My bout with laryngitis is finally over! For those of you who have put up with my miserable self for the past two weeks, my apologies. And for anyone who may have caught my laryngitis while I was believing it was just a bad cold, I am terribly sorry but please get yourself on antibiotics asap.
After a long, boring, and generally miserable few weeks, this weekend is the shining light at the end of my dark tunnel. Tonight I’m going to indulge myself in the first glass of alcohol since St. Patrick’s Day (which, btw, was a terrible idea). I will be having Mexican at Mexicali in Notting Hill with Krystin and Lizza, and will enjoy a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe even two. Bring on the spices; this weekend is all about indulgence! Since last week, I was instructed to keep away from anything with a kick, alcohol, Diet Coke (although that deterrence waived by Monday) and anything fizzy, milk and orange juice.
I’m just going to go all out! For lunch I’ve had a curry, dinner is Mexican, and tomorrow is Thai. I’ve been deprived of chilli for far too long (in my life, a week is FAR too long). That and alcohol, clearly. I am thinking I may have a mid-afternoon pub trip with Mark tomorrow after we hit up the Darwin exhibit at the Natural History Museum. That’s not bad, right?
Friday, 27 March 2009
Monday, 16 March 2009
Waiting for the NyQuil to kick in
So last week I had a cold which has turned into a dreadful cough. I'm afraid I may have bronchitis again, which is neither exciting nor convenient. See, I haven't signed up with my local GP, so I'd still have to go to the one near Maida Vale. Then there's the fact I'll have to take time out of my work schedule this week to make the trek there. The other annoyance is they don't take a chest x-ray, which I find very unconvincing that they have the right to give me antibiotics (but I'll willingly take them).
Anyways, the worst is at night because laying down flat is just out of the question. I won't sleep at all. So instead I have to lie with three pillows keeping me upright - not entirely the most comfortable way to sleep. And then I keep having these horrible dreams, it's as though the cough is infecting my dreams and turning them into nightmares. One after the other, I'm thankfully awaken by the coughing about every few hours. I wouldn't normally be too thrilled about this but the dreams have been so vivid. For instance, I've been trapped in an underground town that was very surreal and not in a cool, sci-fi channel sort of way. And been kidnapped by the Taleban and had to stressfully find a way out of an apartment complex through neighbors' rooms and vent ducts and abandoned bedrooms. It's just getting too weird.
And tonight I've taken NyQuil in hopes of being able to sleep at least four hours through. I'm sure the dreams will only get stranger. But I'm willing to accept these tonight if I can only get a decent amount of sleep. Anyways, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and I plan on wearing green, drinking beer, and dancing with a Leprechaun (but I'm sure the NyQuil will sort that part out tonight).
Anyways, the worst is at night because laying down flat is just out of the question. I won't sleep at all. So instead I have to lie with three pillows keeping me upright - not entirely the most comfortable way to sleep. And then I keep having these horrible dreams, it's as though the cough is infecting my dreams and turning them into nightmares. One after the other, I'm thankfully awaken by the coughing about every few hours. I wouldn't normally be too thrilled about this but the dreams have been so vivid. For instance, I've been trapped in an underground town that was very surreal and not in a cool, sci-fi channel sort of way. And been kidnapped by the Taleban and had to stressfully find a way out of an apartment complex through neighbors' rooms and vent ducts and abandoned bedrooms. It's just getting too weird.
And tonight I've taken NyQuil in hopes of being able to sleep at least four hours through. I'm sure the dreams will only get stranger. But I'm willing to accept these tonight if I can only get a decent amount of sleep. Anyways, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and I plan on wearing green, drinking beer, and dancing with a Leprechaun (but I'm sure the NyQuil will sort that part out tonight).
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Update
This may not be the most exciting post ever, but I thought I'd give some updates to help those who I can't speak to on a regular basis.
1. I got my new Visa a few days ago, which is quite exciting because I paid the £400 for it out of pocket.
2. I'm going to Paris with Mark for our one year anniversary on 8-11 May. We're staying at the Hilton across the street from the Arche de Triumphe - I could not be more excited!
3. I was laid off (or made redundant as it's said in England) at the end of Jan, and as of March I'm now freelancing two days a week at Blackbridge and 3 days a week as the Trade Marketing Assistant at News International. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, but I'm hoping this is a new experience that can broaden my horizons!
