Journalists

Dont believe everything you read in the newspaper. Journalists have a special place in Hell and are very unreliable as sources as they as a breed get very excited and like lemmings follow rather than stop and think before heading off at pace.

Targeting the already vulnerable psyche of parents is evil. Parents have enough to worry about just by being parents (and remembering thier own childhood / teens) and they are more than capable at generating new things to worry about, without the help of media.

http://www.badscience.net/2008/08/the-medias-mmr-hoax/

Fish

We are on an all fish and veg diet at the moment. Its handy with JD at home cause he can go to the fishmonger everyday. And fingers crossed it will help me get out of the skirts soon (I am bidding on two on ebay just in case).

Wednesday - mackerel
Thursday - salmon
Friday - scallops
Saturday - skate
Sunday - roast veg
Monday - MoshiMoshi (50% off on Mondays!)

We walked past McDonalds earlier and both looked longingly at the posters showing the cheeseburger. Mmmm... Maybe I can have on in March.

Random

I am enjoying the Random items so here is my list of 25 random things about me.

1. I am very afraid of the dark and am amazed (as are my parents) that I am able to live in a house.
2. When I moved to a flat in Malarhojden I had to get dad to come out and kill spiders for me.
3. My grandmother has done significantly more drugs than me, I have barely done any. I am too chicken and too pragmatic.
4. I dont drink coffee and have no intention to ever start. I do like tea though. The stronger the better. There is something increadibly comforting when you get on a BA plane e.g. from the US and get a cup of tea that has been brewed in a pot that has probably never been cleaned. The tea being so dark it almost has oil spill shiny spotts on top.
5. I really dont like excersise.
6. I love food.
7. I love wine.
8. I love reading and other activities that dont involve moving about.
9. I play golf and have done since I was 10. I do actually enjoy it, assuming its nice weather and not too hilly.
10. I am quite good at keeping in touch. I didnt think I was but after living abroad for 8 years I now know that I am better than a lot of my friends. But I still could be better.
11. I dont like calling people. Not even people I know really well.
12. I got my drivers license when I was 18 but didnt drive for 12 years, then started again on the wrong side and now quite like it.
13. By living in the UK I have learnt to small talk. Swedes are useless at it. I am still not very good but significantly better than 8 years ago. JD is a pro.
14. When I was a kid I was in a swimming club but hated competing, which was mandatory, so one competition I hid in the loo but everyone thought I had swum. My parents took me out of the club when they found out. I didnt miss it.
15. In my next life I am going to be 175cm and love sport. And hate cheese and chocolate.
16. I would make a great PA as I have the perfect mix of efficiency and bad attitude. The only problem might be that I actually get things done.
17. I wouldnt mind moving somewhere else to work, like to the US or Australia. But I am worried about the spiders. And what mum would say.
18. I am now so spoilt when it comes to travel that if I have to do a +7hr flight in economy I mope.
19. I am not a very girly girl, I dont think, but I knit, cook and sew. Luckily I have a boyfriend who does all the ironing.
20. I am best friends with my ex's wife and my boyfriends ex girlfriend.
21. I quite like arty films but I dont like the people who like them so I rarely go and see them. I actually like quite a lot of stuff that I dont do due to me not liking the others who also like it.
22. I am quite unsociable. Especially on weekends and on holidays.
23. Even if I won lots of money I would still work as I quite like being at work.
24. When I get old I am going to start smoking cigars and learn to drink whisky. And I will scare children and eat a lot.
25. I have always wanted to buy a cream cake (Princess cake) and just grab a handful.

So what is random about your life? Please share. I do quite like to read about others.

Looking smart

I over ate a bit over Christmas and the the holiday after (and probably the skiing beforehand and all the Xmas parties). Basically I am running out of clothes. So I got a skirt from ebay for a fiver and another in Sainsburys. Both giant sized. So now I am trying to eat less (yum, lets have another rice cake!) so I can get back to wearing flat shoes and trousers again.

Due to the skirt wearing I have to wear heels (Oh you skinny legged women just shut it, I cannot have flat shoes with a skirt. Mum will back me up on this.) And as I am wearing skirt and heels I am looking quite smart. Add to that my discovery that a suit jacket handily hides my lovehandles and the result is that everyone at work thinks I am going for a new job. I am not. I am just trying very hard not to eat my desk.

What did you do today?

After reading EL's account of dentist visit (and the naked Twitter silliness) I thought I should go through what I did today:

1. Got in the car and drover, gingerly, to work. Due to snow couldnt see the parking space lines so just parked kind of in the middle.
2. Worked, mainly conference calls and some emails. Nothing exciting. Someone had booked a meeting at 12-2 so I didnt have time to go out. But it was probably cold so that was fine. Had my soup by my desk at 11.45.
3. Booked a viewing of a house in Haywards Heath on Thursday. So then I spent some time in a meeting a) mapping out the furniture in the rooms b) deciding what stuff not to bring c) calculating how much downpayment would be needed and trying to work out where it would come from.
4. Called and argued with a company and got that bill slashed from £6.50 to £4.00 a month. Dont think that will help with the downpayment.
5. Tried to book tickets to Eddie Izzard. Failed.
6. Booked some holiday days - for parents visit and then EL's visit.
7. Went home, less gingerly as most snow and ice was gone.
8. Heated dinner: left over roast beef and broccoli/cauliflower gratin (mmmm...)
9. Watched Scrubs for 2 hours. God bless E4 and Paramount Comedy!
10. Finished 'Maskerade'. Time to find a new Pratchett to re-read.

That is about it, not overly exciting. But I think it was a nice day all the same. So, what did you do?

It kept snowing

So our world is white today. And I couldnt get to work but was able to function quite ok from home.

As no car driving couldnt even make it over to B's for snowman building. But we did make it to the Green and got a roast for dinner (JD thinks snow=roast) and butcher tells me they are all out of pork since Jamie's program last week. I am glad to hear it! And as its my closest butcher but not the best I am hoping they shape up and start selling more organic and free range meat...

I am not sure if I will make it to work tomorrow either. More snow predicted for this evening and then colder, so the now slushy streets are likely to freeze.

It is weird to think that we are freezing up here when there is plenty of sun and warmth elsewhere... A - please send some my way!

Its snowing!

Big, white, fluffy white snowflakes. Its very idyllic. I dont think it will last. But I feel sorry for my little daffodils and crocuses that are starting to peek out from their winter bedding.

JD is lighting a fire and I am roasting a chicken for dinner. Its all very cosy.