little sleep she's had, she doesn't feel well etc etc. Radio 4 is too heavy for me at that time of the day. So for the past couple of months I've been getting ready for work in silence. Steve replaced the radio with a digital radio alarm. And I love it. I love how it looks- all sleek black and petite. I wake up to Radio 6, Chris Hawkins the presenter is smart and funny (and awake!) and the music - well readers, the music is great and you never know what is coming next, but I'm actually singing along. I can't remember the last time I sang along to the radio.

Sunday

Back to work tomorrow. Dug my work handbag out of the cupboard. Made sure my I pod is fully charged. Checked hand sanitiser, emery board, lipstick, purse, work and trains passes, book to read. No wonder this bag weighs a ton!

House

Back in 2000 we were house hunting. I don't know if any of you have "the house that got away". The house that if some "if onlys" could have been sorted out you'd have bought.
My if only house, was a 2 bed terraced house in a row of 3 houses. They backed on to fields, although the road they were on was a busy main road. The house was double fronted and had a very long front garden and an even bigger back garden. However inside was basic. No heating, no kitchen (!). It was the top end of our budget and needed a lot of money spending on it. Also it was a bit out of the way, and as I don't drive it could have been a problem.
Over the years I've kept half an eye on the place - people have bought and sold the house 4 times in the last 9 years. I'd love to know why. None of the other houses have been on the market - what is it about that house? Do you think its haunted? Or just too small? I prefer the haunted version myself.

3 years and counting.

This blog is 3 years old. Ah bless, little toddler blog. I may have flirted with Facebook and Twitter but blogger is still my first love.
You will be pleased to know that the new fish are still alive. Yay little fishes!
Today I posted my first ever Amazon review. It was for Kelley Armstrong's Living with the Dead. I was going to review it here, but I thought - no be brave and post a review where people are actually likely to read it.
Being brave .... I've noticed that as I get older I get more nervous. Travelling to and from Edinburgh was a bit of a worry to me. Will someone try and sit in our reserved seats (they did and I dealt with it - no biggy), will our suit case get pinched? will it fit on the luggage rack? All silly little niggles, but I did worry. When I was 23 me and my rucksack trundled round Asia and Australia. Sure I worried a bit before I went- but not that much. That's why I really believe as you get older you need to shake things up now and then. Go somewhere different, look for new jobs, vary the routine, say yes to stuff when you'd rather say no. It is so easy to get stuck in a comfortable rut , close down and stay safe. And when I play safe, I don't feel safe. I feel under siege.