Healing

"A Friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature."   Ralph Waldo Emerson 

I thought it was about time I gave you a bit of an update with the Mr S situation so here it is.

Things seem to be ok at the moment and we are starting to form a friendship based on who we are now, not where we were in the past etc.   It is a little odd that he is my neighbour but we seem to be making it work well and although we have had a few little gripes at each other the last few months, overall things seem to be going well.

He is still meeting/dating 101 girls, none of which we talk about other than in passing on occasion and I... well you know where I am in relation to that.  He's had the cats while I've been away and will have them again when I go to Sonisphere and I've looked after his flat while he's been back home to visit his Sister as he is now a proud uncle and will be doing the same next week as he has another trip planned.

Since the comedy show fiasko we have hung out a few times in either of our flats for a catchup and have been to the cinema to see a couple of movies.  I definately feel that cracks are beginning to heal and its nice to think that with all our attempts since splitting up, we might have actually stumbled upon the formula to make a friendship work but I guess only time will tell so watch this space.

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The Pretty Reckless - Make me wanna Die
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYeGw-bo430

Sushi for Beginners

So last night was date night and I'm going to refer to the guy as Jay rather than Sushi or this is going to get really complicated!

I met Jay straight after work and officially did not look my best, however some decent perfume and my trusty eyeliner were at hand to give me a slight evening feel so all was not lost.

Jay looked better than his photos online as had great eyes and an air of mischeviousness which was refreshing.  Conversation was great although due to the fact I hadn't managed to get anything to eat all day with work being crazy hectic and I ordered a large glass of wine to get over any nerves... It didn't bode well for me on the sober stakes.  I'm pretty random in my train of thought at the best of times (as you have probably worked out by now), but after a couple of glasses of wine I was most definately on planet funky.

The sushi was pretty much my worst nightmare on a plate.  Jay appeared to be a raw fish veteran and so I left him to do the ordering and wow did he order, the table was overflowing with colourful fishy edibles.  I didn't want to be the girl who refuses to try anything so sampled crab, tuna, bass and even eel but to be honest nothing blew me away and at one point it was almost a grab your nose and swallow mechanism.  Jay was great in explaining what everything was and was very keen for me to get stuck in offering to feed me certain foods as I was struggling with my chopsticks as it seems the key is to eat things in one large mouthful and that was a road a was most certainly not going down.  The key was to nibble and savour anything rice coated! I paid for dinner even though Jay took the bill as soon as it arrived, sometimes its nice to make a change and he got the drinks when we went to the bar.

It was clear from very early on that Jay was kenesthetic, he tried to feed me, grabbed my arm and hand a few times during the conversation and did something with my hair later on and yet as we said goodnight at the end of my street he gave me a kiss on the cheek.  Either I completely misread the situation which considering he kept touching and grabbing me I'm not sure I had, or he just wasn't feeling it and if I'm honest neither was I but come on!  I went on this date as a step forward and some doorstep snoggage so long as he didn't look like a toad in person had most definately been on my 'to do' list.

So in short, the conversation was good, the guy was reasonably hot, the food was hmmm not to my taste, due to the lack of eating and several glasses of wine I was drunk and there was no, thats right, no snoggage - date disaster I think! 

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My Chemical Romance - Helena

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSNKCfxcYvE

Date Night

Tonight is the night... a bit late but i'm going to tick off my internet dating task. 

I'm meeting (what shall we call him? lets call him Sushi as that is what he is taking me to eat - this might change) Sushi when I finish work tonight for Sushi, drinks and my first internet dating site date (and probably last).  Its going to be a bit of an unusual first date as I'm pulling a 12hr shift before shooting straight to meet him and so will be going for the quick 5min 'jujzz' approach to getting ready.

Work has been manic the last few days which is why my blogs have been somewhat dull and infrequent.  I think I've mentioned before that my job is as a manager in a call centre?  Well its iPhone launch day today and over the last week I've been pulling 14-16hr shifts in preperation for the disaster that is about to ensue.  The last 2 years each new iPhone launch has been incredibly insane but this time even Apple have run out of stock so let the circus commence.  My shift today will crown me the multitask queen running between the floor, my team, stressed managers and the hub room for troubleshooting we have cunningly labelled 'the war room'.

Yes its official, I will look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards, will be shattered and about as much fun to converse with as Gengis Khan on a bad day - eep!

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Love, Love, Love this band! 

Fightstar - A City on Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftvX13F5xJ8

Daddy Warbucks

First things first - I didn't go on my date.  One of the guys in my team at work came in despite hving a stomach bug, lasted 1/2 the shift and went home and subsequently managed to 'infect' myself and two other members of the team so I had to postpone.  I did however bite the bullet and do this over the phone rather than text which must have bought me some kudos points as he has text me a few times since and called last night to arrange the date again so its Thursday this week.

