my stuff
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hello and happy christmas
Hi!
It’s quarter to 11 on Christmas Eve and I’m sitting in my livingroom with no music or TV on. I tried to put the telly on but the batteries in my remote control are seriously knackered and when I switched it on, I hit the mute button to make sure I didn’t wake up Bandito and now that I’ve done that I can’t get the fecking mute button off so there’s no sound. I feel like a twat, but hey ho. It forced me to go onto DLand and say hello and that’s a good thing huh?
Well. I think so.
It’s been MANIC busy here in Heeland Lass Land over the last few days. Catching up with so many people is a lot of fun, but really tiring. Yesterday I woke up from a 13 hour sleep (I know! I felt like I’d slept through Christmas AND new year!), had a quick bath, ran into town to have lunch with my friends then rushed into The Loop’s restaurant to have a quick drink with her and then hopped into a taxi to pick up Bandito and then we dashed out to our friends Derek & Heather’s and had a bottle of champagne with them, then hopped in another taxi back into town to have dinner with 9 friends.
In a word – oof.
It was a great night last night, my friend Jojo is over from Oz with her new man. Although that’s a pretty exciting thing, miraculously I’ve seen her twice this year already – in Thailand and here in Edinburgh in the summer. I have a feeling the next time we see her will be quite far down this road, so it was great to spend some more time with her.
And so, here I am with my computer on my lap and the radio on for company. I’m trying not to wake up Bandito because I’m craving some quiet time and over the next few days that’s not going to happen. Today will be a quiet day for both of us – I’m hoping to go for some tapas later on and then we’ll catch up with some friends before coming home and watching some proper Christmas telly (muppets Christmas carol anybody? Yes I think so!). Tomorrow is my mum’s 50th as well as the big day for everybody else so we’re whizzing up to hers early lunchtime and picking up granny before the whole family goes out for a meal (yikes) and then we’re staying over and tomorrow we’re rushing off to Bandito’s mum and dad’s for the day and staying over there too. On the 28th, we’ll be home. And I am looking forward to that day!
Hmmm. Anyway – this is a kind of rambling entry with no real structure so I’m sorry if it’s boring the socks off you. I thought I’d nick this survey from clarity25 (locked) as it’s fitting and I haven’t nicked a survey for yonks……
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Saw the new year in on a gorgeous beach in Thailand with 20 of my best friends.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No I didn’t, I started this year really positively and I’m ending it in a great big heap.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes they did – welcome to the world Ella and Maddison!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No not this year.
5. What cities/countries did you visit?
Thailand, Canary Isles, various places in the UK
6. What would you like to have in 2007 which you lacked in 2006?
certainty and confidence
7. What date from 2006 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
The entire month of July. That’s when things started going MENTAL for me
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I haven’t achieved anything this year – how depressing is that?! I’ve managed to maintain, but only just!
9. What was your biggest failure?
Christ. I’d be here all day. Let’s just say there were plenty.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the usual bike & partying related bruises (of which there were also plenty).
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmmm. Best thing I bought. I have absolutely NO idea!
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Certain friends – I think I would have gone properly mental without them.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Em… my own.
14. Where did most of your money go?
I pissed it up a tree.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My friends wedding
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
‘Crazy’ by Gnarles Barkley
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
I am a bit sadder, but working on that and I’m definitely fatter but I’m working on that and I’m slightly poorer because I got a great bonus this time last year and this year I got a shite one. So I’m working on that too!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Good, proper quality time with Bandito
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Partying, stamping my independence on everything, upsetting the apple cart.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With my family, 10 of us out for a meal, celebrating Christmas and my mum’s 50th birthday.
21. What was your favourite TV program?
Hollyoaks (I’m obsessed!)
22. What was the best book you read?
I’ve hardly read any books this year, I can’t concentrate on much at the moment. But I did read a couple of good books on holiday – I’ll go for something by Phillip Pullman.
23. What was your greatest musical discovery?
It’s been a fairly quiet year for me when it comes to stuff like that but I got the Amy Winehouse album for my birthday and I’m obsessed with it. Totally and utterly.
24. What did you want and get?
For my friend's sister to be given the all clear...
25. What did you want and NOT get?
Pregnant.
26. What was your favorite film of this year?
Little Miss Sunshine
27. What did you do on your birthday?
Spent the day at work (never, ever again) then had a spray tan and a nice quiet meal that Bandito cooked for me.
28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not doing some of the things that I did…
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
More skirts, coloured tights, a kind of 60s modette look going on. I’m going to do more of that next year.
30. What kept you sane?
Nothing could have kept me sane this year. This was the year of insanity.
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Lucy Lieu!
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
Too many to mention, but just recently Malcolm Chisholm (a labour MP here in Edinburgh) was asked to ‘resign’ because he voted against spending fucking billions of pounds to get new nuclear weapons when tony blair and his gang urged all MPs to vote in favour….
33. Whom did you miss?
the old me.
34. Who was the best new person you met?
The Loop.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
The one thing you can always be sure of is that everything changes (and usually when you're really settled)
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“What kind of fuckery is this?”
***
So that’s the end of that. And I shall get going now as Bandito is awake and has just sung ‘joy to the world, my arse does smell’ so I have a feeling we’re going to have a really (un) fun day ahead!!!
Okay – I’m off. Hope you all have a lovely festive season. Thanks so much for all your comments and notes and emails this year – it’s been such a bizarre year for me, really, really hard. Much harder than you’ll ever know and the support you’ve shown me has been really lovely.
Thanks so much guys. You’ve been fab.
Much love to you and yours.
Heeland Lass xxxxxx
11:24 am - 24 December 2006
