I always thought I'd be a grown up when I grew up

I have another cold. I hadn't even completely recovered from the last one. My nose spent all yesterday running like a tap and is showing no signs of clearing up today (with added sinus blockage).

Anyway. I had a lovely birthday :) Saw faerierhona, with whom I hadn't caught up for ages, sadly failed to meet karohemd, who still holds the title of Only Person To Take A Photo Of Me With Which I'm Entirely Happy, got some shoes & boots mended, and asked the Haunted Bookshop to find me a copy of Fix Bay'nets! :)

I had forgotten how strong Belgian beer is. Gained further evidnece that everyone in Cambridge knows everyone else, when razornet arrived and recognised cabd. Still, the hangover cleared in time for Sunday lunch with the Parent People :)

This weekend, I have managed to:

- Get Friday afternoon off work;
- Consequently, arrive in Cambridge both freshly-showered *and* before midnight;
- Very nearly have either all my hair cut off, or a smallish chunk dyed scarlet;
- Meet everyone I'd intended to meet at Strawberry Fair;
- Acquire a collar that makes "people scream when [I] hug them", gorgeous books, a beautiful picture, and an already broken in corset;
- drink beer in the sun next to the Cam as a naked man cycled past;
- be part of the Dark Side of the WI;
- drink hangover-free homebrewed wine & beechleaf liqueur;
- Meet the small cowprint cat and Fat Bessie;
- Take 10 things to the Cancer Research shop to make up for the above acquisitions; and
- Say "yes please" to a forthcoming interview, "Oh good" to hearing that I am, apparently, an Asda Person, and "Please could you also look for suitable jobs around Cambridge" to the recruitment agency.

To expand slightly, Strawberry Fair was lovely, the beer stopped me going postal at the inability of large groups of people to get anywhere, the description of the collar was one main reason for buying it (and I don't have a problem with it having a ring at the front, because the only way a lead will ever get attached is if I'm holding the end), and raggedy_man and nekofairy666 were kind enough to use luggage space to bring back smut from Japan for me :)

And yes, I was serious about saying I'll consider jobs in Cambridge just as much as up here. I had a noticeable slump in happiness levels as I went past Birmingham on the way home.

First: before I forget, a link snaffled from raggedy_man: I'll take one of each to go, please.

Second: Spending the evening's roleplay discussing how to get one over on precognitives and (when that fails) how to use them for one's own devices. The consensus of opinion was that the former was doomed from the start, but the second is best achieved by sitting on them and throwing out possible actions until their brains go *pop*.

Third: Remembering the joy of playing a man, especially in a high-tech superhero game setting. I don't often get to say, "If you wanted to know which side I dress to, you only had to ask; buying me a spandex bodysuit really wasn't necessary". One friend had to leave the room until his head readjusted itself :)

Fourth: Driving past two naked men jogging down the road on the way home.

Tomorrow: Going to the town hall with rp friends for a Japanese Cultural Day (GM is taking Japanese lessons).

Sunday: A 450' zipwire "challenge" at the City of Manchester Stadium in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. I haven't been collecting sponsorship this time, cos of doing the 10km run in May, but I still paid the entry fee.


...And then I have 3 1/2 days to panic about getting ready for Whitby. I have Nothing To Wear, and No Money (I get paid on Friday, which will make the Thursday night interesting).

Ok. As usual, I've procrastinated & missed out on cheap train tickets, but Plans So Far look like:

Friday evening: sleep.

Saturday: catch train to London Euston - there's one leaving at 10.54 that gets in at 13.21, or one at 11.24 that arrives at 13.39. If I really can't get out of bed, the 11.54 gets to Euston at 14.18. Then I can wander to wherever moony wants to meet up, hopefully gathering a kitty_goth en route, and listen to them enthuse about Macs. Possibly whilst in the British Museum.

Around teatime, I'll head towards the Weaseldome and start getting excited about Sunday.

Sunday: CROYDON MOTOR SHOW. Oh, yes. No plans for the evening yet; will follow along with pink_weasel and very_true_thing's plans.

Monday: Get up & go home. Sensible trains home are round about on the hour & half past; I'd like to get one after lunch but before 4.00. If anyone wants more of my company in the morning, text me.