I'm doing additional hours at work all summer to try and get together a little pot of cash for going back to Uni in September but I want to do so many things I've already run out of 'fun money' or at least I don't have enough of it to do what I want to.  I've got the festival bug this year and want to head to Sonisphere at the end of July which in itself would be fine, however I'm taking my mum to where we used to live in August before pay day hits and although the extortionate train tickets are paid for the the £300 for the hotel isn't and when I say to you that was the cheapest place I could find i'm not lying.

Ahhh to have someone who says 'Hey Serendipity, you work hard, you are a good person, you deserve a break.  Here's £400 go and buy yourself a ticket to Sonisphere and have fun'  *sniff where are the real life Daddy Warbucks?

If only taking my mum on holiday to give her a well needed break could be 2 weeks later after payday.  At least then I would have August pay packet to fall back on and could easily have some fun in July.

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Supergrass - Sun hits the Sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ8TYNpJdLg

Fishing

As promised I put out a window of opportunity last night and this morning i've two invites for a date so Sunday = a Sushi for beginners (i'm not really sold on fish) date with an online guy.

I changed my hair again before I headed to Download Festival and I am officially loving it!  Having had longish hair for a while I've gone down the Pob route and have short hair (nape of my neck) at the back and long hair (just below my shoulders) at the front.  I also got two red panels placed each side of my face.  Don't ask me how it happened... I went in for a trim and to get the grey covered up (ahhhhhh the dreaded grey) and came out with a totally new look that I would never have picked had I sat down and thought about it.

My impulsive side seems to have reared its head of late.  A tattoo, chopping my hair off out of the blue, travelling to the festival with randoms, deciding spur of the moment to hook up an online date.  Yep, I am loving where I am at at the moment.  Annnnd more so because those lil happy pills haven't passed my lips for 2mths now :D

I'm also looking at heading to Sonisphere at the end of the month with someone from work who mentioned they might look to go - fingers crossed.   Tickets bought this morning to see this band again in Manchester in November too - whoop!

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Vilo rocked it at Download this year especially with his cover of the rebel yell.

HIM - Wings of a Butterfly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUUSz54G6jc

Girl seeks Boy

Right well as with the list I joined a well known online dating site to see how dating in the 21st century is rocking out these days.

Filling in my profile was one of the most daunting things I have done in a while as I wasn't sure how much I should put, I mean this might be my 'my life on a plate' blog, but with my face attached to the info i'm not so forthcoming as if you've been reading this a while will already know.  Anyway I filled in a minimal amount and then put a few lines in the empty white box of 'about me' or something like that and started browsing.

I didn't see anyone jump out at me other than when I searched in London.  It seems that if you live in London, online dating is where it is at and elsewhere online dating members could be split into catagories:

The shy - 'I'm never going to meet anyone any other way'

The ever hopeful - 'I'm 60 but am searching for a woman in her 20 - 30s'

The desperate - 'I've never had a relationship in my life'

The player  - enough said

The water testers - those like me who are sitting on the fence looking in.

Anyway, however you look at it the pickings are slim.  I've had various 'winks' and emails since joining and have even entered into short conversations back and forth but I am beginning to think that the art of the witty email may be an easy one if given enough time in between responses.  That said, I've spoken to two people who seem interesting so have decided I will take the jump and go on a date with one of them if for nothing else than to report back to you guys.  Taking one for the team if you like.

Watch this space, I will open doors to an invite tonight in an email and reccon I might be telling you how it went this time next week.  Yep.. No love is lost on this little duck just now.

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This tune doesn't really fit tonights blog but I have been listening to this tune a lot lately and love the lyrics.

Sarah McLachlan - The Answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVOu47ib9s8

Download - The Journey

Hellooooo bloggeroonies :O)

I've not been posting this last few days as I've beed at download festival and let me tell you... me actually making it there was very rock n roll!

I missed the flight I was meant to be on with my friends (reason not important), and also the lift with the two of us that drew the short straw and were to drive with the tents and booze.  I put myself on gum tree, rideshare and on the download website with an 'sos' ride needed post and on 7pm Thursday night when I had pretty much given up hope heard from two girls (lets call them Hip and Bob - lool). 

Ten mins later I was packed and climbing into their car, 20mins after this the car broke down on the motorway and we were waiting for Hip's dad... We ended up at the airport haggling car rental prices at 9pm and finally got on the road at 9:30 with some AC/DC blasting to get us back in the festival mood.  The girls got tired relatively quickly after that so decided we should sleep for a few hours at their friends house just outside Manchester so I agreed (they met him at uni where they study herbal medicine) I fully expected a house with a group of people sat around smoking weed (something i'm not into).  Anyway we pulled up in Buxton beside a few little houses and met this guy who was wearing a floral shirt undone, ripped jeans and flip flops.

We followed him down a dark mud road leading to a cottage and just as I was beginning to relax we turned left onto a teeny mud path meadering between nettle bushes and trees taller than my head.  I was starting to panic when we came to an opening where we were to walk through a pitch black tunnel with broken bricks as a floor - at this point I was sure I was about to be killed, chopped up and made into soup!  However as I'm here today talking to you... that didn't happen.

