Should I be worried for my identity?

Well I've finally got online and had enthusiasm to write a post again. My motivations wax and wane and sadly my laptop is usually switched off when i get the waxing feeling!

Motivation for this post comes from the comments to my pod-tastic post. Much obliged to the two genuine comment makers and slightly scared that my reputation or identity has been leaked to cause the other posts. For posterity they are left but really, come on now - who told 'the web' that I needed breast enlargement? Come on now - 'fess up - I won't be cross (maybe a little disappointed, but not cross). :-P

Well my PhD is picking up again slowly and with the help of others I'm starting to get back on track with the pro-active side of things, always a bit of a struggle for me. I've found a title (working) of 'Making Sense of the Moral Economy of the Household' for it - now i just have to gather data of which I have to make sense, and then actually make sense of it! Perhaps it will finish with the title 'Making not much sense of the moral economy of the household'!
Watch this space (but not too closely)!

I'm preparing my first hour long presentation on it at the moment (well, obviously not right at this moment) and it's looking more like another rant about universal design than socio-technical study at the moment. Must...resist... rant...

So let's see, I think another catch up on what has occured since last posting is needed... Erm... so i got the ipod, finally succumbed to sinus issues and ground myself down so much that I took a term off from studies. Nothing 2 months of sleep and 600 quid thrown at an osteopath couldn't fix! And here I am, back at work. I've nearly given up 6 times since late April so I'm averaging about 3 wibbles a month, which isn't too bad I guess. Feeling really lonely on the student front as Mr B is in full-time write up mode these days so I'm sat in the office with no one around to pull faces at or distract with tea breaks, staring at a powerpoint handout print out and timing my own ramblings to ensure that I limit myself to a 50 minute rant rather than a 2 hour one.

Insanity follows shortly...

pod-tastic

I haven't blogged for some time.
I have been lazy.
I've been pootling about, doing stuff, yadda yadda...

I had to blog today - I got my ipod :D
I may not blog again for some time...

Holiday season starts here

I've been to the seaside and I didn't take a bucket and spade but I did draw a picture in the sand and bring back a stone. Actually in Winterton-on-Sea (my holiday destination) you aren't allowed to remove anything from the beach unless you live there. I figured as my mother is a resident I count by proxy. Mr B and his Bro joined me in the roundhouse for the first weekend then one of my houseys swapped in to the tag-team of holiday companions.

Had a week of pootling about looking at stately homes and beaches. Went to Holkham Hall which was closed but had amazing grounds. Didn't get to see the glass blowing place but that will be my next trip. Also went round the hall and gardens at Somerleyton and apparently had a bit of a chat to Lord Somerleyton himself who waved to us again in the car park. Apologies to him for not recognising him sooner (especially rude as not 10 minutes before we had been looking at his family photos :-S ).

As an aside I also assisted mater in walking a greyhound in the dunes. I tried to give him a run for his money and soon learnt that he was much faster and much fitter than I was. Still, at least I got myself some exercise. Also as another aside, I learnt that greyhounds actually have very soft fur. I always assumed they were wiry coated from the look of them. so I learnt 3 things about greyhounds.

On the sunday after I came back I was inspired to explore the Suffolk coastline and went to Orford and Aldeburgh. Went up to the top of Orford castle, and to the bottom, though I was disappointed not to see any dungeons. Then J and I walked down to the quay and back via the ice cream van. After buying aforementioned ice cream it then proceded to bucket down with rain and after a few minutes trying to take refuge under the trees and being laughed at by a trio of older-folks who were sensible enough to bring brollies we made a dash for a phone box and ate our ice cream in BT's warm shelter (so I owe them for more than just my education but for my well-being also, it would seem). Once it was safe to emerge we headed back to the car, blasted the heat and continued to Aldeburgh for fish 'n' chips and then on to Thorpe-something and onto the beach! (For those of you who understand: it was a pebble beach with lots of flat stones and yes, I did. I couldn't resist).

So with one holiday over and another one looming (20th) and then a camping trip to Brighton planned for July I declare my holiday season well and truly started!

Did i skip a few months?

Well I was politely reminded today that I haven't blogged since January so here goes for yet another catch up blog.

So, what's new?

Well I've officially passed the half year mark in my first year of my PhD. I've been taken to my first live football match (and yes, I did enjoy it so it just goes to show)! What else? I've had another sort out of my room - still far too much stuff hoarded for posterity and possible future usefulness. Which reminds me - if anyone wants a breadmaker for 30 quid or an old 15" crt monitor for free...

I have had a go with ezmosaic - a program that builds a mosaic picture from your digital photos/ picture files. Great fun - easy to try but very tediously slow on my machine.

