A view from my sick bed

I had intentions to blog something exciting. But I have a head full of mush because I have been horrible and coldy and spluttery and oozy and sneezy all day == gross. I am so gross.

I went for a walk to the supermarket and came back with chocolate and Dutch liquorice and then sat in bed and ate it all and felt sick and also watched about six episodes of the Gilmore Girls. Ugh, I am so predictable when sick.

Aiming for hale and hearty tomorrow.

Friday - sunshine - navel gazing

Aleks Sennwald via Supersonic Electronic

The weekend is rolling around again, the sunshine is out today and I'm hoping for a beautiful weekend of pottering and making and planting. In fact, the Metservice says it will be sunny until next weekend, which is heavenly. Think of all the sunshine I will loll about in! I will be some kind of SPF-30-wearing basking-shark.

I had big plans for the weekend in terms of making myself a bunch of sexy undies, but it seems like a waste of beautiful weather to hide myself away in my room. Gardening would be good I think. For serious, I get overwhelmed by weekend options sometimes and I want to do everything at once. I need two weekends! One for doing what I want to do, and the other for doing boring chores. Otherwise this ridiculous anxiety about not being able to do everything I want with my weekend will just continue. WOE.

I've instigated a new morning routine, because my previous one was entirely not working for me (as in: I was frequently late and horribly rushing). I've been going strong for the last two mornings, and it's really nice feeling awake and functional when I arrive at work. The routine is still undergoing some tweaking, but essentially it involves: getting out of bed at 7; giving myself half an hour to sit, read or write, and drink a couple of cups of hot water and lemon; taking coffee and toast back to bed and having breakfast with the Boy; showering and putting on make up; and then telling myself to leave for work fifteen minutes earlier than I used to (I NEVER leave on time).

This process is easing me into the day, which is what I was missing I think - the mornings have been crashing upon me dramatically and forcefully for far too long. There is an element of control in my mornings now, and I am nothing if not a control freak (YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST).

I had the most horrific series of toasted sandwich experiences at lunch time. I was hoeing into my delicious cheese-piccalilli-salami toasted sandwich, when a huge squirt of cheese flew out and all down the front of my white t-shirt. I rushed into the loo to try and sponge off the combined turmeric stain/grease spot, but of course the sponging merely rendered my t-shirt mildly pornographic.

Seconds later a second squirt of piping hot cheese dripped all over my fingers (coating them) and gave me third degree cheese burns. This was almost as painful as that one time I burnt my face with hot tomato juice and had a red blister on my chin for days.

Thus, despite the aforementioned delicousness, I was not very happy with my lunch. Toasted sandwiches = love/hate relationship.

I'm extremely excited because I'm commissioning a couple of illustrations (including a banner) for Self Conscious Posturing! This will be the first time I've spent money on the blog since the ill-fated vanity URL issue of last year . This isn't entirely dead as a concept but I think that I will use a '.co.nz' suffix in the future though. OWN THE NZ).

Anyways, the lovely Rebecca Ter Borg (who doesn't appear to have a website - you can see some of her illustrations here though) is going to be doing them for me! I'm so lucky because she's crazy talented, and   I love her work. I just need to do some homework now myself. Another thing to add to the weekend list?

WEEKEND LIST

• Coffee with Jo (ex roller derby)
• Plant out herbs in the front garden
• Make some progress on the sexy undies
• Brainstorming for blog illustrations
• Writing
• Reading
• My Laundry (I love doing laundry)
• Bask in the sunshine

♥ Looking like: I'm trying to embrace my aesthetic direction for the summer - white t-shirt, brown cable cardigan, green flower print skirt, brown cowboy boots. And fishnet stockings, which I (apparently) believe go with everything

♥ Listening to: Dudes, every time I get to this bit I bemoan my static music collection. This week I *shall* do something about this.

♥ Fad a la Mode: Having a single glass of whatever is on offer. This is surprisingly liberating as well as being a hell of a lot kinder on my pocket. Viva la ONLY DRINKING ONE GLASS!

♥ Watched this Week: Boardwalk Empire. AMAZING series. I love the costumes, but the whole thing is as compelling as Deadwood. In fact, it's quite a lot like Deadwood, but set during the Prohibition. And with Al Capone! And flappers!

