Big Brother 9 Starts 5th June
Noticing an increase in searches for the Imogen Sex Tape, and seeing one or two Big Brother 9 idents, reminded me that BB9 is starting next Thursday, 5th June.
I’m not sure if I’ll be watching – it’ll probably just be the launch night, the second night, and then all evictions (seeing that it’s on on a Friday night). I expect BB to be full of people with nothing to say.
PS: OMG I still have Big Brother as a category! Must tidy up..
First Day Back at Work
Today was my first day back at work, and it was really quite pleasant! Mainly because I still felt quite relaxed and cheerful, with the holiday feeling fresh in my mind.
I’ve decided to try to keep it up, as it does me much better. OK, I’ve still got 100 emails in my inbox that I need to deal with – but it’s not going to get any better by stressing myself over it. In fact I’ve discovered the usefulness of flags in M$ Outlook!
This week-end I’ll take it slowly too. I’m going to walk around and check out all the cheapy charity shops in the area, especially those that sell furniture. I feel my flat needs something new – ideally, a piece of white furniture 
White House Design
Image via Wikipedia
I went to see my former boss last night, together with my BF, first at her house in South West London and then we all went to the pub. Some former colleagues also came along.
I was greatly inspired by the way she had designed her house (they only bought it last year and I think they had to rip everything out). It was almost all decorated in white colours (predominantly white, with a bit of light grey thrown in).
Think the white castle in Kingdom Hearts – Chain of Memories (Castle of Oblivion), or Rachel White’s House. A bohemian version of New England – style, maybe. It’s difficult to describe, but it was very successful. It felt quiet and peaceful – easy for the mind to breathe and expand due to not being interfered with.
It’s definitely something I want to model my own flat on. My flat is quite cosy, but not overly ‘designed’ as such – there is no theme to the rooms. Plus, the kitchen and bathroom are old, the carpets dirty, the doors and windows throwaway. Only a complete overhaul would do, but when (if) I did it, I’d rip it all out and model it on my boss’ house 
No More Ferries from East Scotland to the Continent
Image via Wikipedia
BBC news report that the Rosyth ferry currently running between Rosyth (just north of Edinburgh) and Zeebrugge (Belgium) is to be discontinued.
It’s a real shame – I’ve used the ferry once before (in 2006, I think) and it’s very convenient. Plus, people like travelling to Scotland by ferry , as it means they can take their motorhomes etc. or their own car to bring stuff back to the Continent.
The service will stop on the 13th September 08 (= last crossing from Rosyth to Zeebrugge).
Back in London
I’m back in London now and the first thing I’m doing is downloading the shows via iPlayer that I missed while out in Italy.
I tried DLing them while there, but to no avail (it only works in the UK! How could one get around that… hiding IP?)
So now I’ve got on download:
- The Apprentice – Episode 9
- Mad Men – Episode 12 (‘The Wheel)
- Ideal – Episode 4 (‘The Secret’)
- What happened Next? Living in the Past
Note how I’m already back to my old consuming self
Italy Holiday: Day 11
It’s my last night in Italy tonight. This time tomorrow I’ll be back in London, where I’m staying till Thursday. On Thur it’s back to my beloved Edinburgh and back to wrk on Friday.
Summary of holidays:
- I must remember that it’s very relaxing out here – just like some expensive type of therapy. To remind myself of this and the state of mind talked about yesterday, I took a photo where I went and sat, and am using it as my mobile phone wallpaper (N95)
- My mum is actually a very nice lady and I love her very much. I used to despise her and her life, but over the years have grown rather fond of her (I’m generally more mellow and accepting of difference – I used to feel threatened by it)
- The album 23 by Blonde Redhead is very good (I haven’t listened to their previous 2 or 3 albums much as I grew tired of their samey-ness and whingeing)
- I’m quite happy with myself and in tune with the I that I met when I had no distractions, even if they will go to the back of lenina’s wardrobe again as of tomorrow
- The Karl Marx biography by Francis Wheen is quite amusing but pretty terribly written (too much of the author’s i.e. Wheen’s personality, not enough objectivity, too much jumping around etc.). I wouldn’t recommend it (though I’ve nearly finished it)
And thus ends my holiday blogging. Reporting from London tomorrow night 
Italy Holiday: Day 10
Image via Wikipedia
Today was yet another slow one, to the point of being confronted with myself. Help
I went for a walk, thinking of the Cure – song, ‘The Top’
this top is the place where nobody goes
I walked up a hill and really was all by myself. Taking my journal (the one I had also taken to Shetland) and wrote down some stuff! by! hand!
