Written Monday 20th February 2006 - 0915

This morning I ache. Still. This is aching from Saturday night, when I danced like I haven’t danced for many years. My calves have been pulsating since I woke on Sunday morning and my thighs came out in sympathy at some point during the afternoon. As the Other Half pointed out, if I can’t take the pace any more, I really ought to begin to put away ideas of going to gigs and partying. However, I’m sure I’ll have forgotten all this in a couple of days.

The gig was “The Other Smiths” at Cardiff’s Barfly – a tribute band that seem to have a die-hard following all of their own. Being unaccustomed to gigging in these times, I didn’t for one moment believe that proceedings would start before nine. However, when I wandered in just before that hour, the band was already in full swing. And bloody marvellous they were too. The sound was good although - as my “date” for the evening, Dave the Floor Layer, pointed out – the Morrissey-a-like looked more like one of The Proclaimers (it’s the large glasses thing).

There were gladioli being flung around heads (and that was in the audience) and more quiffs and cardigans than I’ve seen in one place for sometime. The diversity of ages in the audience was also incredibly striking. I wasn’t the youngest by about 15 years and I wasn’t the oldest by approximately the same margin. It’s not very often that you can say that in a gig. Bands tend to be fairly constructed to their time with a fan base to match. However, there does seem to be a huge crossover in relation to the work of both Morrissey and The Smiths. This is only likely to increase with the release of Morrissey’s latest album in a couple of months’ time. it’s being hailed as some of his best work – and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

I also managed to catch up with Nate (Hint of Sarcasm) during the gig – as much as anything because his friend got mangled at the front of the moshpit. I remember something similar happening to me when I went to watch The Wonderstuff when much younger. I lost my incredibly large, plastic glasses at some point during one of their wilder songs and being slightly naïve, decided to pick them up. Next thing I knew, I was being pushed and barged and as I lost my footing, stamped on. Luckily, I had my glasses in my hand by then and managed to regain my footing. I was black and blue for several days – but at least I could see.

Anyway, Nate’s friend seemed fine a short while later (amazing what good music and a little something to drink can do) and they left to go to some great gay bar on Charles Street (the name of which I’m keeping in mind for the next girls night out I have in Cardiff). We’d hoped to make it, but by 1am, Dave and I were ready for our beds. One last twirl (to Blur’s “Girls and Boys”), the maddest taxi ride home (Cardiff to the Gene Puddle in about 10 minutes flat) and a scowl from the Other Half as I bounced into the kitchen and the night was over. The pain was yet to come!!

Lovely Spa Day today with “she who was a good friend until she started buying the Other Half Monty Python and other crap movies”. Needless to say, she is a good friend, really. We both had a body polish (which required the use of paper knickers - lovely!), massage and pedicure. Good lunch, plenty of coffee and iced lemon water along with a jacuzzi and sauna were wrapped around plenty of talk of boyfriends, OH’s, children and sex. After all, what do you and your mates talk about when you get together?

All this before - at gone 10pm - I remembered I was supposed to be downloading something from the office email system for my meetings in London tomorrow. A quick visit to my email lasted over an hour as I realised that some shit had hit the fan in my absence. One day, guys, that’s all I ask. One day without needing to check on what the hell is going on! Anyway, it’s all probably OK. Just added a further level of complexity to my working life (and partially undone the good work that my masseuse did on eradicating the knots in my back).

Only three days in work and then another day off. I could get used to weeks like this!

Written 18.15, Thursday 9th February on a train from London Paddington to Cardiff

I’ve had a couple of strange journeys today. Not bad journeys, I hasten to add. In fact, for once, the train ran to time this morning and is currently running to time on the way home. Outstanding! However, it’s on the tube that things have been strange.

When I got on at Paddington this morning, I managed to get a seat next to a very well presented guy. Good coat, nice satchel bag thing, early 40’s, clean and with no odour attached. Bargain, I thought. However, once the tube got under way, he proceeded to take a cloth handkerchief from his inside pocket and open it up on his lap. Inside the handkerchief was a small plastic bag containing a silver/stainless steel teaspoon and an egg. At first I thought it must be a hard-boiled egg and he was just completely meticulous (or anal) about how he ate it. However, as he cracked the top and carefully removed the shell, it was apparent it was soft-boiled. He then carefully placed all the bits of shell into the small plastic bag and used the spoon to scoop out the runny innards.

As you can imagine, by now I was hooked (another example of my staring at complete strangers on public transport). You yokel, I thought. That was until I looked around my part of the carriage. There were slack-jaws everywhere.

Unfortunately, I got out before the gentleman. He was at the scraping point of the egg, but hadn’t completely finished it. He’d taken his time. No rushing and enjoying every mouthful. It was possibly one of the bizarrest things I’ve ever seen consumed on a Tube train.