Also, I've been re-watching Pride and Prejudice. The 1995 version obviously, because the more recent movie version is a laughable conceit given Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth's supremacy. Oh, and Mrs Bennett and Kitty and Lydia are so fabulously dreadful! Stoked because I still have two episodes waiting for me before I've finished the mini-series.

♥ Reading: I have a bunch of things on the go at the moment - The Surgeon of Crowthorne (Simon Winchester), A Literary Passion (letters between Anais Nin and Henry Miller) and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which I never quite got around to finishing when we read it at book club.

♥ Webreading: My new fave is Daily Pep Talk from a Best Friend. Bless her, she also has a mobile site so you can get a pep talk on the go.

♥ Anticipation: Sewing to my little heart's content, sitting in the sun, exhibition opening at Te Papa tonight!

Meandering Ponderings on a Tuesday

know that I write this nearly everyday I see the sunshine, but it really does feel as though the good weather is on it's way, and I can't hardly wait. In the weekend I had a spring clean of my bedroom and washed all my bedding, took my mattress outside for a really good air and washed the skirting boards and the floors. Heavenly is hardly the word for it; there is nothing like a fresh-smelling bedroom. However my nose is now hyper sensitive to the slightest hint of damp or mustiness (a constant issue in Wellington houses) and I'm going to have to seriously clean out the cupboard part of my manrobe from which I am getting suspicious whiffs. That cupboard has been psychically resisting my decluttering for some time but NO MORE. It shall be purged this weekend without fail. I love me a good declutter.

he last few weeks I've been struggling a bit with the whole money/budgeting thing. It's hard to keep enthusiastic during the in-between times (i.e. trying not to spend money when I can't actively see my savings increase), but I'm doing my absolute best to keep on keeping on. All in all, I've been infected with an end-of-winter lethargy, and despite my best intentions I have dropped off from making things or exercising at all. Every weekend I wake up enthused with the prospect of planting herbs and weeding gardens and making skirts and t-shirts, but then it becomes too much of a mission to get everything out and I bake and cook instead, eat lots of comfort food and find something to clean or declutter (instead gratification). Confession: blogging has fallen under this lack of enthusiasm as well.

Boo to lethargy! I've been really short of energy lately, despite getting ample sleep and eating really well. The answer lies in doing more exercise, but I find myself feeling too tired to go to yoga or skate, and I'd have to get changed and get enthusiastic and waa boo waa etc. Anyway, enough of the pity party. I know the answer to this is just to get on with it - act the way you want to feel. In an effort to get back on the enthusiasm wagon and go for a hoon, I rode my bike to work this morning, and it was fabulous - free wheeling down the hill. I like the idea of going for a cruise after work as well; think I'll ride along the water front. Tiredness won't be an excuse today because I'm always freaking tired at the moment, and if I keep using it as an excuse I'll never get anything done. Yoga tomorrow evening! I'm going to get my stretch on. Look at all the enthusiasm! Out of control.

nd Finally ...

♥ Looking like: I think I look a little bit French, but mostly totally fash. I'm wearing a stonewash pinny, opaque stockings, red cowboy boots, a stripey top and a red cardigan. That kind of sounds terrible, but trust me: It looks cute! Also, I'm wearing makeup which I almost never do, and that always makes a difference I think - as in, actively glamourises.

♥ Listening to: I finished Harry Potter. Harry Potter audio books (Stephen Fry's dulcet tones) have been my constant companion over the last few weeks, nay, months. It's quiet in my head without Ron, Hermione, Harry and the Dementors. Sad. I am sad without Dementors.

In other Listening news, I started re-organising my iTunes last night and have made playlists for different eras. My favourite one at the moment is the 50s and 60s playlist, which is mostly cheesy rock 'n' roll and girl groups. So many songs about wanting to be someone's wife.

♥ Fad a la Mode: Sleeping. All I want to do is sleep all the time. This has been going on for over a week now. See above.

♥ Watched this Week: Grey Gardens. Absolutely amaze. The documentary is fascinatingly constructed in itself, but the women that it documents (Big and Little Edie Beale) are incredible. I can not recommend highly enough. Besides which, it's infinitely quotable: "You're nothing if you're not married!".