4. I'm planning on flying with Mark to Boston on the 2nd July until the 20th of July. It's going to be our summer holiday, so we won't necessarily be around the entire time (we have tentative plans to travel to NYC, the Cape and Martha's Vineyard, and possibly Bar Harbor). And of course I'm going to be in my best friend Stefanie's wedding on the 18th July! But if you want to see me or want to even join us for anything, let me know! I want to obviously see everyone, so hopefully we can start planning away to get me even more excited.
5. The biggest life changing news I have is Mark and I are planning on moving in together in August. Huge, I know. Or maybe it just seems huge to me? Irregardless, I've never lived with a boyfriend before and he's never lived with a girlfriend, so we are virgins in this arena!! Obviously I'm a bit nervous but I'm really excited about the situation. Where will we end up is the biggest question? North or south of the river?! Dun dun dunnnnn.
That's it for now, back to the daily grind at News Int.
1. I got my new Visa a few days ago, which is quite exciting because I paid the £400 for it out of pocket.
2. I'm going to Paris with Mark for our one year anniversary on 8-11 May. We're staying at the Hilton across the street from the Arche de Triumphe - I could not be more excited!
3. I was laid off (or made redundant as it's said in England) at the end of Jan, and as of March I'm now freelancing two days a week at Blackbridge and 3 days a week as the Trade Marketing Assistant at News International. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, but I'm hoping this is a new experience that can broaden my horizons!
4. I'm planning on flying with Mark to Boston on the 2nd July until the 20th of July. It's going to be our summer holiday, so we won't necessarily be around the entire time (we have tentative plans to travel to NYC, the Cape and Martha's Vineyard, and possibly Bar Harbor). And of course I'm going to be in my best friend Stefanie's wedding on the 18th July! But if you want to see me or want to even join us for anything, let me know! I want to obviously see everyone, so hopefully we can start planning away to get me even more excited.
5. The biggest life changing news I have is Mark and I are planning on moving in together in August. Huge, I know. Or maybe it just seems huge to me? Irregardless, I've never lived with a boyfriend before and he's never lived with a girlfriend, so we are virgins in this arena!! Obviously I'm a bit nervous but I'm really excited about the situation. Where will we end up is the biggest question? North or south of the river?! Dun dun dunnnnn.
That's it for now, back to the daily grind at News Int.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
How many hours of TV can a human consume?
I swear I haven't watched this much television consecutively since I was a student. I've finally been hit by the bug that seems to be going around and it's hit me hard. It's more the fact my body feels like it's been beaten up then the annoying runny nose and scratchy throat. I loathe being sick.
I think I've slept more than I've been awake in the past two days. Not terrible, but the fact my mattress is a piece of crap doesn't help my back and neck any. And then there was the 2 hours this morning of a dog wailing (because the term barking doesn't do it justice) in where I envisioned actually killing it. And I'm a dog person. At least the baby next door wasn't crying as well. I think that would have set me off.
Here's what I have to motivate myself for:
1) Watching Mad Men episodes 8-13
2) Eating American imported cream of wheat
3) Taking a shower finally
4) Haribo
This might seem sad, but please remember I'm ill. And trying to stay sane!
I think I've slept more than I've been awake in the past two days. Not terrible, but the fact my mattress is a piece of crap doesn't help my back and neck any. And then there was the 2 hours this morning of a dog wailing (because the term barking doesn't do it justice) in where I envisioned actually killing it. And I'm a dog person. At least the baby next door wasn't crying as well. I think that would have set me off.
Here's what I have to motivate myself for:
1) Watching Mad Men episodes 8-13
2) Eating American imported cream of wheat
3) Taking a shower finally
4) Haribo
This might seem sad, but please remember I'm ill. And trying to stay sane!
Sunday, 8 March 2009
It's been a while
Oh dear. I've missed an entire year of writing, and that's extremely disappointing. New thing to take care of - writing often and about things that matter.
Life at the moment consists of: freelancing at Blackbridge (2 days a week) and News International (3 days a week); running/working out; seeing Mark as much as possible; reading The Time Travellers Wife; cooking at least one nice meal a week (or making Mark cook it!); keeping up with friends.
I don't think I ever realised how exhausting life could be in the city, but it really is. At the same time, I love the fact I can see so much whenever (well, aside from while I'm working or doing the other 90 things I'm doing) I want. For instance, above is the view of what I walk by every morning I'm going to News International: Katharine's Docks. Where else could I see Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the beautiful yachts and sailboats? Amazing. Albeit, it is a trek every morning:
6.45am: Alarm goes off - or rather my iPod dock goes off to something like Snow Patrol or John Mayer.
7.45am: Run out the door, probably still needing to do 20 things but having to deal with the fact it will have to wait another 12 hours.
