Highly Strung

Me: Tonight will be my second night in a row without alcohol

Myself: That’s great, you should totally keep that up!

I: Yeah but, doncha just fancy a wee glass of wine?

Me: Well yes I do, but its a key step in part of a plan.

Myself: Be strong, you can do it Grasshopper.

I: It’s only a little glass of wine, what difference will it make?

Me: You know, you’re right why deny Myself?

Myself: You won’t be denying me anything.

Me: Who said I was talking to you?

I: I think you were talking to all of us actually, but thats not the point. The point is; B U Y W I N E….

Me: Oh alright then, you’ve twisted my arm.

I know everyone says this at this time every year but ‘ooh int it dark outside and it’s only 5pm!’. One could say it’s a little depressing, but not me, cos I am O..U..T, out of here. Southern hemisphere, sunlight, and long days here I come.

Found at www.inapuddle.com:

1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING? 6.47
2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? Diamonds
3. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA? Volver
4. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE T.V. SHOW AS A KID? The Muppet Show
5. WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? Toast with marmite and peanut butter, coffee.
6. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Marie
7. SWEETS OR FLOWERS? Flowers
8. WHAT FOODS DO YOU DISLIKE? Cucumbers, Artichokes
9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHIP FLAVOR? Cheese and onion
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD AT THE MOMENT? My sleep CD
11. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? A bus
12. FAVORITE SANDWICH? Ham off the bone and mustard.
13. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS ANNOY YOU? Stupidity
14. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU LOVE MOST? Intelligence and spontaneity
15. WEIRDEST THING SAID TO YOU ON A DATE? -
16. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Maldives
17. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? Beige?
18. SPY MOVIES OR ROMANTIC COMEDY? Neither
19. TO WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE? New Zealand
20. ANY TATTOOS? Yes
21. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Swimming – if I had to.
22. SWEET POTATO OR YAM? Sweet potato
23. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? Lillies
24. WHAT IS YOUR MOTHER’S FIRST NAME? Alyth
25. WHAT’S YOUR SIGN? Taurus
26. LAST TIME YOU SAID SOMETHING YOU REGRET? Most days
27. ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT PERSON? Both
28. BROTHERS AND SISTERS? One sister, one brother
29. LAST E-MAIL YOU RECEIVED WAS FROM external consultant re a site
30. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BEDSPREAD light lilac
31. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? something very serious like a lawyer or a journalist.
32. HOW OLD ARE YOU TODAY? just over 33 1/3
33. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SWEET? Lindt Milk Chocolate
34. WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE AS A BIRTHDAY CAKE? Carrot cake with cream cheese icing or banoffie pie
35. LAST PLACE YOU HAD A STIFF DRINK? Muswell Hill
36. WHERE IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE EVER BEEN FROM HOME? Europe
37. A SMALL THING YOU REALLY ENJOY? a minature ballpoint pen, someone gave me last night
38. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Happy
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? Watching The English
40. LAST TIME YOU SAW LIVE ART? Tate Modern slides three weeks ago.
41. LIVING PERSON YOU MISS THE MOST? My sister/Vic/Miriam
42. NON-LIVING PERSON YOU MISS THE MOST? Poppa
43. FAVORITE WINTER MOVIE? Edward Scissorhands.
44. FAVE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE? Wine, of the white variety
45. LAST DVD WATCHED? Shameless, Series 1, Episode 1
46. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS? Potatoes roasted in goose fat
47. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AM BEVERAGE? Coffee
48. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU COOKED? Chicken, veg and wild rice.
49. HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN ANYONE’S HEART? yeah
50. HAVE YOU EVER HAD YOUR HEART BROKEN? yeah

Day 5: By now your breathing will be easier, your skin and eyes should be clearer and you should feel your energy levels improving. Try and get into the habit of relaxing, morning and night, using a relaxation technique.

Strangely enough, I have started using a relaxation technique – but only in the evenings…it’s called white wine, and very effective it is too.

6am on a Sunday morning – it’s not right that anyone should be wide awake at that time. A combination of a slight hangover, a time change and the enormous lady upstairs arising early to shift some furniture about (that what it sounds like anyway), has me up at sparrows fart.

It’s now 7.08am, I’ve already had breakfast and am halfway through the first coffee of the day. It’s not all bad though, I do have to leave here at 7.30 to meet cycling buddy for a cycle.

Day 4 – Cravings will reach their peak today, make sure you resist by keeping yourself busy and remembering how good it feels to be a non smoker. By now you will be breathing easier and may want to go for a long walk to feel the benefits.

It feels like it’s getting easier, but I need to remember I’ve been here before. I must not get complacent. Was only in the pub for an hour or so last night, but I very much felt the effects of passive smoking this morning – yuck.

Very much looking forward to tomorrow.

Is it just me or do things take so much longer these days? All I had to do beforeleaving house this morning was:

- bath
- breakfast
- dye hair
- find green bikini top
- review packing for 4th or 5th time
- phone a friend
- do dishes

I’m sure this list shoudl have taken around an hour – but no, here i am 3 hours after waking up, still at home. I have reached the end of my list and am dressed, so getting there.

It’s day 4!

What to do when you feel like you are getting involved with someone and are perhaps unused to the feeling and a bit scared? What to do when you are feeling like you may be revealing too much? Should you say exactly what you are thinking or should you hold back?

I’m inclined to just saying what I feel, partly because that’s just me, and partly because what’s the point in pretending to be something other than what you are? You’d only be doing the other person and yourself a dis-service.

Savour this, whomsoever may read, I am several wines down and come tomorrow this may all be deleted.

I believe everyone should have a rethink re their desk set up, i’ve chosen to have ‘my desk’ 3 inches off the floor. I am therefore currently stretched out on my belly on my living room floor surfing the internet and listening to the radio. The living room curtains are still closed so for all I know it could be pitch black and 9pm out there (I suspect not).

What I should be doing is brushing my teeth, brushing my hair and getting the hell out of here. Ahh Fridays, it’s nice to be on a go-slow.

Day 3: You may go through the worst period of withdrawal today but be strong and remind yourself that once this is over, symptoms gradually decrease and fade away. In three weeks time physical withdrawal should be a thing of the past. Keep busy, keep focussed.

An unfortunate side effect of the non smoking phenomenen is that my usual talkativeness seems to have spiralled out of control. Last night i met a friend in the pub and was so incredibly animated and manic that he barely got a word in during the first 20 minutes. My hands seemed to have taken on a life of their own. I’m a big gesturer anyway but at the moment my hands are literally flying out in front of me. I’m very surprised they didn’t swoop out and knock over my wine glass.

I think not smoking has given me more energy than usual, but I’m not sure this is a good thing, given that I rarely sit still as it is. On the up side, imagine what I can achieve with all that spare energy… Out on my bike at lunchtime, there’s no way I’ll be able to sit here for the rest of the afternoon otherwise.

I am approximately a month or so into this term’s Spanish Class and I have only just clocked on to the fact that not only is the teacher pronouncing my name rather dyslexically but also some English-speaking members of the class.

Spanish people always call me Krises instead of Kirses, so I don’t usually bother to correct them, however now the English ones also think my name is that and because my attendance has been so shit I haven’t noticed till now. Is it too late to correct them? Or should I just put up with it – even though it is clearly – not my name?