what do you do?

so far, only my friend helen ™ has contributed to the discussion i started on new year’s eve, but there’s still time for you to answer, too: what’s your most memorable year (good or bad), and why?

for me, it was 1997.

a lot happened that year…

i turned 18, voted for the first time, witnessed the first change of government since i was five months old (gosh, i was hopeful - what a bitter disappointment), fostered a cat which had kittens (which we looked after and weaned and found homes for), took my a-levels, moved to my grandparents after our house sold and we had nowhere to go (the day before my last a-level exam, natch), my dad separated from his second wife, i went to rome the week princess diana died, moved away to university, made a new group of friends, got so ill with glandular fever (which wasn’t disgnosed ’til months later) that i couldn’t speak and could hardly swallow, had the drunkest new year in recorded history (antibiotics and alkehol don’t mix) and held hands (that’s all) with my soon-to-be boyfriend of five years.

…for starters. 

before i start, i just want to share that i’m wearing slipper socks with large 3D santas on them (£3 from dorothy perkins and a total bargain). i’m saving my snowmen hair clips, tree earrings and large red glitter ball bobbles for tomorrow: less is more.

i hope you’re all having a great christmas eve and that tomorrow is as fab as can be, whether you celebrate or not.

now for the final yay!…

the whole shebang.

the big day: from opening presents with my lovely mum in the morning, to putting on my green jumper and all my christmassy accoutrements and eating more food than i ever thought possible, seeing relatives, giving and (YAY) receiving presents, christmas songs and films, everyone being in a good mood, chocolate and wine and falling asleep on the sofa in a coma-like state.

christmas eve and day and boxing day… it all gets a big fat yay!

gorming.

i’m planning on spending a lot of the next two weeks lying around looking gormless, not thinking about much, achieving much or wearing much in the way of non-pyjamas. i’ll read, eat, sleep, watch DVDs and just generally gorm.

i hope you can do the same.

yay!

i bet you’d all forgotten that i even went to new york back in november, hadn’t you? i said i’d fill you in, and i wasn’t kidding - it just took me a while, that’s all…

this holiday was - well, it was an experience to say the least. it taught me that my expectations were over-inflated, that i can’t do as much as i thought, and that my feet could need serious medical attention! my camera, my feet, my budgeting skills and my mental and physical health all took a bit of a beating and at times it was like my very own out of towners experience… but parts of the holiday i enjoyed immensely, and the sights and sounds of new york city are not easy to forget, so i’ll never be sorry i went. and once i’ve fully recovered, i will try again one day. (i think.)

i was disabused of one notion, though: i always thought it would be so fabulous to live in new york, but now i’m not so sure it would. it’s actually not like it is in the movies or on sex and the city! we saw crappy-looking cramped apartments in chinatown and the reality is you’d be lucky to afford one of those: even an apartment in brooklyn would set you back a pile of cash. and then what would you do - commute in miles of traffic or take the hot and sweaty subway everywhere… glam? - i think not.

anyway, without further rambling, here’s part one of my holiday diary:

monday

had a shower, finished packing, read some of she got up off the couch. realised my new lovely expensive bag that i bought specifically for travel… wasn’t sturdy enough for everything i wanted to take as hand luggage. quickly stuffed it into my suitcase and packed my rucksack for the journey instead.

we weren’t *quite* ready when our taxi arrived early, so rushed around in the pouring rain putting out the bin and dragging our suitcases to the car. overcome with excitement, we played at cockneys all day (no reason). “cor blimey guvnor, luv a duck!”

we got to manchester airport train station around 5.30 and decided to go for a quick recce at terminal 2. but the travelators went on forever so we gave up and went to the hotel, had an early tea, watched the gadget show and dragon’s den then went to bed. 

my mum’s quote of the day/year:

“i just want to see andy sipowitz say, ‘you doucebag!’”

“MUM!”

tuesday

knocked on my mum’s door at 6.45 prompt, suitcase in hand, and found her half-dressed and unmade-up with a towel on her head. “MUM!”

but she was magically ready for the 7am bus, and we were checked in by 8. time for breakfast… but maybe not at those prices. £9 for a full breakfast featuring the most disgusting looking food i’ve ever seen?! i ate half a chocolate chip muffin instead and my mum made me laugh again:

“we’ll be sitting like this on the plane,” she suddenly blurted.

“what, hunched over?”

the flight was uneventful. i read a bit, slept a bit and ate a lot - they were always bringing us refreshments. (woo-hoo!) first, peanuts and drinks, then lunch, a lovely chicken pesto dish. mid-flight we were offered (and accepted) haagen dazs and about an hour before we landed we got pizza. we got into NY an hour early and i had my fingerprints and eye photo taken for the first time - scary…

as requested by my friend helen tm, i thought of her when getting into the yellow cab and heading into a very sunny NYC. we just had time to check in to our hotel, change and grab a slice of pizza before our new york night tour. i headed for the top deck of the double decker bus, but my mum wasn’t too happy.