On the way back, I have seen two different men carrying double basses. One got off at Regents Park, the second was heading across Paddington mainline station to get on the tube. Do you think they were all meeting to work out some dastardly plot – or have the terrorists got much bigger bombs?

I have a real thing about the the London Underground Map. As far as I’m concerned (and if you want to agree, sign up here) it is “the” piece of design that has reached through the 20th Century. I’ve never understood why people think it’s complicated. It’s quite simple (even if I sometimes take longer to get to the place I want to go as I don’t understand the difference speeds the lines move at). My now weekly journey from Paddington to Charing Cross (always on the Bakerloo, when open), is now more relaxation than torture. I know where to get on to allow my easy assent from the station, which ticket machine to use and the shortest walking route.

However, thanks to the Evolters, I can now see it in a new and very musical light. I’m sure IPods all over the Capital will have appropriate song lists programmed shortly.

.. it can’t get any worse;

* William comes down with a really nasty case of chickenpox (apparently I’ve had it - but I’m itching all over!)
* His child-minder (who has just returned from 9 weeks on the sick with a broken arm) breaks her ankle and is likely to be out of comission for a further 6 weeks
* I don’t think I’ll be able to make the rugby on Saturday afternoon - boo, hiss.

Luckily, work is going well. Otherwise I might just crawl into my pit and not get out for a couple of days!

Started at 0730, Tuesday 31st January on the 0725 from Cardiff Central to London Paddington. Completed just now!

Four Jobs I’ve Had

1. Selling cubic zirconium rings in Debenhams, Cardiff. (Imagine: “Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Debenhams, Cardiff and to this once in a lifetime (except I was back every couple of months) opportunity to invest in some beautiful costume jewellery, made from cubic zirconium. We have a myriad of styles, in sizes small to xx-large and all at the bargain price of £12.95….” All this time, I have on two inch heels and more make-up than a Estee Lauder sales-woman. It wasn’t one of my happier jobs!).

2. Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre, Rookwood Hospital, Cardiff. Helping with the move to a new IT system and in the process trying to track down errant prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and other mobility aids. I can’t tell you how many people I rang whose family members had died – and the loaned equipment had either been thrown out or was still “..in the shed somewhere..”!

3. Welsh Office, Cardiff. Working on implementation of IM&T projects. Like being dropped into an episode of “Yes Minister” with all the associated bureaucracies and red tape that the Civil Service does so well. Happy days, many of which spent over extended lunch-breaks in the pub with my Manager. We worked hard back then, but we played hard too!

4. Welsh Representative on Youth and Student CND Committees. Not really a job, more a way of life, if I’m honest! Happy days in my youth, where I learnt that agendas were meant to be taken in reverse order and minutes were the bits you wanted remembered – rather than those that were most important. It was the only “job” where you could turn up late, spend most of the day in the pub, leave early and still feel that you were doing your bit. If they’d have only paid me, I’m sure I’d still be doing it now!

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

1. The Breakfast Club

2. Pulp Fiction

3. Pretty in Pink

And after that, I’m really struggling!

Four Places I’ve Lived

Considering my affinity to the Gene Puddle, this is actually rather difficult to answer. I’ve lived in three houses, properly, my entire life. In between, I’ve crashed at other people’s places, but I’ve never really thought that I’ve lived there properly.

At a push, I could argue that I’ve lived in the Gene Puddle, London (various locations and, depending on who else was living there, various levels of cleanliness) and Llanishen (Cardiff suburb, where I spent most of my 5th and Lower 6th Forms).

Four TV Shows I Love

1. Sex and the City

2. House

3. Shameless

4. Good Food Live (with the lovely Jeni Barnett!)

Four Places I’ve gone on holiday to

1. New York, USA

2. Madrid (and its wine region), Spain

3. Riga, Latvia (working holiday, but loved, nonetheless)

4. San Francisco, USA

Four of My Favorite Dishes

1. Steamed beancurd and seasonal greens in oyster sauce

2. Saag Paneer

3. Tuna (fresh rather than canned – a new find since I started eating fish again when pregnant. Particularly good done on the BBQ)

4. A huge cheese board (including grapes, celery, quince jelly, assorted pickles and wonderful crackers). The Park Plaza in Cardiff have a good example.

Four Sites I Visit Daily

1.Troubled Diva

2. BBC News

3. Guardian Unlimited

4. Evolt

Four Places I Would Rather Be Now

1. New York

2. At home, rather than on this ungodly houred train to London

3. In the pub, with my friends, watching Liverpool crucify Man Utd.

4. At the Knap, feeding the swans (which you aren’t “allowed” to do anymore) with William and the OH

And I’m not “tagging” anyone - as I seem to be the last person in the blogging universe to complete this!