♥ Reading: The Mitford Girls is on the go at home, and The Surgeon of Crowthorne is living in my work desk for lunch time cruising. In Christchurch I went berserk in a book shop and bought far too many literary biographies so it looks as though I'll be enjoying those until the end of the year.

♥ Webreading: I've found a couple of food blogs that I'm quite keen on at the moment: am obsessed with the bread making recipe in Budget Bytes (terrible name, but) and I am crazy for The Stone Soup (which I'm sure I've made totally apparent in the past). Both websites focus on super simple food, and as much as I love elaborate meals I'm a bit tired of cooking for hours and hours.

♥Anticipation: Thursday and Friday birthday celebrations for Jo and Nat respectively, lunch with Mum on Saturday. Also, seeing if there is anything really wrong with me (the tiredness) tomorrow will be good!

Today is Tuesday, and I am attempting to make myself ENTHUSIASTIC and crap

ear people, today I am not very inspired at all. This is mostly to do with going to bed late last night which was very silly. Also, not very patient (quelle surprise). Also also, I suffered a budget fail over lunch time and overspent on fabric. I am getting straight back on that bandwagon though - I only have one thing that I'm committed to doing this week, and I will just have to keep my spending to the bare minimum. That's just the way it is, y'all.

via FFFFound

♥ Looking like: My look for today is Naughty Librarian - sensible, yet sexy (mrrowh). I'm wearing a brown and black checked mini skirt that I made myself and a black vintage tee-shirt with silver sequined leaves sewn on it. Heavy tights and black patent leather lace-up flats.

Also, my skin is pretty crappy at the moment (I rather thrashed it during the weekend) and I'm letting it effect my happiness a little. I think I'll go and do something wicked exciting to make myself feel more upbeat. Coffee, perhaps?

♥ Listening to: Stephen Fry read me Harry Potter audio books. Oh, yes please. Don't mind if I do experience Stephen whispering sweet audiobooks into my ears. Oh yes Stephen, you are my secret - and unlikely - lover.

Much as I love audiobooks and geeking about, I think that I would like to find some newish music to listen to soon ... I need to broaden my horizons. I think I'll get the Boy to recommend me some and thoroughly overhaul my iPod. Yeah! iPod purge is awesome good time fun!

♥ Fad a la Mode: Making my own knickers. I've been working on this for weeks. It's a bit stressful but mostly fun. I can't wait to succeed! I have plans to make a whole post about the mission, so watch this space for news and stuff. And endless ranting about PLACKETS and GUSSETS, two of the finest words in the English language, if I do say so.

♥ Watched this Week: The Tudors (awesome) and the third series of Underbelly. What do these two series have in common? Sex and death, people, sex and death (and BOOBS). The Tudors rocks my world.

♥ Reading: Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell. I'm reading it for book club (I think I've mentioned this) but I seriously cannot get excited about it. The style of writing is like that of Jilly Cooper; but while Jilly is awesome and rocks my world because the material she writes is dreadful and hilarious, I'm just not interested in the career woes of a bunch of unsympathetic uber super New York women like the main protagonists in Lipstick Jungle.

Anyways, we'll see. I'll probably fall in love with it by the fourth chapter or something and then be horribly embarrassed about liking something I've so openly panned.

♥ Webreading: I've been trying to keep myself enthusiastic about saving and have been reading a bunch of thrifting and saving and inspiration blogs. You should maybe look at Shopaholly and Thrifty Chick pour examplar. Also, I find Unclutterer can help to keep me on the straight and narrow. Oh, and I've really liked a bunch of posts on the Happiness Blog lately: 8 Tips for Boosting Your Energy Right Now and 5 Common Happiness Mistakes. Especially that bit about "treating yourself".

♥ Anticipation: Finally completing a good pair of undies; baking pie with my new flat mate tonight (boysenberry, rhubarb, apple); upcoming trip to Christchurch!

Today is Wednesday. And I have a dehydration headache.

Evening dress, 1912-1914 via Edwardian Era. The velvet rose is gorgeous. It's hard not to love the drape of these Edwardian evening dresses.

