Scaraboosh, Scaraboosh, will you do the banned tango...

The first week back at work after all the Christmas gallivanting is always a bummer, so apologies for the lack of posts. Not that much has happened this week to report on, as it happens. I'm still weaning myself off the Christmas chocolates; met up with some gal pals on Thursday for some happy hour pizza and a catch up (always a winner when you're broke); took a half-day from work yesterday to attend the funeral of a very distant relative (was more there for the sake of other family members, and to serve quiche and tea at the wake than anything else); and ploughed my way through my bursting email inbox.

In fact, the most exciting thing (which highlights the tedium of my working life, sadly) to happen this week was a funny email circulated around some work bods featuring a catalogue of misheard song lyrics. You could tell who was bored at their desks and trying to while away the hours until home time by the guffawing and erupting ripples out laughter throughout the office. Which led me to think about my good mate S (moving back up here from The Big Smoke in a couple of weeks) and how we laughed and laughed at school over our other friend C - who thought the lyrics to a really bad dancey tune used often on 'Shooting Stars' with Vic Reeves leaping about inanely to it were "My lover has no money, he's on his trampoline." (Actual lyrics: "My lover has no money, he's got his strong beliefs." That's by Gala, if you care at all.)

This all tickled me so much I had to share:


But my favourite one on the email was this:

Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves by Cher
Misheard lyrics: Give these tramps some peas!
Actual lyrics: Gypsies, tramps and thieves!

Hmm. Perhaps next week will be more thrilling?

New year, new resolutions...

I found a list of ten things in an old notebook from last New Year's Day which I promised myself I would complete in 2008. I've been able to tick one of them off. ONE. How depressing. And that one thing was to start a blog. At least I've kept it up, I suppose. So, this year, I hope I'm setting myself achievable targets and the fact that I've written them down publicly should mean they're easier to track (and have people bug me about).

1. To cook something new each week. I love tinkering in the kitchen, and am now armed with an head full of ideas thanks to all my recipe books from Christmas, so in theory this shouldn't be too hard. Famous last words.
2. Keep in touch better with all my friends and family. I'm rubbish at it in general. Facebook is good for getting an overview of what everyone is doing, but it's no substitute for the real thing. This year I promise to meet up with people more.
3. Eat healthier. No dieting (yeech, if ever there was a surefire way to put on weight, it's to mention the 'd' word), just eating better in general and taking lunches to work etc. instead of slinking off to the cafe every day and spending a fortune in the process.
4. Decorate my bedroom. We've lived in this house for well over a year now, and things are starting to feel more like home. The living room certainly does since we've redecorated. However, the bedroom does not. I am not a beige person and this needs to be rectified.
5. Make more of an effort with clothes. I always feel like a grotty student at work (even though I haven't been one for three years now) and need to invest in nicer work apparel. I feel the need for some posh shoes and underwear too. the only trouble is, I hate shopping.
6. Get organised. I have no idea what's in some of my cupboards at home. Likewise I have a lot of crap that I could pack off to a car boot sale/charity shop. Also, if I'm organised in my home - it might rub off in my life. I am constantly late for everything and it sickens me!
7. Enjoy Sundays. Instead of whinging about how boring they are and setting myself up with horrible Sunday night feelings before work on a Monday - actually do more with them. Spend some time with The Other Half. Go out for walks. Do things. Go new places.
   
8. Join in with something. Start a course - maybe pick up a language I left after GCSE, or do sign language. Or first aid. Anything. Take up a hobby or find more time for the hobbies I do have but never get around to. I feel this might be a good way to ease stress, too.
   
9. Write my ideas down. My head is jam-packed with ideas for all sorts of things like trivia books, short stories, full novels - but they're all jumbled up. I need to have a notebook on me at all time to write down weird dreams, funny turns of phrase, anecdotes and the like.
10. Read more. I've been better at this over the last year - I'm getting into a routine of reading a little bit each night. I also want to start a marathon movie-watching session with The Other Half - doing the A-Z of our DVD collection. That could take all year.
    

And there you have it. Achievable, I think. At least I don't have to wean myself off anything horrible like cigarettes...although weaning yourself of Christmas chocolate is a bummer.

Auld Lang Syne...

Happy New Year! (A bit early, I know, but I have plans to sit on my backside all evening eating sushi and watching films.) My plans with friends have fallen through but to be honest I'm not really bothered - today I am taking advantage of my new cookbooks (in particular, the one about how to make your own sushi - really looking forward to rustling up some homemade norimaki rolls) and am generally pottering about doing not much besides watch cack films, and will be singing along badly to the party tunes that are sure to grace the airwaves on every radio station across the land.

I have a feeling my sushi-hating folks may make an appearance later on, and I will be kicking out my Other Half into the street (most likely in his knocking-about-the-house shorts and t-shirt combo) just before midnight to be our first-footer, but that's about it. I quite like not having plans tonight. It doesn't feel as forced. Anyway, whatever you're doing and whoever you're with - hope you have a good one. Here's to 2009; may it bring everything you wish for.

xx

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Hello all, hope everyone had a fantabulous Christmas and Boxing Day and that Santa has been good to you. (I must say he was very good to me and brought me all manner of domestic goddessy things - cookbooks, foodie things, and a matching apron and oven glove set which is 1950s meets 1980s - black with bright multicoloured polka dots - so very me!) We've had a hectic one - visiting his folks' for Christmas lunch, mine for the evening, and all manner of family in between. Today, The Other Half and I finally caught our breath at home and did the dishes...from Christmas Eve. We appalled even ourselves. Every glass vessel in the house (including some bowls and a vase) had been utilised. Still, a good night was had by all.

It's becoming a sort-of tradition (in that this is only the second time it happened) that we play host to our friends for a bring-a-bottle-games-and-nibbles night on Christmas Eve. Last year, the old roulette wheel and casino table had an airing and the nibbles consisted of anything I could knock up from our only- recently-moved-into kitchen cupboards which were a bit bare, to say the least. Anyway, this year we had a bit more preparation time. I finished work on 23rd (until 5th Jan - whoop!) and we both spent Christmas Eve getting the house ready and rustling up some grub for 11 hungry people. (Recipes to the right and down a bit - the dolmades and canapes in particular went down a treat.)

Well, the Christmas tunes were on loop; drink flowed and the food was polished off; The Other Half spilt his thumb open on an exploded can and spent the night with a comedy cartoon-eqsue bandage adorning said digit; but the hysterics really started when game time began. We played giant pictionary in 'Win, Lose or Draw' girls-vs-boys stylee on a flip chart someone (who will remain nameless) pilfered from work, and had to contend drawing such anomalies as 'God' (you try drawing a 'concept'), 'Guam', 'Tipperary', 'Stephen Fry' and 'Vincent Van Gogh'. (Friend C who had to draw Van Gogh was very good actually - his team were just rubbish and didn't guess in time. He'd drawn the Sunflowers on an easel, and a one-eared man with a pair of scissors and everything. His team were baffled and the guesses included 'Spock' and 'Willy Wonka'. I don't have a clue why, either.)

Here's hoping next Christmas Eve is just as fun. Ideas for games on a postcard, please!

A collage completed by everyone at the end of the evening.
I can't quite remember exactly why Rudolph is being rogered
by Santa; but I'm sure there's a logical explanation.

Merry Christmas Everyone...

It's Christmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!

Hope you have a sprout-tastic day filled with mulled wine, turkey and tinsel.

xx