Messing around again

You'd think I had nothing better to do, spending my evening messing around with blog templates when in fact real-life-stuff is actually taking over, big time, and big upheaval is on the way at EuropeCrazy HQ - I'll find out on Tuesday just when it will all happen. All that and a holiday in two weeks...

The guy who wrote the unfinished symphony

That's who I feel like. In work and at home, I've started so much but not managed to finish anything.

Blog/internet time will be limited this weekend - now there's a major challenge! - in order to finish off some long overdue tasks.

Weight: stayed the same this week, but that's ok as I've made no effort whatsoever to do anything about it.

The opportunity has presented itself for me to go to a Zumba class, which is very tempting however there could be a slight problem here as I have two left feet and no sense of rhythm :)

Brrr.

A surprisingly sunny day followed by a surprisingly chilly night. I'm sitting here at EuropeCrazy HQ pondering whether or not to a) put the heating on; b) get the hot water bottle looked out; or c) retrieve the industrial-strength dressing gown from the wardrobe.

I guess summer's over then :(

My new obsession.

I'm a coffee-holic, always have been. My coffee machine is one of my most treasured possessions, a trip to Whittards is like a kid being let loose in a toy shop, and going out for a coffee is always a fulfilling adventure.

However, drinking instant coffee at work hasn't always been so fulfilling. Until this week, when I discovered Percol Espresso. Opening the jar is like an explosion of the senses, and drinking it ...well, wow.

I wondered why I got a bit more hyper than usual today :))

http://www.percol.co.uk/

Relaxation/Laziness.

It's what weekends are all about :)

The most exciting thing I did all weekend (apart from blogging and watching a virtual concert by my most favourite singer in the whole wide world, you know the one) was...going to Aldi. For anti-ageing creams and stuff, which are actually rather good.

Yep, after the little expeditions and retail therapy trips of recent weeks I chose a wind-down weekend before I have to start list-making for my Turkish holiday, which is just 21 days away. Like, no pressure or panic. Aargh!

Unfortunately I've had a major fall off the fitness wagon this week, so it's right back on it again tomorrow!

All killer, no filler

I know this is a music-related post so it doesn't belong here, but here it is anyway....

This weekend my iPod reached full capacity.

Now there are two things you can do in this situation: you can buy a new one with more capacity, or you can get the quality control hat on....

I like my old iPod too much to get a new one, so I went for option two and ruthlessly un-ticked about 100 songs on iTunes. Of course the best thing about having an iPod and iTunes means that you're only ever going to listen to good stuff, that you'll never have to suffer Scouting for Girls or "JA-SON DERUUUUUULLLOOO" ever again. But sometimes it just gets a little overcrowded so it was quality control time :)

For me, my iPod is the world's best radio station, and today the world's best radio station just got better. There are now exactly 1000 songs on it, no more, no less. Today I was off work for a very productive day of pre-holiday retail therapy (for a holiday I still haven't booked yet) and my day was soundtracked by my new leaner, meaner iPod, on shuffle and I didn't have to hit the skip button once :)))

Sunday morning swimming, inch loss and pedometers

As part of my ongoing fitness drive I went to my local swimming pool this morning. I hadn't been in a swimming pool since my summer holiday last September so I thought it was about time that I went back.

And then I realised why I hadn't been for so long. Half the pool fenced off for swimming lessons, and no room to swim because of some seriously beyond-morbidly obese people. No offence to big people - I'm no stick insect myself, but these people were huge, massive, in a Channel Five 'Britain's Fattest Swimmers'-documentary-kind-of-way.

Anyway I enjoyed it, when I did actually get some space to swim :)

In related news, I didn't lose any weight this week but there's good news on the inch loss front. In the past two weeks I've lost 3½" in total, from various places!

Never managed 10,000 steps per day with the pedometer though - came very close yesterday with 9433 steps and walked a total of 4.67 miles. More about that adventure, later tonight over at EuropeCrazy.

Owwwww...

One is feeling a little rough today. That'll teach me :)

Socialising!

Please excuse me tonight because I'm a little...."well-oiled" :)

Today was my best friend's final day in the office, tonight was her leaving night and then it was onwards to the local Wetherspoons....a great night had by all, but I'll probably pay for it tomorrow as I'm really not used to socialising on a "school night"...

The joys of online friendship

On yet another non-related topic, my online life continues to bring me so much happiness and (virtual) social interaction in a way that the 'real life' often fails to deliver. I have "met" so many lovely people who share many of my interests and outlook on life - how often can you say that about the day-to-day?

I found this lovely blog post tonight which, for me, just said it all, and I wanted to share it with you.
http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2008/03/15/friends-ive-never-met/

To all my (true) blogging friends: thank you.

Unreasonable, but still dreaming

It's not fun having your dreams crushed. I know I'm being completely unreasonable but just don't expect me to stop dreaming...

New week, new challenges!

On Saturday I bought a pedometer as I'm curious about just how many steps I take each day. Aren't you supposed to walk 10,000 or thereabouts?

Today, apparently, my walk to work consisted of the grand total of 1315 steps. As I'm mainly desk-bound, I don't get so much walking whilst at work, but I do have a little trek at lunchtime so I'll be counting again.

Edit: actually I forgot to put the pedometer on at lunchtime, so today's steps won't be such an accurate reading.

Big fanfare....today's total steps including walking to and from work followed by brief aerobics/exercise session = 3134. Hmm. I'll smash that total tomorrow because Tuesday is lunchtime power-walk day :)))

It's going to be quite an emotional week ahead: my best friend at work, who is a good few years older than me, is retiring this week. On the one hand I'm really happy for her, and she's getting out at the right time (!) but on the other hand I'm really going to miss her of course. (We will of course be keeping in touch). Anyway I think it's beginning to hit me now that this is her final week, we've worked together (in the same building, originally in the same section but then in different sections) for 15 years, so it's only natural that I'm feeling a bit down about it now :(

New trainers

Had a really good day today, and it started very well with a trip to Sports Direct on what was a very fruitful search for new trainers. £15: job done.

(picture courtesy of http://www.sportsdirect.com/)

So here it is, merry Christmas.

Yeah you heard right.

Today is 7th August 2010. To all intents and purposes it's still summer: people are still on summer holidays, works and offices are still not fully staffed, schools and colleges are still on leave and in denial about all the 'back to school' stuff in the shops, and although the nights are drawing in it's still light till 9.00 pm.

Whilst in our local branch of the wonderful Card Factory today, we spotted our first Christmas cards of 2010.

I really don't want to say any more :(

Finally, a result.

I'm at the end of week 2 of my diet/fitness plan, during which my body totally broke down, I got stressed (non diet related), I got sad, I got cranky and agitated which just isn't me, and all in all it's just been a pretty c**p fortnight.

But this morning I went on the scales. I've lost 1lb. Maybe not much when you think how much some people lose in a week, but that's a big big deal for me. And I'm happy about it. And it's Friday.

Now I just need to sort all the other stuff that's stressing me out....now that could take some time :O