♥Looking like: [I like to think] Quite Fabulous. I dug out a pair of leopardskin print tights that were originally destined for skating and I'm wearing them with the hand knit giant cardigan wrap, a black skirt, a black top and a vintage gold stretch belt that the Boy picked up for me in Melbourne. I'm feeling surprisingly put together. And I like feeling put together

♥Listening to: I've had a terrible pop-revival. Did I already note this? The person who used to use my computer has a whole bunch of music loaded up by Beyonce and Kelis and Kanye and Justin and I have been indulging myself. Yea verily, I have been indulging myself.

♥Fad a la Mode: Tamari Almonds. O my God yes. I love smoked almonds also but they're almost impossible to get in NZ. When I looked for a recipe I discovered that the smoky flavour was a result of something strange called 'smoked flavouring' and I was a little turned off by this mysterious substance. Tamari though, I'm totes down with that. It's real and stuff.

♥Watched this Week: I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Shannon and I have to say that I wasn't in love with it at all. I liked the short story at the beginning about the blind dude and the clock running backwards much more than the interminably long main story with it's overtones of Forest Gump.

♥Reading: I have too many things on the go to list them all with any degree of conciseness, but I've not long finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer. It was nominated by Katherine for book club, and I really super enjoyed it. Lite, but lovely.

♥Webreading: So, from the Tumblr files (so less webreading, more webbrowsing fitfully) - comes a bunch of historical clothing sites: What They Wore, 18th Century, My Vintage Vogue, Edwardian Era. There is bound to be a million more of these in the Tumblrsphere as well. Mm, pretty.

♥Anticipation: GETTING OUT OF DEBT. It's a long term anticipation (for realz, man) but an anticipation nonetheless. Awesome. I think I'm going to write some more about this, an investigative blogging type thing, but I don't want to jinx my good progress just yet.

Today is Tuesday, Dienstag, et al, and THIS is the cutest creepy cat I've ever seen

via We Heart It 

♥ Looking like: I’m trying desperately hard not to look so goddamn frumpy anymore. I went on this hard core op shop binge and between the random clothes I’ve been buying second hand and my growing collection of (somewhat lumpy) hand knits I look like Cat Lady Extraordinaire. I am afraid of the Cat Lady within. She’s trying so damn hard to get out, and she’s horribly allergic to cats, so she needs to get some of those creepy hairless cats. Creepy hairless Cat Lady! (Although, this picture is of a very cute hairless kitten and I wouldn’t mind one of those. Oh Hai creppeh kitteh!)

♥ Listening to: Nothing terribly exciting. A little of this a little of that. Previous flatmate Kier has left a fantastic mix CD in the kitchen, so that’s working for me at the moment. Let it be known that Kier’s friend Kathy makes awesome mix CDs. Also, I’m loving Stephen Malkmus at the moment. The Boy and I had a Malkmus dance off in the kitchen while we were making lasagna last night and it was pretty great. The dancing and the lasagna.

♥ Fad a la Mode: Dancing in the kitchen and derby girls and spinning furiously in my bedroom.

♥ Watched this Week: Apart from excerpts from The New Adventures of Black Beauty and It is I, Count Homogenized, I have been watching nothing. Must try harder.

♥ Reading: At work during lunch (ie: very slowly) I am reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters which I’m really enjoying and I think sits nicely against my Agatha Christie obsession (same sort of time frame, much harsher spin). Anyhow, I love Sarah Waters and could happily read her oeuvre in one sitting so she’s more likely to win than not. Also, I’m sort of still reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies but I’m afraid that I’m reading very slowly. We read it for book club, I couldn’t really get into it then and I want to finish it but I keep getting distracted by the spinning wheel.

♥ Webreading: I’ve been very slowly getting on top of my reader. No new finds except properly exploring We Heart It which makes me the last person on this particular bandwagon.

♥ Anticipation: My knee improving so I can actually hit people at derby, crocheting a skirt while the Boy is away, lolling around at Nat’s place while Mark and her are away. Totes going to jump on their couch, use their amazing heater and watch all the Sky movie channels on Mark’s ridiculously huge TV.

Today is Friday

thanks Metservice. thanks a real bunch.

♥Looking like: I'm hiding from the cold. Curse you Southerly Blast! I stamp my foot impetuously in your general direction!

