what do you do?

i had some trouble with my desktop PC.

my alphasmart portable word-processing device decided to stop transferring files to my PC.

i started craving the convenience and flexibility of a laptop.

i earned some money.

i found out laptops were tax deductible.

i saw some special offers on laptops.

i started reading martha beck’s 4-day win (thanks for the tip, keris - it’s great!) and bought into her concept of small and large rewards.

i set myself a goal: to do an awareness meditation for 5 minutes every day, for 4 days straight.

i successfully completed my goal.

can you guess what i bought last night?

if you can’t, you must be even more dazed and confused than i feel after working almost all weekend… when i can think in paragraphs again i’ll fill you in on my university interview: hopefully soon.

my techie alter ego is still going strong: i’m currently working on two tech features for a national newspaper, answering basic tech questions in woman’s weekly every two weeks and…

this week i was offered a blogging job at a wonderful american site about women, lifestyle and tech. woot!

i haven’t started posting yet (i’ll keep you, er, posted, and remove the veil of mystery then) but i’m very excited about this! it’s such a great site, and very well-respected.

want to know how i got the job? 

i just emailed to ask if they wanted another writer.

it was a powerful reminder to me of the value of asking for what you want - you never know where you might end up!

update: i’m so excited, i got offered another fabby blogging job (and of course accepted), again just by asking - more details soon!

how will you be defined in the dictionary?

diane shipley

try it and let me know what it said!

updated update: well done everyone! just one and a half quotes to go…

i saw this on gabrielle’s blog, and thought it was appropriate oscars day fare…

i’m going to post quotes from 15 of my favourite films below. (take note: some of them are two-parters…) guess in the comments if you know the quote and the first one to each gets the credit. NO GOOGLING or otherwise trawling the net - play fair! (and if you know ‘em all, be nice and just guess one or two so others can join in, k?) okay, here we go…

1. - “You are so self-righteous, you know. I mean we’re just people. We’re just human beings, you know? You think you’re God.”

- “I gotta model myself after someone.” - yay for sally! it IS manhattan.

2. “I’ve had it up to my ass with sedate.” - LOTS of guesses about which one was thelma and louise, but finally helen nailed it!

3. “Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash.” when harry met sally - good work, keris! i *knew* you’d get that one. (honorable mentions to sue and claire, just not quite fast enough!)

4. “Claustrophia and a dead body - this is a neurotic’s jackpot!” - well spotted, pom! it’s manhattan murder mystery.

5. “He’s all right! Aren’t you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob without a name!”  breakfast at tiffany’s - helen TM got it! (and was the first to get one, btw!)

6. - “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

- “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.” sally nailed it - classic babs streisand (and ryan o’neal making fun of love story) in what’s up doc? (which i lurrrrrrrrrrrrrve).

7.”That’s it. Out you two pixies go - through the door, or out the window!” - it’s a wonderful life, isn’t it, peepo?

8. “I am so glad that I got sober now so I can be hyper-conscious for this series of humiliations.” - postcards from the edge - right again keris! :)

9. - “I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn’t possibly meet anyone else.”

- “Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know.”

10. “Don’t worry. We can walk to the curb from here.” - annie hall, of course! pom said it first.

11. “Lawyers should never marry other lawyers. This is called in-breeding; from this comes idiot children… and other lawyers.” - after a hint or two, peepo finally got it: adam’s rib. if you haven’t seen it, why not? katharine hepburn, spencer tracy and (my favourite) judy holliday in a classic almost-feminist film.

12. “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” - goodfellas, good stuff peepo!

13. “”Abt natural, I’ve got a gub!” - jas gets half a point for flagging it up as a woody allen quote… but which movie?

14. “You and your lousy letters. Just to get one of them made me special even before I opened it. All your crappy stories, all your big dreams.” - good work again, helen TM! it *was* the biggest girlie weepie of all time, beaches (remember all those letters they wrote?) - sob!

15. “Okay, so you’re probably going, “Is this like a Noxzema commercial or what?” But seriously, I actually have a way normal life for a teenage girl.”  - sally got it again! - she’s not clueless… (geddit?)

good luck!!!

i’m sorry, i know i owe emails left, right and centre but i’m busier than i’ve ever been, ever, at the moment, and now i’ve been hit with some sort of virus that’s making me sluggish and overheated: i literally cannot think. my brain has gone. also, the thought of food turns my stomach - that can’t be good. hopefully i can take this afternoon off and come back fighting tomorrow.

i’ll be back blogging when i can, but i don’t have any idea when that might be. i need to do loads of stuff for australia, reply to all those million emails… and what was that other thing? oh yes, work. and i have two days training and an interview next week, too. (not that i’m complaining!) it’s very nice to be needed and wanted and have things to do: having spent years lolling on sofas, i know. but still… pass the smelling salts, someone.

my mum: “is it all right if i start to be senile now?” 

the idea for this site is so funny and endearing, and the instructions could actually teach you something, too.

i love the internet.

i’m going to let you in on a little secret: i’ve been hard at work on a lot of things lately, not all of them profitable, but top of the list is [drumroll please…] a whole new blog.

not as a replacement for this one, but as a more commercial venture (i.e. i’d like to make some money at it one day) and of a much less personal nature.

but still funny, weird and interesting, of course. (what do i mean, ’still’?)

if you’re curious, clicky here to find out more.

look at hillary! she’s thinking, “just one little nudge off the podium and this race is MINE, little boy.”

hee.