Thinking about it, I'll have my luggage with me on Saturday. Is there somewhere sensible to leave it at one of the stations that doesn't cost an arm & a leg? Weasel, is it Victoria I need to go to to head on down to Weaselville? Though I'd rather not have to backtrack from Euston to possiblyVictoria, then back to Tottenham Court Roadish, or from Euston to TCRish to Euston to PV. Help!

Weekend went something like this:

Realise I have too much Stuff to sort *and* pack. Pack it all.
Drive to Citadel snapesbabe and add small Elder God and associated peripherals to car. Drive to Chateau nannyo.
Eat, drink & be merry.
Fail to sleep.

Rise from pit, dress & make people up as sundry goths & girls.
Learn that small Elder God + goth's box of makeup = very colourful.
Have barbecue in the rain.
Dress more people up as sundry goths & girls.
Eat, drink & be merry once more.
Sleep.

Rise from pit. Drink all possible caffeine.
Climb rocks.
Eat ginger sponge almost as good as a finely-turned equation.
Return Small Elder God and associated peripherals to Citadel snapesbabe.
Have introduction to Doctor Number Six. Remember why I didn't understand Doctor Who when I was little.
Drive home.
Sleep.

Rise from pit.
Sleep some more.

Sleep some more.

Snore...

- Boozy weekend, first with vulgarcriminal and others, including Real Life Friends, then SB. Shrublette likes my lap as well as my floppy doggy ears (*facepalms*). Pugsley tried to go to sleep in my sleeve.

- Week off the gym hasn't hurt. Ran faster than usual. Go Me. Next stop, the Great North Run (half marathon) next year. Still no endorphin rush, but is bloody nice to get better at something I was always rubbish at.

- Bumped into neilhist; me on way to lunch, him on way to gym. Hmmmm, maybe this is why he's doing better at the shaping up thing than me?

- Ate All The Garlic In The World (with a bit of chicken & rice) at Koh Samui. V Nice Thai food. I smell now.

- Saw Quattroporte & Vantage. V Nice. Still want an Alfa Spider, though.

I had forgotten how bad the traffic on the M6 can get on a Friday evening; it took 4 hours to get home. Still, I've found out (a) how to open my boot, (b) the 323 has the same gearing ratio as the Astra, and (c) the M6 Toll rocks.

Lillian's 80th was pretty quiet, but then she is the youngest of the grandparent / great aunt generation, so an energetic knees up was always going to be unlikely. I seem to have trained everyone not to ask why I don't have a Nice Young Man (or indeed, any other variety) as the usual flood of personal questions were absent. Chrsitopher (cousin no. 2, last measured at 6'3" before he got too tall for anyone else to reach that far) wasn't there, as he's just got into Southampton Uni's Second Eight and had rowing practice. Still, I have a picture of me standing next to Julia (cousin no. 1) and looking decidedly hobbit-like.

It's the first time I've driven the 323 further than the shops & back. It's - ok. Nothing special. It's more sensitive than the Astra, but that isn't surprising (being 8 years younger). It has better fuel economy and better visibility. It's still just a 5 door hatchback. The happiest it made me was seeing John's 5-series parked next to it and realising that (for the first, and probably the last, time) I have a newer car than him :)

I hadn't realised how relatively common Mazdas are up here. South of Stafford, I didn't see a single RX-8, and they're a 2-3 a day occurrence here. Mind you; house prices probably affect things quite a bit - I can usually rely on seeing a couple of 911 Carreras, a handful of Boxsters and a Bentley Continental in the average weekday, and (even at the London end of the M4 corridor) the Nice Car Count was one Noble & one Vantage, all weekend.

Dad & I went over the engine Sunday morning & I'm feeling reassured. However much I learn about cars, I'm always worried that I'll miss something I haven't been told to look out for - being persistently treated as a Girl by salesmen has had a lasting effect). All that needed doing was tightening the throttle cable a bit - the rest's lovely & shiny and in good condition.

Got home in time for Petrolheads - it was considerably better than the first episode. Neil Morrissey still needs a good slapping, but Ronan Keating's joined the ranks of Cool People in my world, for identifying an F430 from part of its front spoiler :)

====

It's Not Fair (part 1). I have 7 years protected no claims, I've never had an accident, and I'm a 30-something chartered accountant (that's isn't the Not Fair bit). Why is my insurance still £500 pa, even after applying internet and AA membership discounts?

====

It's Not Fair (part 2). If I'm going to have X-rated dreams about TV presenters, please can they be attractive ones next time?