Sunday 31 March 2013

Be Inspired Day!

So I've started watching daily TED talks, most of them have no relevance to me whatsoever - or the content is so technical that I just switch off.  However, I've seen 3 so far which I've found absolutely riveting, have inspired me to scrape together a few extra pennies for a worthwhile cause (2 of which will become regular when my finances are sorted) and have restored my faith in humankind.

Kakenya Ntaiya - A girl who demanded school
(further info here - Kakenya's Dream)



Ron Finley - A guerilla gardener in South Central LA
(further info here - L.A. Green Grounds)



William Kamkwamba - How I harnessed the wind
(further info here - Moving Windmills Project)


Friday 29 March 2013

Ponder the Universe Day!

I haven't done much in the way of pondering the universe today - pondering a day in my life is challenging enough thank you very much!

I did do a bit of research though...

There's a blog called Ponder the Universe which I have to admit does contain some awesome pictures of the Cosmos (I ignored the writing bits).

On YouTube there's a channel called Ponder the Universe, this seems to consist of aerial filming from the wing of a Cessna and a clip of a ZZ Top Concert - go figure?!

Then there's Punchline by Nick Courtright which is allegedley "Poetry To Ponder the Universe To"

"By turns elliptical and aphoristic, macrocosmic and microcosmic, timeless and contemporary, PUNCHLINE is not a book of poems for those who merely want to be diverted or amused; this work is for readers who consider poetry the natural sibling of philosophy. Nick Courtright's finely-distilled poems mine the frustrating unknowableness of the world, and celebrate its exhilarating mystery with elegance, compassion, and imagination."—Nicky Beer
 
Please...divert or amuse me.

Ok, this is quite cool...The Scale of The Universe (move the slider along the bottom/and or click on the images to go deeper and deeper in)

And this is the answer which Neil deGrasse Tyson (astrophysicist) gave when asked what he felt was the most astounding fact (I also really like this)




I've just remembered that 2 years ago when pondering the universe I told you about the soon to be released remake of Masters of the Universe, I thought I'd check progress and apparently it's still in progress...

And finally...

More YouTube results for Ponder the Universe...enjoy!








(This was supposed to be a short post, turns out there was more to ponder than I thought!)

Quirky Country Song Title Day!

 
And here are some of the best ....

"Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart" -- Johnny Cash

"You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" -- Roger Miller

"I’d Like to Check You For Ticks" -- Brad Paisley

"It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your A-- Out All Day Long" -- Vince Gill as well as The Notorious Cherry Bombs

"Drop Kick Me Jesus Through The Goalposts Of Life" -- Bobby Bare

And from my own extensive country music play list...

"Did I shave my legs for this?" -- Deanna Carter (and frequently Heidi Orange)

"Tequila makes her clothes fall off" -- Joe Nichols (and ...no, never mind)

And then there's this very clever little ditty which made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it...



Along with this one which turned out to not be at all what I expected - the first verse made me want to stick my fingers down my throat, then I heard the chorus (I can sooo relate to this!)!



And this tongue in cheek song by Rascal Flatts..

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Most Important Thing This Week!

Hmmm, it could be Aunty Betty's birthday on Monday or the workshop in Ryton on Tuesday, or could it be that the clocks go forward on Sunday?

Nope, I think it's that it's a 4.5 day weekend this weekend - yay!!  It'd be even more important if I were partaking in some Easter fun with Kevin and Ray and then eating chocolate whilst watching biblical epics...but, seeing Dan Burnett perform at Charlie's on Saturday and avoiding chocolate whilst I count all the giftboxes in the spare room ready for ebay is all the 'important' I can stand at the moment.

The fact that it's Easter weekend must also mean it's around a year since my epic attempt (and success) to stay out late!

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Climb a Tree Day!

Hahahaha!  Are you joking?!

Climbing the pavement (sober) is challenging enough in all this snow etc at the moment!