What else now? I've got a broken laptop screen (boo) but a shiny new flatscreen monitor for my desktop pc (yay). I've traded cars and now drive a fiesta, ariba, ariba, underlay, underlay (etc and so forth).

I think that about brings it up to date really. I was out celebrating/ commiserating last night with my buddies and I'm happy to say that I am now no longer employing a solicitor - the estate is finally settled, hurrah! Was mostly a joyous occasion with a little sadness at the realisation that it is actually now all over and done. Talking of which... I am now a full year on with my contract with orange and therefore am now free to get rid of this motorola phone I've been battling with. As those of you who have spoken to me recently will know, I have not been very happy with the phone - brilliant camera, lots of memory space - just unable to keep me connected and audible during a conversation in spite of signal and battery strength. Now, call me old fashioned but i like a phone to be able to function as a phone first and foremost and everything else is just a bonus! End of rant.

I have been delving into the world of herbal medicines recently and have forsaken the sleeping tablets for a new hot chocolate drink called "sleepy slurp" (yes, i am aware of how bad it sounds - you try telling someone you always have your sleepy slurp before bedtime and see what face they pull). I'm also giving blue-green algae a try at the recommendation of a couple of friends... I'll let you know...

Feeling my age

Ok, so I'm not *that* old but sitting here at home huddled up under the duvet for warmth with a blanket over my shoulders isn't exactly a resoundingly youthful position to find myself in. I swear over the last few months my bones have even begun to ache when wet weather is coming on. Maybe it's because I'm the second oldest in the house and we've just celebrated a housemate's 24th and before that a 25th. Oh well, I may be older than them but at least I am younger at heart with less self-control and common sense... hmm

So anyway - the real reason I came online was to whinge (as usual) about an incident last night. Ok, so I'm on the herbal sleeping tablets at the moment to "promote natural sleep" - long boring story. There is a critical point with them and if you aren't relaxed and quiet they just mess up your head and leave you feeling groggy but not asleep. So last night the critical point must have occured around the point when I was stood with my ear pressed to the wall in my bedroom. What, I hear you ask, was I doing with my ear against the wall at 10.30 pm? Could it be that I was eavesdropping on a conversation? Or maybe practicing some twisted form of tai chi (which as an aside I have taken up and practice every thursday)? No! I was trying to satisfy my brain that no matter how ridiculous the idea might seem there was actually someone vacuuming next door at that hour of the night. Of course it might be the fact that I was grumpy through lack of sleep, or perhaps even my age turning me into a grumpy old woman but surely that is just plain wrong!! Anyway, the upshot is the tablets didn't work so I eventually got to sleep but then woke up even sleepier and grumpier than i was when I went to bed. I am now a distinctly unhappy and definately un-energetic bunny. I also need to vacuum my room - I wonder if i should do it at 11pm just as they are going to sleep after their cleaning frenzy and see how they like it... of course I'd have to find some way to slip them some herbal sleeping tablets so they get the full grump effect... (mental note to self: lighten up and don't be so mean)

Right, now I've vented I'm going to snuggle back under the covers and read about the evolution of objects into hyper-objects!

first blog of the year and doing it wrong already!

Ok so here is the truth. I struggled to find stuff to say, wrote a really jokey bit about my time at the erotica exhibition, discussed blue wigs and stick on bras. I also wrote a brief yet telling story about xmas dinner in which I was referred to as a "pretty zombie" (the first insult was just zombie - but you had to read the whole story).

So i did write all that stuff but then I wiped it trying to add a bloomin photo of a seal (I also talked about visiting the grey seal pups on Winterton beach). So, for posterity - and because i sacrificed everything else for it - here is a link to the seal that had the cheek to find the idea of my studying for a PhD a little amusing...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindsay/3272792/

Life gets complicated when you least expect it

Why is it that this happens, one minute you are pootling along deciding you aren't gonna let things get as complicated again for a while and then whallop, smack back you are there before you can shake two rats tails (or however the saying goes).

Ah well, as a wise man said to me, life is like that so accept it. I am trying to accept it, but it is complicated!

Still, aside from life's complications things are still pretty fab over here in the switch. My reading is beginning to get very interesting and I'm learning new stuff all the time - must ditch some of old rubbish out of my brain to fit all new ideas... I've discovered Tai Chi which is pretty funky. I'm blatantly not visiting the gym enough but one of these days will make the most of it (might even go tonight...). I managed to resist buying an ipod in the end - am now back to my original state of not wanting any kind of mp3 player. A lucky escape given my finances this month! Roll on 1st December, that's what I say!

Finally for this entry I will record for posterity my intention to visit http://www.erotica-uk.com
with a few work colleagues and my lovely irish chum. Wish me luck chaps. I'm not entirely sure how i will survive this exhibition without blushing so much I faint but we shall see, now you will all know where your xmas presents are coming from tho....