Not sure whether I was really close to myself and in touch with my true thoughts, or in some sort of regression brought about by being contacted by some guy via wer-kennt-wen who I used to snog and cuddle with (not shag though). A very pretty punk boy, and me thinking of how I used to snog all these cute boys/men even though it’s 15 years ago. I even w***ed one of them off in some field in a village, the warm c*m all over my hand. I wasn’t even drunk at the time – I just used to do all sorts of things as I was hungry to learn.
How it was really all quite cool, and handwriting combined with the message from this guy, and being in the country (as opposed to in a city where I usually live) brought back this younger, deeper version of myself. I don’t think I’m that deep these days, since I hardly get time to actually reflect and really think. I don’t mind not thinking, though I do miss it. These days my brain processes stuff, but I’m not deep. The ironic thing is that I don’t mind, since I’m no longer deep (it’s a bit of a catch-22). If I had time to be deep, I would mind. Maybe having no time is how people are switched off into compliance and acquiescence with life – who knows.
The good thing is that I can get back there (back from mere processing of information to thinking and reflecting) as today has made me realise – for the first time in what must be 8 years or so
If nothing else, I’ve got today’s handwritten journal entry and this post to prove it 
Italy Holiday: Day 09
Image via Wikipedia
Today I took my mum and her hubby back to the airport – they should be back home by now.
This means I’m entering the final phase of my holiday – the three phases are thus:
- Brief holiday with BF (last Fri-Sun)
- Mix of work and family time (last Sun-today, i.e. Sat)
- Time by myself to think&read (today i.e. Sat-Tue)
I’ve still got 5 things on my iPlayer to watch which will be great for the evenings, and today started reading a biography of Karl Marx (by Francis Wheen). It’s a fairly easy and pleasurable read (I’m already on p. 87).
I’m very content out here, with a serenity that I don’t usually have. It takes a while for it to sink in and for me to ‘detox’ from my regular city life, but when it does sink in, it’s almost like a trip to a health farm or some such. I’m sure people pay loads of dosh to get this type of result, and I get it (almost) for free
Next time I stay in London, I want to go to Highgate Cemetery, where Karl Marx is buried (see pic). I went there ages and ages ago (roughly 13 years ago), but as far as I remember, he’s in the historical part – where you have to pay admission to get in. Maybe the BF and I can combine it with a visit to Marx’ old haunts, or even the house he used to live in (if it’s still there).
There’s a quote in the book that I can’t find right now, but which may even make me reconsider my current stance of agnosticism, and turn me into an advocate of atheism. I can’t quite remember what the quote was (it’s not the one that Religion ist Opium fuer das Volk… I’ve known that one for decades and it never quite swung it for me).
Either way, it’s great to read an easily digestible biography about a man I’m interested in both politically and philosophically. Plus, Marx was of course born in Trier, and thus from the same area(ish) that I’m from – the Moselle valley
Italy Holiday: Day 08
I’m now relaxed to the point of being horizontal, and slow, and calm. I’ve been in Italy for a week now, and haven’t been at work (in the office) since last Wednesday.
I don’t think I could get to the same degree of relaxation elsewhere. When I’m in Edinburgh, no matter what, I’ve always got my TV around me and tend to have it on every evening (one Saturday a few weeks ago I didn’t have it on all day, incl. the evening, and it was quite difficult!).
Placing myself into a situation away from it all therefore does me good. Of course, I still have my computer, and the internet. But I’ve hardly got it on when out here, and generally I find I deal with the absence of technology and gadgets very well indeed.
I might even stop using technology altogether. Some day.
Italy Holiday: Day 07
Today the weather was quite shit (again!). Fancy being in Italy and the weather is shit…
I had a geologist at the house today to look at the slope, and to see whether it’s so bad that it requires some kind of ‘fix’. A ‘fix’ in the form of strengthening of the foundations would of course be far too expensive, so I’ve looked into natural means of erosion control such as by using plants.
The best plant for this purpose seems to be cotoneaster dammeri – a rather ugly shrub that nevertheless
- grows fast
- doesn’t care about hardy soil
- doesn’t need much TLC
Planting a field of cotoneaster dammeri on both sides of the house would kill two birds with one stone (German: ‘zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen’). It would not only free us from having to cut the grass every single time, and thus keep the house from looking wild, but it would also help stabilising the slope by sucking up excess water and holding the soil together.
Plus, I really really like plants and planting. I’d be well up for lovingly planting all those lovely ugly shrubs and seeing them grow, thus helping keep the house in place
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