Happy Mondays: Advent calendars
Dec. 13th, 2010 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizzie_and_ariHey kids!
So, today I do not really feel like working. This may be partly evidenced by the fact that it's half eleven and I have just had my breakfast.
Tchuh! I hear you say! Who does feel like working? Well, me, normally. I'm easily distracted into working on the wrong thing and messing up my deadlines but I could quite happily be fiddling with worky stuff all day. Today, however, I feel like playing. I think I will write this (kind of work, and must be done today for the sake of my mental stability) and then maybe do some housework. Normally I like to be strict about working in working hours, but if I do the ironing I will feel muchly better and I can watch the Gilmore GIrls at the same time. Also I did do three hours work yesterday which should have been a Play Day and I have a meeting at three so will be working from thereonin so that's ok.
1. Have spent a chunk of this morning reassuring Ariadne that she looks beautiful as she is going off to her Very Exciting Meeting with The Man from Butan and Siân (you have to pronounce that how Johnny does - 'Shan' - rather than the more traditional 'Sharn' for that to really work). She is very nervous but I, of course, know she will be nothing but marvellous. And she gets to eat scones.
2. Watched the X Factor final last night with Ariadne, Siân, Erin and Hazel and pizza and Chinese appetisers and wine.
This is the annoying thing about the X Factor. Last year I was very disappointed with the whole thing and didn't really think much of any of those in the top three (or really the top twelve or whatever). I did say I wouldn't watch it this year. I have been drawn in not by the quality of the contestants (although I have to say that I'm really glad Matt won and I liked the second placer too) but:
a) by Ariadne, who is obsessed. Seriously. She even watches it by herself.
b) by the ritual of the whole thing. There's a close correlation between the X Factor and chinese food, for one. Also, we normally watch it with Hazel at the very least and/or one or other of the above mentioned group. We laugh at Louis and we decide who gets to have Dermot's babies this week. We scream at the injustice of it all and whatever happened to the music industry. The programme's not that long (results show being more interesting and ritualistic than the performances) and offers plenty of long winded dull bits in which we can chat about our lives. This is as opposed to, say, a film where you have to concentrate fully for at least an hour and a half)
So that's how it is. I had a lovely time and got a bit squiffy with some of my most loveliest friends. Hurrah!
3. Quite excited about Christmas.
Lizzie's top recipe for getting your Christmas shopping done quickly:
Lose all your money, so that you are so very poor that the list of people you actually buy presents for becomes tiny. We are only doing family presents this year and even they are mostly recycled / home made / creatively attained. 'Family' includes Emily & co but that's 'cause they basically are. Everyone else may possibly get some baked goods.
Also, actually remember that half your family living the other side of the globe and so you have to acquire and wrap things ahead of time for them to maybe get them by Christmas.
Check.
4. Hmm the snow's mostly gone away. But apparently it might be back. This is affecting Christmas plans too:
So our current plan is: I have stuff on every night up until the 20th. After that, we will keep an eye on the weather and drive down on the first day that looks viable, car packed with blankets, food, etc. My Auntie Fiona lives in Penrith and has offered her place as a potential halfway house if we need it. If there are going to be no viable days then we will stay in Edinburgh and open up our house as a waifs and strays pot luck dinner venue for anyone else snowed in. Presuming we make it to Stratford, we have tickets to Matilda on the 28th. However, we will continue to keep an eye on the weather and if it's destined to turn bad again we will come home before that.
5. I was still feeling pretty crappy for most of last week but am much better now after having spent the week in a thermal vest. Fingers crossed.
6. Been doing lots of websitey work this week. The Dr Sketchy site is finished. I mean obviously there's a feedback loop and a website is never finished, but an ongoing organic creation etc etc. In fact there's a survey on the front page if you want to give feedback yourself. Generally people seem happy with it so far, except for wanting more pictures, which I was like totally working on anyway so whatever. Also been trying to sort out my own website which just never looks right.
7. Oh dear had completely forgotten I was also supposed to have a meeting at two. It was vague enough not to have gone in my calendar which means that it Didn't Exist. Oh dear.
8. Talking of which I'm supposed to be somewhere tomorrow night. Anyone have any idea where? I know it's somewhere because I do have something on every night for the next week.
9. Oh yes I'm meeting Emily in my house. That's fine. She'll knock at the door then I will remember.
Going to put it in my diary anyway.
Ok so have a fabulous week everyone and remember where you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to be doing at all times.
Lxxxx
So, today I do not really feel like working. This may be partly evidenced by the fact that it's half eleven and I have just had my breakfast.