♥Listening to: This 90's Chick Rock compilation made by the ever fabulous Agent Lover. OMG I love it so. Also, if you are ever roasting vegetables, this is the perfect soundtrack *nods sagely*.

♥Fad a la Mode: The open fire at the office. J'adore warm feet and sitting next to flames on a fabulously comfortable sofa.

♥Watched this Week: Nine, based on the book of the 1982 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the film 81/2, which is a semi-autobiographical film by Fellini. It was ok. I didn't understand the necessity of the character played by Fergie, and it bugged me that she was in it. But Daniel Day Lewis and Marion Cotillard were both super fab, and the camera work and editing were admirable also. If I was going to recommend a relatively recent Hollywood musical with a super uber famous cast of thousands, I would recommend Chicago over this.

♥Reading: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. This was Nicola's choice at Book Club, I don't think I would have ever even picked this up let alone read it otherwise, and I am super enjoying it. The man is a wit! Funny and clever.

♥Webreading: Hyperbole and a Half, and if you haven't been reading this: Darling. Where Have You Been? Sneaky Hate Spiral is a lifestyle for me, especially during the pre-bleed time.

♥Anticipation: The Boy is back next Friday, and we are leaving the same day for Tauranga and Sid's 80th Birthday. Love me a holiday.

Heute ist Donnerstag

My favourite German day of the week is Mittwoch. Not only is it uniquely satisfying to say, it is also a perfect example of how literal German is. Mittwoch = the middle of the week = Wednesday.

via

♥Looking like: I need more sleep. I fell asleep over the book I was reading last night because I stayed up far too late on Wednesday.

♥Listening to: Harry Potter audio books (still), and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. The Historian won an Audie Award and it is quite a wonderful recording. I’m enjoying the book too. That is, I don’t think it’s the most amazing literary experience that I’ve ever had but it’s certainly entertaining to listen to. I’ve made the decision not to buy any audio books for a wee while; I spend a fortune on them and I’m trying to be better about money.

♥Fad a la Mode: Worrying about money and eating too much bread and cheese.

♥Watched this Week: I borrowed a whole bunch of period drama DVDs from my mum and have been working my way through them. I’ve watched Sense and Sensibility, Elizabeth, A Room With A View, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. Also I’ve been feeling a bit flat the last few days, so I’ve turned to comfort watching the Gilmore Girls for succour.

♥Reading: I’ve picked up a bunch of books that I have had lying about for ages but haven’t finished. I’m reading The Prime of Life by Simone De Beauvoir and Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. My copy of The Prime of Life has gone a bit mouldy. Should I be worried about this? Please answer.

The mould is on the earlier pages and I’m reading clean ones, but whenever Oprah visited those houses after the New Orleans floods she wore a full body suit and ventilator, so the mould exposure is making me a tiny bit concerned.

♥Webreading: If you must know – I’ve been wasting all my time on Lamebook and Oddly Specific. What a dick.

♥Anticipation: New job on Wednesday, and Simon Schama on Friday. I can’t hardly wait to see Simon.

Today is Dienstag

Emma Block, from her blog

♥Looking like: I’m all swoony and grossed out from the solvent that the IT dude is using to clean the printer and am displaying my patented “flared nostrils of doom”. Also, I dyed my hair in the weekend and it turned out kind of purple. UGH GROSS BAD NO. I’m hoping that it will fade out to a dark red. Now I just need to have a haircut and I shall be happy. I’m thinking that I would like a bob, which means that either I’ll have to go to the hairdressers, which I can’t really afford, or I have to cut it myself and reconcile myself to having a badly cut home bob. Such are the dramas.

♥Listening to: Natalie’s partner’s Aunty Jean has very kindly leant me the Harry Potter series on audio book, and DUDES: it’s read by Stephen Fry! Who I love! So I’m having a Harry Potter audio geek out at present.

♥Fad a la Mode: changing the names of all my projects on Ravelry so they sound crazy sexy cool kooky. Oh yeah. I’ve simultaneously increased my Rav-cred and my geekdom, I’m that good.