I'm taking the executive decision to move this one, tree climbing should be done in summer anyway - it's like, some sort of law or something.

How's this for an awesome treehouse though - I'd attempt a wintry climb up a tree if there was the promise of snuggling up with a good book, a blanket and a hot drink in that comfy looking chair in the corner!



Monday 25 March 2013

Lips Appreciation Day!

This was actually March 16th but I've moved all the days around (because I can!) and lost track of which ones are actual real 'days' and which ones aren't!

My lips have been very sore and dry these last few days, I think excessive exposure to steam and then throwing in sporadic exposure to artic conditions on top of that doesn't seem to have done them any good at all - thank god for aloe vera Vaseline lip therapy!

I also thought my lips had actually turned blue today but I think it was just a trick of the light.

Things I learnt today;

  • You should never lick your lips (as saliva dries on your lip it evaporates and takes more moisture from your lips. Also, the enzymes in saliva eat away at the lips, leaving the skin thinner and more prone to cracking.)
  • Sparkling water is actually amazing stuff
  • Jochen Rindt is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship (in 1970), after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix

Sunday 24 March 2013

As Young as You Feel Day!

Haha!  About 106 then!

Today will be spent alternating between being in the shower, having my head over a bowl of steaming water, gargling with salt water and being in the bath, all in an effort to try and force this bug out of me once and for all!  Four colds/infections/whatever in the last 3 months is just ridiculous and I've had enough now - I suspect it's probably all the same thing and it's just that I'm never entirely kicking it each time so it just lingers around waiting to raise it's ugly head again.  Well, I have news for it - it can just GO DO ONE!

So, I'm going to take it easy for the next few weeks, work from home as often as possible, avoid any late night socialising or rendezvousing with people who are inflicted/still recovering from similar ailments!

It makes me wonder though how Aunty Betty (despite allegedly being "naffered" all the time) manages to stay in remarkable health given that she smokes like a chimney, has no heating and, literally, lives in an ice-box - I've never, ever known her to have a cold!  But this day did make me think of her - it's her birthday on Monday and, according to the family tree stuff I looked into a while ago, she should be 80.  According to Betty though when I listened to her last night (I never do any of the talking) it's her 81st birthday on Monday so who knows!

Also reminded me of a Garth Brooks song...

On reflection perhaps the punked up version by Me First and The Gimme Gimmes is more to your taste (be patient, it kicks in after the first verse)...





DVD Marathon Day!

You can't have enough of these days during the year - they also work very well when combined with Duvet Day!

I needed some feel good, cheery films so went for;

Mamma Mia
Chocolat

And then for some reason went in the totally opposite direction and watched;

A Mighty Heart (good film but most definitely not at all feel good or cheery)

So then I thought it'd be a good idea to go back to feel good and cheery and watched;

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Full Monty

Friday 22 March 2013

Broccoli and Peas Appreciation Day!

Not a pea or broccoli earring in sight!

I would have LOVED to have appreciated some broccoli and/or peas but the current detox/diet means I can't - the only vegetable I'm allowed to appreciate at the moment is man and they appear to be out of season at the moment.

Instead I'll just include links to previous Broccoli Appreciation Days - I don't know what the humble pea did this year to wangle its way into the celebrations this year (and I'm wondering whether there'll be another addition next year)!

Broccoli Appreciation Day 2010 (in my opinion the best one - largely because I somehow persuaded my colleagues to pose with broccoli!)

Broccoli Appreciation Day 2011 (the christmas tree masquerading as broccoli was quite amusing and my broccoli earrings looked quite impressive)

I'm struggling to find a posting for last year but I suspect I may have substituted it for Pavlova Appreciation Day 2012 (a much more worthwhile pursuit in my opinion - no offence broccoli or peas)

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Most Busy Thing Last Week!

That would be me then :-)

Monday was preparing for Tuesday and Saturday (and yes, I did also manage to get a couple of posts ready!).

