Blagh.

Sorry about that title, but it pretty much sums me up at the moment. I came home sick on Thursday after having hot flushes and major nausea, hence lack of posting, and also lack of knitting. I’m feeling a little better now, but I’ve not eaten all weekend, so I’m taking the day off to get some energy and strength back – working on a front line customer service point when you haven’t eaten for 4 or 5 days is not good. I felt guilty when I phoned in, as the lady I spoke to seemed surprised that I could be poorly for so long (this is the first time I’ve been sick in about six months, since I gave up wheat – I used to be ill more often and quite regularly because of the intolerance, so I feel I’ve been doing well). But then I went upstairs and realised that getting tired from climbing the stairs first thing in the morning is not normal, and I’m doing the right thing resting today. It’s just that guilt feeling of not going to work and feeling like I’m betraying them or something :/
Anyway, here is a little bit of niceness 🙂 DB and I have been claimed by a kitten! I was in the bathroom getting ready last week and I heard a noise. Then this little kitty face appeared under the blind at the window. He’d seen me open the window and decided to visit 😀 And he hasn’t left since. He’s beautiful – I can’t upload a pic at the moment because WP seems to have reset permissions for uploading 🙁 He’s white with black patches, is almost fully grown but still at that lanky stage, and is the most affectionate, loving and good natured kitten I’ve met in a long time. He reminds me of my last cat, Holly, but this little fella is more needy. He likes to be near you almost all the time, likes to snuggle up a lot – if he can’t sit on your lap he’ll sit right next to you. He also likes to sit on the laptop/computer keyboard, or sit on your arm/hand so that you can’t actually do anything. Having said all this, he appeared in pretty good condition, so he must have been living with someone, so we need to check if he is chipped, and look in the local paper for the lost ads. He hasn’t wanted to leave us to go home though, so maybe he was unhappy there. We’ll see anyway – I’m already really attached to him, and no matter what impression DB may present, he’s certainly fond of him (but not of his poo – he has said that if I clean the poo up, he’ll pay for all the cat food and litter, which is a good deal for him at the moment!), but we need to make sure that there isn’t a family missing him and upset over him first.
Finally, I’ve been tagged by Leah at Use Your Hands.
TEN YEARS AGO: I was just about to meet DB, and was still studying law in Manchester (please note that I am not clever enough or interested enough in it – I only did one year). I worked in a bar to top up my living allowance – these were the days when students still got grants, and my mum and aunt had clubbed together to pay my rent for the year to avoid me getting a loan. I was busy loving the city, enjoying the clothes shops and being slim (something I haven’t been since meeting DB – that’s relationships for you!).
FIVE YEARS AGO: I had just graduated from my English course, and was looking for a proper job. Because I’d been working as a Saturday assistant at the public library, and quite enjoyed the environment and people, I was looking for work in libraries in general. This was a complete change to my original desire to work in publishing, but I didn’t have much chance getting work in the area, so I did the right thing in changing direction. I got a job in a university library, and loved the academic environment, and started thinking about where a career in libraries could go.
ONE YEAR AGO: I was stressing about course work for my MSc, looking at my promotion and hoping that it wouldn’t have too much of a negative impact on the people around me, as well as hoping that it wouldn’t make a difference to my studies.
FIVE SNACKS: Yuck – this is not the best time to think about this! Mature cheddar with cheese biscuits, Skinny Cow ice cream cones. When I ate bread, I’d love toast – just slightly golden with a lovely splodge of spread on it (low fat may I add) or Laughing Cow cheese spread. Pickled Onion Monster Munch is a good one. Finally, just to prove that I do eat fruit and veg, there is nothing like a pack of mixed melon. Watermelon and Gala particularly.
FIVE SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO: There are quite a few Sleeper and Salad songs I know by heart, for those who remember them! I also know Gigantic by the Pixies (one of my fave songs ever), Hand in Glove (the Smiths version rather than Sandy Shaw’s, but both are good by me), Never So Lonely by the Kostars, Dress by PJ Harvey, and Cherry Lips by Garbage
FIVE THINGS I WOULD DO WITH $100 MILLION: 1) Give some cash to my brother and buy him a house, 2) Pay off our mortgage, and finish decorating the house, 3) Buy a car/scooter and learn to drive, 4) Give my mum some cash too to keep her mortgage free, 5) Give at least 50% to charities across different issues (animal care, child protection, hospitals, the homeless and any others I’ve forgotten that are dear to me).
FIVE PLACES TO RUN AWAY TO: Prague, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, the woods near my house, and Japan, despite never visiting there (I SO want to!)
FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR: Batwing tops or anything else really 80s (including puffball skirts), shell suits, velour tracksuits, real fur, ponchos.
FIVE FAVORITE TV SHOWS: The Simpsons, Futurama, People Like Us (one of the best spoof documentaries ever), Spaced and Lost.
FIVE BIGGEST JOYS: Knitting and shopping for yarn, reading a good novel, learning new things, snuggling up to DB, walking in the middle of nowhere and feeling like I’m going to get lost.
FAVORITE TOYS: Knitting needles and yarn (naturally!), my MP3 player, the DVD player (largely in conjunction with Studio Ghibli discs), our high speed internet connection, and my orchids.
PEOPLE TO PASS THIS ON TO: I’ll pass this to BlueADT, Little Lixie, Deb on the Web, Xtreme Jen, and Kimberli NY (even if she is galivanting around China at the mo!).
Anyway, I’m sleepy now, and the laptop battery is running down, so I’m going.