“what if someone takes pot shots at us?”

“WHO?”

“i don’t know! i’m scared!”

there weren’t many of us on the bus, but our guide was entertaining despite the cold, and we got a good introduction to new york geography which helped us feel slightly less bamboozled.

unfortunately a major theme of the holiday asserted itself at the worst possible time: i had a camera malfunction JUST as i was about to take the most magnificent photo of the most magnificent sight: the brooklyn bridge and manhattan skyline in a clear night sky. i was disappointed to say the least to find my memory card was full. and my mum’s camera, which was brand new, wasn’t working either. argh. at one point, we went past a big white tent saying “mercedes fashion week”, and our guide said “we’ve actually had fashion week, that will be for some movie.” we craned our heads but couldn’t see anyone famous. back at the hotel, i discovered from one of the news entertainment shows that it was indeed for some movie… the sex and the city movie!

that night i slept badly, had a nightmare and woke up screaming.

boy, do i know how to enjoy myself…

TO BE CONTINUED.

dads.

at the carol concert last night (which was FABULOUS, btw), compere ian mcmillan (who was just GREAT) read some of his own poems, one a very moving poem about his dad making it home from the army in time for christmas. i wanted to share it with you but can’t find it online, so i’ll just say that [unless your dad’s some kind of rum character, in which case ignore the following] dads sometimes get a hard time of it. traditionally, they’re not the nurturers, they keep their head down and work too hard and find it difficult to share their feelings and we take them for granted and think they’ll always be around… then we miss them terribly when they’re gone.

my dad hasn’t made it home for christmas for a couple of years now - but next year he will; and i know i’m lucky to be able to say that.

so a big yay! for dads!

my christmas preparations are not going well. i feel like a total failure as i’m both hemorrhaging money and under-performing. *sigh*

i ordered something to be sent to a friend of mine, but neglected to put their address; so now i have to stump up for shipping. i’ve missed the last post for australia so my dad and stepmum* will get nothing from me again. (last year i made the posting date with months to spare… but my presents didn’t turn up regardless - i’m not sure which is worse). i still have loads to wrap, lots of last-minute parcels to send and i’ve got a sore throat and feel exhausted.

oh, and that carol concert i was going to? the car broke down.

we won’t have any carpet or have got rid of our old living room chairs by the 25th, and i’m crossing everything we manage to get a tree up.

i really want to be festive and joyous and have some good clean fun - i mean, this is my favourite time of the year! but christmas seems to be kicking my ass at the moment. (and whilst of course i know there are more important things in the world that i could be worrying about, i’ve chosen this).

so is there a way for me to turn things around? i know lowered expectations would help, perhaps some hot chocolate would too?

or maybe alcohol.

*SORRY!

i’ve been considering learning to drive in the not-so-distant future (i know, about time, right?!) and was getting quite excited about it until i remembered that, er… i’d have to like, pay.

doh.

anyway, i was looking up driving schools on the interweb regardless and came across one called: arrive alive.

a worthy sentiment, but i’m setting my standards a little higher.

phew! my travels for the month, and in fact the year, are over. i’ll  soon be found hunkering down with wrapping paper and carols and hot chocolate, sending christmas cards, staying in to watch cheesy movies and just generally being as homebody-ish as i possibly can.

i’ll update you all on florida and NYC asap - perhaps after i’ve discovered why my room is the most almighty mess (something to do with me trying to relocate the computer i suspect) and hopefully after i’ve resolved the situation.

for now, i’m just glad i’m awake by 3pm - jet lag is a bitch and has really wiped me out this time. so i’m going to eat and put my feet up, for tomorrow i go to sing carols in a real-life concert! i’m feeling cosy already.

hello!

i have absolutely nothing, not one thing to blog about. i do have a v v rough draft of my noo yawk trip on my alphasmart (portable word processor-y thing), but it needs transferring to the PC and sprucing up nice and i’m tired. actually, i’m completely exhausted and feel very low.

people keep accusing me of having tremendous fun because last week i got back from noo yawk and next week i’m heading to florida.

i know, that sounds like a really hard life, but i didn’t feel well at all throughout my holiday. and florida is a workshop, and i’m muy anxiouso about it as i know it will be emotionally gruelling, plus lots of solo travel which is not fun, especially as i have no one with me to read signs so will be popping my glasses on and off like a mad glasses-popperer. and i’m so exhausted and swollen-ankly that i’m not sure how i’ll cope with it. i’m not sure why my mood has plummeted about 199 storeys, but it has so forgive me if i’m a little moaning lump of misery but i’m actually not having fun yet. but at least i’m blogging! (sorry).

i’ll eat and sleep and see if that helps.

in the meantime, i’m in woman’s weekly again tomorrow, being much more helpful/cheerful…