♥Watched this Week: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Green Gables the Sequel and I’m about to embark on Anne of Green Gables the Continuing Story. I loved Anne as a little girl and I desperately, desperately wanted to be her. I wanted red hair and freckles and puff sleeves and green eyes and a love/hate relationship with a boy named Gilbert. However: re-watching the movie makes me think that Anne is a sap. I’m afraid I’m going to have to re-read the books to see how I really feel about her.

My annoyance with the movies makes me feel as though part of my deep seated knowledge of myself has been destroyed, i.e. the knowledge that I loved Anne Shirley because she was awesome and I was awesome in wanting to be her. WOE! I thought it was fabulous that she was such a drama queen, and (difficult to believe I know), I kind of styled myself on it. In the real world, Anne is mostly just irritating.

Oh.
I hate writing that.

(NB: I'm pretty sure that Anne is completely and utterly the inspiration for dying my hair red/auburn/ginger at every opportunity).

♥Reading: I’ve finished my Colette biography. At present I am “between books” unless you count all of the books that I’m partially through reading and have abandoned. I might pick up the second volume of Simone de Beauvoir’s biography again, provided she doesn’t whine endlessly about Sartre (hah! I kill me).

♥Webreading: No time no time no time! Whenever I’m on the web I’m changing the names of my projects on Ravelry. Have I mentioned that?

♥Anticipation: Drink with my departing brother Josh tonight, a blog and booze evening with Bex tomorrow, cheap eats and general fabulosity with Nat on Thursday, and the Boy back briefly this weekend.

Today is Mardi

These women are awesome (Jeanette Bernhard, 1910)

VIA

Dear my lovelies;

What a fabulous weekend I had! Monday less so, but these things can’t be helped - Monday sucks, no matter how many champagne (*ahem* Lindauer) brunches one has. But ne’er mind. It’s a new week and I’ve instigated the organisational skills that have been somewhat lacking since towards the end of January and having a made bed feels good.

♥Looking like: It’s time to do something about my hair. In the weekend I had lunch with Shannon’s family and his father’s wife was determined to comment on how different it looked. Mostly, it just looked as though the colour had grown out and it needed a wash, but it was nice of her to comment.

♥Listening to: Josephine by Carolly Erickson and narrated by S. Patricia Bailey. The narrator reads this book as though she was reading erotica and it’s difficult to concentrate on the historical aspects when she’s all breathy about Napoleon Bonaparte and trailing off salaciously at the end of each sentence. Also, the writer spends an awful lot of time speculating about Rose/Josephine’s emotional or psychological state and the historian in me cringes at that ("we can only imagine how Rose felt about this... she must have been worrying about her children" etc and GAG). Do not recommend especially. I shall listen to the end tho’.

♥Fad a la Mode: Getting Back On Top Of Things. Making my bed and tidying my room and organising my food for the week and checking the weather forecast to see when I can hang out my clothes and getting my bits and pieces together for training tonight.

♥Watched this Week: A whole episode and some bits of episodes of Breaking Bad. Shannon is watching it at his place. It’s not really doing that much for me; I feel awkward and a bit embarrassed watching it. Otherwise: more episodes of QI and Arrested Development. Oh, and also I was lucky enough to see the Topp Twins documentary Untouchable Girls at the Film Archive last Thursday. It's a seriously great film and if you get the chance to watch it, I strongly recommend that you take it.

♥Reading: Still on my Colette biography (Secrets of the Flesh - A Life of Colette) and loving it. How about Claudine! And Monsieur Willy! And Colette’s female lovers and simultaneous dislike of lesbians to the extent that she disapproved of her own daughter when she came out! Yesterday I was reading this book sometimes and listening to Josephine at others and getting the bits listing people’s lovers all mixed up (fin de siecle v Directoire). It’s like all people ever do in Paris is sleep around.

♥Webreading: Selleck Waterfall Sandwich. Will the genius who makes this site run out of sandwiches or pictures of Tom Selleck first?

♥Anticipation: Seeing Nat tomorrow night. She’s awesome.

Today is Thursday

VIA

♥Looking like: I’m still insanely tired after Campus A Low Hum and it's becoming increasingly clear to me that I no longer have the stamina of the Seventeen Year Old I Imagine I Am. I caught a glimpse of myself in the toilets at work and I saw age on my face for the first time - and the old woman I imagine that I'm going to grow into. I have to decide to cope with this.