Tchuh! I hear you say! Who does feel like working? Well, me, normally. I'm easily distracted into working on the wrong thing and messing up my deadlines but I could quite happily be fiddling with worky stuff all day. Today, however, I feel like playing. I think I will write this (kind of work, and must be done today for the sake of my mental stability) and then maybe do some housework. Normally I like to be strict about working in working hours, but if I do the ironing I will feel muchly better and I can watch the Gilmore GIrls at the same time. Also I did do three hours work yesterday which should have been a Play Day and I have a meeting at three so will be working from thereonin so that's ok.
1. Have spent a chunk of this morning reassuring Ariadne that she looks beautiful as she is going off to her Very Exciting Meeting with The Man from Butan and Siân (you have to pronounce that how Johnny does - 'Shan' - rather than the more traditional 'Sharn' for that to really work). She is very nervous but I, of course, know she will be nothing but marvellous. And she gets to eat scones.
2. Watched the X Factor final last night with Ariadne, Siân, Erin and Hazel and pizza and Chinese appetisers and wine.
This is the annoying thing about the X Factor. Last year I was very disappointed with the whole thing and didn't really think much of any of those in the top three (or really the top twelve or whatever). I did say I wouldn't watch it this year. I have been drawn in not by the quality of the contestants (although I have to say that I'm really glad Matt won and I liked the second placer too) but:
a) by Ariadne, who is obsessed. Seriously. She even watches it by herself.
b) by the ritual of the whole thing. There's a close correlation between the X Factor and chinese food, for one. Also, we normally watch it with Hazel at the very least and/or one or other of the above mentioned group. We laugh at Louis and we decide who gets to have Dermot's babies this week. We scream at the injustice of it all and whatever happened to the music industry. The programme's not that long (results show being more interesting and ritualistic than the performances) and offers plenty of long winded dull bits in which we can chat about our lives. This is as opposed to, say, a film where you have to concentrate fully for at least an hour and a half)
So that's how it is. I had a lovely time and got a bit squiffy with some of my most loveliest friends. Hurrah!
3. Quite excited about Christmas.
- We have decorations up but not yet a tree, need to find one that is alive and yet cheap.
- I have made all the Christmas cards but not yet written many.
- We have mostly bought all our Christmas presents and even wrapped some.
Lizzie's top recipe for getting your Christmas shopping done quickly:
Lose all your money, so that you are so very poor that the list of people you actually buy presents for becomes tiny. We are only doing family presents this year and even they are mostly recycled / home made / creatively attained. 'Family' includes Emily & co but that's 'cause they basically are. Everyone else may possibly get some baked goods.
Also, actually remember that half your family living the other side of the globe and so you have to acquire and wrap things ahead of time for them to maybe get them by Christmas.
Check.
4. Hmm the snow's mostly gone away. But apparently it might be back. This is affecting Christmas plans too:
- We had planned to drive down, then the snow hit and we thought 'Oh dear, we had better get the train.'
- Then we looked at train prices and thought 'Oh dear, we had better go on the game.'
- Then we looked at the fact that trains were all being cancelled and thought 'Oh dear, we don't want to give all our money to a train company and end up on a possible bus'
So our current plan is: I have stuff on every night up until the 20th. After that, we will keep an eye on the weather and drive down on the first day that looks viable, car packed with blankets, food, etc. My Auntie Fiona lives in Penrith and has offered her place as a potential halfway house if we need it. If there are going to be no viable days then we will stay in Edinburgh and open up our house as a waifs and strays pot luck dinner venue for anyone else snowed in. Presuming we make it to Stratford, we have tickets to Matilda on the 28th. However, we will continue to keep an eye on the weather and if it's destined to turn bad again we will come home before that.
5. I was still feeling pretty crappy for most of last week but am much better now after having spent the week in a thermal vest. Fingers crossed.
6. Been doing lots of websitey work this week. The Dr Sketchy site is finished. I mean obviously there's a feedback loop and a website is never finished, but an ongoing organic creation etc etc. In fact there's a survey on the front page if you want to give feedback yourself. Generally people seem happy with it so far, except for wanting more pictures, which I was like totally working on anyway so whatever. Also been trying to sort out my own website which just never looks right.
7. Oh dear had completely forgotten I was also supposed to have a meeting at two. It was vague enough not to have gone in my calendar which means that it Didn't Exist. Oh dear.
8. Talking of which I'm supposed to be somewhere tomorrow night. Anyone have any idea where? I know it's somewhere because I do have something on every night for the next week.
9. Oh yes I'm meeting Emily in my house. That's fine. She'll knock at the door then I will remember.
Going to put it in my diary anyway.
Ok so have a fabulous week everyone and remember where you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to be doing at all times.
Lxxxx