7.59am: Get on the West Hampstead Thameslink which will take me to Moorgate in approximately 20 mins. Will get a seat because the tube and standing is over-rated...
8.20am: Run across to platform 1 to get a Circle line train to Tower Hill. I hate the underground.
8.37am: Start walking from Tower Hill Underground to Wapping, where News International is located. Will walk by the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Katharine's Docks, and a lovely Waitrose which tempts me every time. I am power walking, and will attempt to pass at least 5 people in the limited space in the walking path.
8.50am: Touch my card into the gates of Times House and make my way past Costa (do NOT spend money on a coffee, my dear, it's a recession) and take the lift to the 4th floor.
8.51am: Start up my PC from 1997 and start reading today's Times. Never The Sun, I'm sorry to say. Usually will have vanilla yogurt with berry muesli mixed in. Mmm, a perfect start to another work day.
9.01am: The ancient PC is finally running and Outlook has either appeared on my screen with 17 messages in place, or Outlook has crashed my computer once again and a restart is necessary... One can never tell!
With that little rendition, this post is done for now. I promise to not wait another year. That just won't be fair on my Masters degree, now would it?!
Monday, 14 January 2008
Doing good in death
How do you feel about donating your organ's after you die? It's certainly something that has crossed your mind at one point or another. Whether you're for it or against it, chances are the act to become a registered organ donor has incurred some sort of stall on the process. I'm 24 years old, and I'm a long way off planning my death.
But if the US or the UK had an 'opt-out' system, like most of Europe, then things would be a different story. In a 'soft' opt-out system, like Spain, Italy and France, you would have to write or express before dying that you are against donating your organs. However, when it comes times to discuss donation, your family would also have a say, and even if you were for it, they could have a right to deny the donation. In most countries, something around 85% of families adhere to their dead relative's wishes, while only 15% reject them. In a 'hard' opt-out system (like in Austria), the family is not consulted. Spain is recognized as the leader in organ donations.
Why am I even talking about this? It's a strange thing to blog about, I suppose. The Observer this past Sun ran a huge story and are campaigning for the laws in the UK to be reformed to the soft opt-out system, like that of Spain. In the story, they revealed that the UK has the lowest transplants and donations in Europe, with three Britons dying each day waiting for an organ. They didn't have any facts or figures for the US, but I imagine it's not much better.
I remember one of my friend's saying that they'd never be a donor because they won't resuscitate you or attempt to save your life more than three times once your heart stopped beating, because they'd rather take your organs. Somehow I can't imagine this being the case. Especially since most paramedics aren't showing up with an organ donor truck following behind it.
I'm all for a change as well. If my organs could save five others, than my death would mean more than just my passing on. I'll say this right now, I might not be a registered organ donor, but I certainly would donate 'em all. I'm not taking them with me, that's for sure. And once I'm dead and all my organs that could be used were removed - cremate me, please!! I'm afraid of the dark. Don't stick my body in a box underground, nothing could sound worse.
Sorry for all the morbidity.
But if the US or the UK had an 'opt-out' system, like most of Europe, then things would be a different story. In a 'soft' opt-out system, like Spain, Italy and France, you would have to write or express before dying that you are against donating your organs. However, when it comes times to discuss donation, your family would also have a say, and even if you were for it, they could have a right to deny the donation. In most countries, something around 85% of families adhere to their dead relative's wishes, while only 15% reject them. In a 'hard' opt-out system (like in Austria), the family is not consulted. Spain is recognized as the leader in organ donations.
Why am I even talking about this? It's a strange thing to blog about, I suppose. The Observer this past Sun ran a huge story and are campaigning for the laws in the UK to be reformed to the soft opt-out system, like that of Spain. In the story, they revealed that the UK has the lowest transplants and donations in Europe, with three Britons dying each day waiting for an organ. They didn't have any facts or figures for the US, but I imagine it's not much better.
I remember one of my friend's saying that they'd never be a donor because they won't resuscitate you or attempt to save your life more than three times once your heart stopped beating, because they'd rather take your organs. Somehow I can't imagine this being the case. Especially since most paramedics aren't showing up with an organ donor truck following behind it.
I'm all for a change as well. If my organs could save five others, than my death would mean more than just my passing on. I'll say this right now, I might not be a registered organ donor, but I certainly would donate 'em all. I'm not taking them with me, that's for sure. And once I'm dead and all my organs that could be used were removed - cremate me, please!! I'm afraid of the dark. Don't stick my body in a box underground, nothing could sound worse.