Tuesday Boss was here and the whole team was together for the first time so we celebrated by going out to Vivido's.

Wednesday Webby visited - it's taken him this long to get over the jelly incident and work up the courage to come back!

Thursday was my detox and diet initial consultation which went very well although the evening ended terribly when my friend's dog was hit by a car and died (and the driver didn't even stop).

Friday I shopped (window shopped) and indulged in Pizza Express before a very enjoyable couple of beers in The Blues Bar with live entertainment - and I don't mean music!  The patrons were taking part in a challenge to see who could walk the furthest (from a chalk line) on their hands using beer bottles as 'stilts', they had to leave one bottle as far away as they could and make it back again with only the remaining bottle - all without touching the floor at all!  If I had any upper body strength at all I'd have given it a go although I'm sure I wouldn't have made a dint in some of the very impressive attempts!

Saturday was Olive's retirement Ceilidh with The Macaroon Ceilidh Band which was absolutely fantastic - I had some reservations but Bernie and I ended up getting up and dancing in a surprisingly short space of time and after that I was rarely off the dance floor either with Pops or with Bernie. I can honestly say that I haven't laughed like that in probably years - I laughed til it hurt and still couldn't stop!

Bernie has recorded some of this and I took some photos on Pops phone which I'm hoping he'll send me (I took my camera to theirs but forgot to take it to the 'do'!), will put it on here (depending on how bad it is!) if she ever sends me it but here's an example in the meantime...



Sunday was getting stuff ready for work once I got home again ready for a much quiter week!

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

3 months late but there you go!

My walk to work this morning...

It was chaos on the roads as they hadn't been gritted and during the 15 minutes of my walk which is roadside I saw 3 gritters zooming round the Yew Tree Lane roundabout area!




 
The next 2 were at eye level, the weight of the snow had forced everything down in to the path!










Thursday 14 March 2013

National Bed Month!

Ahem.

This could have gone one of two ways - in the interest of parental guidance guidelines I opted for this one...

Organised by The Sleep Council, the month aims to remind us all of why a sound sleep is good for our health.

You can put own bed through an MOT at the site and find out if changing your bed could lead to better sleep!

There are also lots of tips on how you can improve your night time regime (and you can send off for leaflets) and get more shut eye - I've learnt that I really should get up for 20 minutes when I can't sleep instead of just lying there making it worse!

So lie back, relax, and have much more than forty winks this National Bed Month!

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Snuggle Up Day!

Do you know I was once actually accused of making up the word snuggle - it's no wonder that relationship ended soon after ;-)

Just in case there's any doubt/confusion...

WikiHow have actually issued instructions on How to Snuggle.

And I may have found a new career...Professional Snuggler.

I also came across these bizarre looking things called Cuddle Ups.  Is it just me or do they all look more than a little inebriated? (the Cuddle Ups not the children obviously), in fact a couple of them actually look quite familar...


Tuesday 12 March 2013

Panic Day!

Hahahaha - I was wondering when to do this one (technically it should have been 9th March - yes, that's right, it's actually a real day (in USA) and takes place straight after 'Be Nasty Day') and it's just occured to me that today could be panic day!

Purely because I've got so much on this week (nothing blog related - although I suspect I may write about the Ceilidh on Saturday) that I was just panicking about when (and what) I'd write on here!!  In fact there's so much going on that I've packed for Saturday tonight (Monday).

I've got a few 'days' to write about but no time to write them and, until today, I was still playing catch up from February (and my continuing excessive use of the exclamation point has made me realise that I still haven't got around to changing the font on here (sorry Bernie!))!

So, forgive me if I disappear for a few days - I'd like to reassure you that I haven't fallen under a bus or come down with some bizarre and little known mysterious illness but that's the kind of promise I'm afraid I just can't make!

Things I've learned today...
  • Finger millet flour biscuits are not nice
  • There's no way to make 96 working hours look like 48
  • An opera script is called a Libretto






Monday 11 March 2013

International Do Nothing Day!