♥Listening to: Polka Dot Dot Dot, who I saw perform at CALH. I was super lucky to meet Jordan, Onyx and Colleen while Shannon and Kirsten were recording them for the radio and was the only audience member and shameless fan girl. Also I talked to Colleen about knitting, crochet and spinning and she started the conversation.*

♥Fad a la Mode: Bacon and Egg Pie. Shannon and I made some before we left for CALH on Thursday night, and it was the first bacon and egg pie that I’d ever made. It was amazingly delicious! I've just made another one with extra bits and parsley; I had some dinner and I have enough for work lunch for the rest of the week. Yum! The Edmond’s Cookbook Recipe is idiot proof.

♥Watched this Week: “Glee” - I know I’m very slow on the uptake on this one. Shannon watched some with me and mocked it’s cheesiness but also acquired one of the PE teachers lines for his day to day life. I’m in love with the evil cheerleading coach who is perfectly evil and Machiavellian.

♥Reading: The Big Book of Socks. I bought this with my Christmas vouchers for the crafty bookstore Minerva and I am in a happy place with my socks right now. Also a biography of Colette called Secrets of the Flesh - A Life of Colette. This fits perfectly into one of my favourite genres of books: “Biographies of Women Who Lived At Least Partially In Paris Between The Years 1910 and 1950”.

♥Webreading: I randomly found this site called Rapunzel's Delight and have been lead, strangely, inexorably, into the world of a long hair fetishist who bills his passion for women's hair growth as "good for health". Dude. Some of these women have five feet  of hair. Can you imagine the weight of all that hair? Also you couldn't do anything until it dried and it would get dirty so quickly, like it was a giant dirt-catching net. I'm fascinated and a tiny bit disturbed because the writer is so closeted about the fetishistic aspects of his passion.

♥Anticipation: Polka Dot Dot Dot are playing at San Francisco Bath House Happy on Friday Wednesday 3^rd February. If you’re in Wellington, you should come too!

*I'm pottering away on a series of entries on Campus A Low Hum. It's taking a while! xx

Today is Tuesday

VIA

♥Looking like: Today I’m wearing my Vague Person yellow t-shirt with the sleeves lopped off, Karen Walker two-tone jeans and a pair of cracked plastic court shoes that I bought at an op shop. These shoes are MUCH cooler than they sound, brown mock crocodile skin and wiggly things and cracked across the toe. They look tres shabby chic (or at least, I think so). I haven’t worn these shoes for a very long time and looking at them today, I thought that I’d like to paint them a bit to cover the cracks and brighten them? Also, stickers could be fun. They would look like a small child had been let loose. (I tried to take a photo of this but my phone camera is so bad it’s beyond laughable).

♥Listening to: I’ve been listening to audiobooks, as per usual; the last few days to AS Byatt’s The Children’s Book. I’m enjoying it rather as Byatt is a splendid writer and I don’t know very much about the particular social group/time period situation that the book is set in so it’s quite interesting from that perspective. It has a few sexy bits, and listening to these on an audiobook is always a bit awkward, much more awkward than reading them – literary sexy bits And also she overuses the word “haunches” - I read this in a review before I bought the audiobook, and I would never have picked up on it if I hadn’t already read about it, and now it bugs me. It bugs me a lot.

♥Fad a la Mode: Cider. So much cider. My fridge is still full of cider after the Spinsters’ Knitting Club Craftinoon and Cider Tasting. I have tasting notes that I need to type up – the notes devolve during the course of the tasting. The most memorable comment? “This cider is the Combover of Ciders”.

♥Watched this Week: “Coraline” courtesy of Jo which was fun in a grown-up-watching-a-children's-movie-way. “When We Were Kings”, although I fell asleep during that – not because of the story (it seemed as though it was going to be great!) but because I was very relaxed after half a bottle of wine, full of roast chicken and nice and warm in the Boy’s bed. Series 3 of “QI” (again) because I am hugenormously in love with Stephen Fry and “A History of Britain” again because I am hugenormously in love with Simon Schama.

