Frizz

Little John is having his tonsils out this morning.  He’s been understandably worried about it for a while.  It does seem to be a less dramatic experience these days… he’s supposed to go home straight after the operation and allowed, in fact supposed, to eat crisps.

If she was still alive one of my grandmothers would have been 100 today. She did do quite well, she made it to 92 and she was still living in her own home. We didn’t really ever get on, I’ve never understood why, but I do still miss her anyway. She had been incredibly brave during her lifetime and even at 92, she was one of the most elegant people I’ve ever known.

I am feeling a bit icky, why is it that it only takes one despicable person to ruin a very nice day? I was having a lovely time, working for an old client who now has a baby, so I got to make silly faces whilst I worked. And then D breaks the spell by leaving me a rambling message, which is Bleak House related and I think not again. So some person who should know better seems to be behaving in an unethical manner and I feel like the whole thing has moved from Dickensian to Shakespearian, I can’t think of the play right now, but anything with a character who’s vile will do. Really and this is middle class England or maybe that should be, so this is middle class England.

[I want to add there are some nice characters in the play too, well at least one].

Girl with a one track mind over that email from Nicholas Hellen at the Sunday Times, which just comes across as barely disguised tabloid behaviour at it’s lowest. It’s heartening to see that it’s causing a bit of a stir. [via]

As a nation we are apparently eating less marmalade and those that are eating it are mostly over 45. When I was growing up I can only remember my Dad eating it. I do remember the occasions when I tried it, for the distinctly unpleasant taste it left in my mouth. In order to buck the trend though, I’m willing to have another try, although maybe my taste buds aren’t quite matured enough yet, to appreciate its unique flavour.

ooh! Apple launches the iPhone… could this be the first real all in one?

A letter from someone threatening to take me to court, because I haven’t paid for something he hasn’t sent me. Nice conversation with man in question, promised to send me correct information. Not holding out too much hope, but maybe third time lucky?

A bill from the tax office, asking for money that I owe them for the last tax year, only I haven’t put in my tax return yet (I know, but I’m almost there). Nice conversation with woman who told me that someone else’s tax return has ended up under my name, someone who is employed, married and rents property by the sound of it, none of which applies to me. Told me not to worry, someone will call me by the end of the week to clear it all up.

Oh and lots of junk mail. So I have decided to write to all the companies that send me junk along with actual important stuff and ask them not to.

on 2006. So this is what I came up with for my year in 24 words:

Techno leap. Braces. Finally a digital camera. Bad wrist; no exercise. Bleak House continued. Film zombie. An answer? New ancestry. Berlin. More grounded. Friends.

Just rereading it now I could start adding to it, but on the whole I think it sums up my year. The techno leap refers to all the stuff I’ve had to learn for Frizz, which has been a step into the complete unknown. The braces, well they are now a part of me and I flaunt them gleefully, I’m not sure me a year ago would have believed that, I was still so reticent about getting them. A digital camera has just been a joy, but the bad wrist has not. Eight years of yoga slowly going down the drain, I can feel the whole way I move is different. Bleak House might be ‘over’, I don’t want to go there until it’s in writing, it would be such a relief though. Film zombie is a reference to the film festival where I outdid myself, I’m still too embarrassed to say exactly how many films I saw and I never did do a best of, but I’ll mention them as and when they come out. Even though it got a bit much at the end (as it always does) I had a great time. An answer, well that’s something personal and not for here, at least not right now. I discovered that one branch (or at least one branch) of my family came from Portugal way back when and I’m now in contact with at least five new relations, some of them as close as second cousins and some as distant as sixth cousins. I finally made it to Germany as an adult and was moved and home and alienated and met one of the new relations and I’m still getting my head around it all. I do feel more grounded and if I’d had space I would have added that I’m learning to trust my instincts more as well. And friends, because they are wonderful and keep me sane.

I’ve just completed a Wordpress upgrade - I moved Frizz over two days before it was released. I think it’s worked OK and I’m feeling like I’m getting the hang of this. Now I just need to work out how I add things to the sidebar…

How was 2006 for you? Can you sum it up in just 24 words? That’s what Meg’s Mayflower Project is about - I’m trying and it’s quite hard.