Ray is always so chuffed to find that his birthday falls on International Do Nothing Day - Kevin's less chuffed.

Unfortunately this was a work day so I couldn't do nothing all day - you'll be pleased to hear though that I did nothing once I got home from work, I did nothing so much that I even went to bed at 7.30!

Sunday 10 March 2013

Most Exciting Thing Last Week!

Well I couldn't possibly tell you the most exciting thing this week - a girl's got to have some secrets!

And last week...

  • I was excited for Anna with her exciting news about her lovely new home
  • I was excited to be approaching the start of my detox and diet (now on hold until my body knows which way up it is!)
  • I was excited about the imminent start of the 2013 Grand Prix season (albeit a little disappointed that they're only televising 10 of the 20 races (unless you have Sky))

Saturday 9 March 2013

March Lucky Mantra!

Ok, it's a bit late and we're already a week into the month but here it is!

It's going to be a month of tantalizingly slighty-warmer-but-too-soon-for-shorts weather and I'm going to be getting ready for leaping, bouncing and general springyness!

Apparently I'm going to be lucky all month (luckier than I've ever been) and I'll dance with Serendipity and dine with good fortune.

I'll inject colour into my style and walk with a swagger in some impossibly fashionable new shoes!

March will be a mountaintop of a month - with me at its lucky summit!

Friday 8 March 2013

Work Your Proper Hours Day!

My proper hours are 7.4 hours a day of no fixed time (within reason!) and I can't remember the last time I worked them - in fact the last day I worked, before being plagued with this ridiculous infection which makes me a really cheap date (which I'm not by the way), was quite a bit over my proper hours due to the meeting which was scheduled to finish at 5 finishing at 5.30 - in fact it didn't even finish then, it was just at that point that I decided to leave!

And since the last day I worked time (and everything else in my little world) has appeared rather dali-esque!  Seriously, some people spend a lot of money on various substances to feel the way I've felt for the last few days!

 
I did work my proper hours on my first day back!

Thursday 7 March 2013

February Love Mantra - the results

Oh. Dear.

Well I did promise to tell you how epically I failed...

High fives - I'm positive I did this once with someone but for the life of me I can't remember when, who or why!.

Doing ALL the things that make me feel on top of the world - I can only think of one ocassion where I felt on top of the world (see below)...

...and none of the things which make me feel like hiding under the duvet - unfortunately I do have to work for a living! (yeah, below this one)

Spend time around all the people who make me feel fabulous - I actually did this a little bit!! In particular there was one evening at Charlie's which made me feel fabulous - it reminded me of the tourist board adverts you see for Scotland and Ireland where there's always a shot of a pub and you know you could go on holiday to Scotland or Ireland every year for the rest of your life and never experience anything like what was shown.  The Diamonds were playing live and Charlie's was that place! 

...and endeavour to be one of those people too - next month maybe!

Oh, and, yes, I was supposed to be the love - no comment.

Was February a woo hoo of a month?  More hoo than woo.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

If Pets Had Thumbs Day!

Ok, no word of a lie - this is a real day!

Apparently 4th March 2013 is the third official 'If Pets Had Thumbs Day'!

There's something very comforting about finding a whole new level of crazy outside of my own 4 walls ;-)


Saturday 2 March 2013

Labyrinthitis!

Unfortunately NOT this...



Instead I get this...



At times I feel horrendously drunk (exactly like that moment when you've stumbled into bed and shut your eyes and you realise that you absolutely have to get back up again but you no longer seem to have control of your limbs) and the rest of the time everything just looks and feels 'wrong' and surreal like I've just stepped off a rollercoaster but the world just won't stop spinning.

Well so far I have to say that I've been unimpressed with 2013, my health is not having a good time of it so far this year!  On the plus side I'm getting to spend some quality time with the cats and am catching up with lots of TV shows (Quantum Leap next!).