♥Reading: How the Irish Saved Civilisation by Thomas Cahill. Honestly kids, just don’t do it. I read it when I was 16 and thought it was great, now I can’t imagine how I enjoyed such shameless tripe. The difference may be ten years and a History degree.

♥Webreading: The Unclutterer. I’m like a Woman Obsessed with decluttering at present, and this blog is feeding me. FEEDING ME I tell you.

♥Anticipation: First Derby training session of the year tonight and Camp this weekend!

Today's Look: turning that frown upside down!

Did you throw up a little bit in your mouth? Oh yes. I've had a bit of a "Fail Weekend" where I was mental and crazy and mental and very very sensitive. Yesterday was officially my last day of that shit (I have made it so) and now I am thinking of all the Good Things That Are Happening and negating my negative core belief. My frown is upside down! Ish.

Looks like: I'm wearing all the Boy's clothes. These jeans are quite great actually and very comfy... perhaps I am needing to steal? I'm not worried so much about swiping this t-shirt as I suspect that I wear it more often than he does... looks great with my tutu.

and also:
I would like to go home and rearrange all my furniture and have nothing left but a randomly romantic looking room.

Sounds like: BLAH BLAH cataloguing BLAH BLAH BLAH

I have no smell, unless it's the slight baking-electronics smell that you get from computer hard drives. And also I am a tiny bit over-caffeinated and I feel as if that has a smell.

Today's Look: OMFG I'm such a whinger

Looks like: my hair is big and my head is hot and it's horrid and now scrunched up in a terrible little knot on top of my head.

Smells like: the coffee and coke (mixed together) that I'm drinking in an effort to NOT lose my grip on reality.

Sounds like: me whingeing constantly about EVERYTHING especially how bored I am and how annoying my hair is and how tired I am and annoyed I am.

Having written all this, I'm now going to make an effort to reinvent my reality and I shall start with 1) a glass of water and 2) with this picture that makes me think about escaping the office and sitting outside. And summer!

Today's Look

Looks like: the new mascara I bought yesterday - "the Colossal" (sic) - isn't quite so colossal after all.

Smells like: the Gourmet Macaroni cheese I made tonight after my week long comfort food craving. Tres tragic.

Sounds like: Silence. And the distant hum of the motorway on a Thursday evening. And my clicky keyboard as I wantonly indulge myself in an evening of blog prepping and writing and geeking.

Today

Looks like: I desperately need to shave my legs

Smells like: I desperately need a shower

Sounds like: Moliere, and a lady dying dramatically of consumption on screen *hack hack*

Today

Looks like: screeds and screeds of paper in my room, the result of many things to do for Derby. I can't find anything I want anyway.

Also like I rolled out of bed and put on the first clean thing I found this morning. I'm so NOT wearing this outfit again.

Smells like: the last dribble of peppermint tea in the cup.

Sounds like: the sycamore tree outside is tapping on the window in the wind.

Today ( and 12 Days Later)

I am back at work and no longer baking cupcakes (which was a far more practical use of my time, lets face it). The last week of my holiday I was too busy pretending to be a student; went to see three very exciting gigs - Fleet Foxes, the Dodos and the Teenagers/Metronomy - and then slept in all day the next day. I bought new earplugs because apparently I can't hack the pace so much these days, and loud noises frighten me. I also drank astonishing quantities of beer. Last night I saw Liz before she rushed back to the UK and I was stoked to see her but sad to see her go again. I also drank astonishing quantities of sake. Looks like: my eyes are going square from staring at this computer screen for two long. And also: Media Nun. Just for fun. Smells like: poor quality work-place coffee. And also like: I may have drunk too much last night. Sounds like: phone ringing, demands being made, sanity sliding decidedly leftwards.

Today

Looks like: Bedroom death explosion *BOOM KABOOM BOOM* et al.

Smells like: Please see above.

Sounds like: Wanaka Firefighters singing Disco Inferno while interpretive dancing. I now have that song firmly lodged in my head. Help me.

Today

Looks like: I am procrastinating because I can't figure out who the Mystery Politician is, and I know that I should know. So frustration. And also: that I am making an attempt to get my enthusiasm working again, blog-wise. Smells like: I should have woken earlier and had a shower this morning. Sounds like: The machine-hum silence of this cataloguing room.