The bridge walkway opened and as I began to see again I realised we were on the river bed and heading towards a barge.  We climbed inside and you couldn't have stereotyped 'hippy decor' anymore if you had tried!!  We drank a warm mug of tea and then headed towards the barge next door (a derelict one for sale) to bed down for the night.  In the morning I climbed out to the river bank for some bladder relief and couldn't believe my eyes.  I was smack bang in the middle of a hippy commune!!  Gardens, Swings, Picnic tables and around 20 - 30 barges moored along the river.  It was bizzare but in a weird way beautiful.

We had tea and cereal bars in the morning before getting back on the road and making the festival early lunchtime on the Friday where my friends met us at the side of the road to help us unload the car before heading back to drop it off at the airport.  When I made it to the campsite and relayed my story among enforced glugs of Jagermister and cider (apparently I needed to catch up), I was crowned the queen or rock n roll!

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AC/DC - Shoot to Thrill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kD8sxIjVuc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p6WI6iv00Y  (The Download Link)

SATC

The new Sex and the City movie is out and it seems if you are female its almost like outing yourself as some kind of weird, ugly hermit if you don't want to rush to go and see it. 

I was never really into the TV series as felt it was all a bit 'fashion, money, fashion' but the 1st movie was ok so I think I will try to catch it. 

I followed a trend today when I visited the hairdressers yet again.  I'm still brunette but have a large chunk at each side under the top layer that is bright red and spur of the moment as the stylist sat in the chair behind me I decided to get a load of my hair cut off.  I've gone for a longish 'pob' (which for the guys out there means longer at the back than the front and kind of bob like) so have had about 6 inches cut off the back and 3 at the front and my head feels suuuuuper light!  Also it suits my tattoo well as at the back my hair is higher than the part on my neck where it starts when down so hurrah!

On sex and the city i'm not sure who i'd be character wise... my friends seem to think i'm more like Samantha than the rest but i'm not sure how to take that.  I think I am more likely a mix of Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality with Kate Winslet in The Holiday.

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New York - Jay Z & Alicia Keys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVXS54VQMT0

Who Are You?

So I completed 90% of the tasks we set during May with the exception of going on a date.  I will fill you in on how the online dating site trial went tomorrow.

WORK

I have a new boss, I say boss, she is really just a seconded manager with a distinct lack of managerial skill, a liking for chav like gold hoop earrings, an obsession with horses and hair that has been bleached to within an inch of its life.  We have clashed horns several times on a small scale thus far, but I can see fireworks in the future so watch this space.

FLAT

(you know I can't remember what nickname I gave my flatmate for when talking to you... hmmm, I need to look it up).  Anyway, she is driving me insane.  She moved in on the 1st March and has so far spent a record breaking 4 nights in the flat without her bf being here.  Admittedly they stay at his house as often as they are here, but the point being if I wanted to share my flat with a couple, I would have advertised for one and on top of that she made a point of saying he would not be here all the time before I agreed to her moving in.

I had my nephews to stay for a week as my brother had taken his wife on a cruise for their 20th wedding anniversary.  Both are teenagers and I asked that my flatmate (ahhhhh it was Roomie!!), I asked that Roomie not have her bf to stay while they were here.  I have worked out rather rapidly that she has no judgement when it comes to character and despite thinking that her bf is an ok kind of guy, I wouldn't place any bets on him being salt of the earth either so didn't want him staying over.  Anyway she ignored it so I kept my cool until an opportunity arose when the boys were out of earshot and in a short yet concise and non angry sentance made my distaste for her ignorance and annoyance at the fact he had stayed over known.  Needless to say she stayed at his the remainder of the week. 

She has also started helping herself to my things such as washing powder, food etc. (and no i'm not talking the odd occasion when she has run out, I mean all the time!), has paid her her bill money and rent money late twice, clogs the hoover everytime she uses it and then just leaves it for me to discover and fix, slams every door she walks through, and thinks that rinsing a cup under the tap with cold water constitutes washing it enough to go back in the cupboard for the next person to use... erm HELLO!

AND THE REST...

I have woken up today with some kind of bug, the toilet is my best friend and my bum and head are fighting over who gets to hold down the conversation (crass but humorous all at the same time).  I had planned to go to a free music festival about an hour train journey away today but seem to be house bound so its facebook, google, iPlayer and 4OD for this little duck today.

Roomie is working at her bar job tonight if she doesn't phone in sick (another favourite thing she sems to do).  She stayed at (I don't think I have given him a name so I think I will think of one just now... he is bald but I don't want to compare him to anyone attractive as that would give you the wrong idea... no, lets go for Egg - I shall call him Egg) Egg's house last night and I am hoping she stays away so I can vegetate and feel sorry for myself without interruption LOL

YOU!

I am curious about the age of the people reading this blog and also the location.  If you are reading this, leave a comment (you can pick any old name, this would be better than posting as Anonymous) and let me know your age and the closest city? 

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Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHODPlZYeUA

A New Ending

Maria Robinson once said:

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJ27TgBvJE