Sorry for all the morbidity.
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Some resolutions I can stick to
My apologizes for no posts in Dec (if anyone actually noticed). Well, happy 2008! I'm expecting fine things to occur this new year. So far, things are going well. I've been sober all 13 days of 2008, and detox is paying off real nice. I've gone to the gym 9 days of 2008, shed 2 pounds, and saved countless pennies (which is always nice, given I have £58 to last me until the end of the month...).
New year's resolutions include:
1) Lose weight (20 lbs by May - that's a pound a week), get fit, and have a nice four pack.
2) Not drink so much and allow my alter-ego - I'll call her Bianca the angry slut - to finally disappear.
3) Find a nice guy to snuggle, go to the movies with, and just be happy with.
Now, I think I've actually set goals I can actually stick to. The finding a guy one, although a bit difficult, should be something I can achieve this year, as #2 should help, and moving on from my ex, who I'll call 'A', should really help.
I had an eye-opening/life changing Christmas break back in Boston. I confronted A and told him I was in love with him.
**Background: A and I broke up the beginning of senior year at UMass, after only being together for the summer. Still, we've had this weird 'on-off' relationship since than. That's 3 1/2 years of still being hung up on someone. That's, as some would put it, unhealthy.**
Anyways, after consulting with a few of my best friends from home, I decided to do that thing I thought only happened in movies and chick-lit, I decided to tell him how I felt. I believe I had done this once before, on my 22nd birthday, after a thousand shots, that I loved him, which put him off guard (I'm pretty sure he may have matched my thousand shots and upped it by a few more) and left him speachless. In my very drunken stuper I started crying (mind you, I was in Faneuil Hall in late Aug) and ran off, and had to be consoled by my best friend's boyfriend (now her fiance) until A found me and took me to a bench to talk. Sadly, I don't remember much from that.. So this was to be a bit more tactfully done. And hopefully, with a better outcome.
If it had been a movie, when I told him I loved him, and wanted to be with him, and would be willing to move back to Boston from London in a year, he would have looked into my eyes and told me he wanted me to. However, my life is not like Hollywood, and instead he told me his shit, and that he didn't want me to regret coming back. He didn't want to be my regret. At least, part of that could be a Hollywood movie, I suppose.
Needless to say, I'm not changing my five year plan anytime soon. I'm staying in London. I'm losing 20 pounds and getting myself a hot bod. I'm cutting back on the black-outs and booze. Oh, and I'm actually happy. Now if I can only find that new guy...
New year's resolutions include:
1) Lose weight (20 lbs by May - that's a pound a week), get fit, and have a nice four pack.
2) Not drink so much and allow my alter-ego - I'll call her Bianca the angry slut - to finally disappear.
3) Find a nice guy to snuggle, go to the movies with, and just be happy with.
Now, I think I've actually set goals I can actually stick to. The finding a guy one, although a bit difficult, should be something I can achieve this year, as #2 should help, and moving on from my ex, who I'll call 'A', should really help.
I had an eye-opening/life changing Christmas break back in Boston. I confronted A and told him I was in love with him.
**Background: A and I broke up the beginning of senior year at UMass, after only being together for the summer. Still, we've had this weird 'on-off' relationship since than. That's 3 1/2 years of still being hung up on someone. That's, as some would put it, unhealthy.**
Anyways, after consulting with a few of my best friends from home, I decided to do that thing I thought only happened in movies and chick-lit, I decided to tell him how I felt. I believe I had done this once before, on my 22nd birthday, after a thousand shots, that I loved him, which put him off guard (I'm pretty sure he may have matched my thousand shots and upped it by a few more) and left him speachless. In my very drunken stuper I started crying (mind you, I was in Faneuil Hall in late Aug) and ran off, and had to be consoled by my best friend's boyfriend (now her fiance) until A found me and took me to a bench to talk. Sadly, I don't remember much from that.. So this was to be a bit more tactfully done. And hopefully, with a better outcome.
If it had been a movie, when I told him I loved him, and wanted to be with him, and would be willing to move back to Boston from London in a year, he would have looked into my eyes and told me he wanted me to. However, my life is not like Hollywood, and instead he told me his shit, and that he didn't want me to regret coming back. He didn't want to be my regret. At least, part of that could be a Hollywood movie, I suppose.
Needless to say, I'm not changing my five year plan anytime soon. I'm staying in London. I'm losing 20 pounds and getting myself a hot bod. I'm cutting back on the black-outs and booze. Oh, and I'm actually happy. Now if I can only find that new guy...
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