Oh, it’s Friday (Friday letters)

Thanks to yesterday’s public holiday, I’ve spent most of today completely confused. Back to work means Monday, right? Except today was actually Friday. Brain. Can’t. Cope. Anyway… it is indeed Friday, and that means I need to write some letters.

Friday Street Post Box
Photo credit: Bods

Dear Friday. Back again so soon? Not that I’m complaining… you just kind of snuck up on me, that’s all. Time is flying again!

Dear boyfriend. Conferences suck! I’m looking forward to actually getting to see you for longer than 20 minutes tonight!

Dear work. It’s flattering that you trust me enough to let me be the guinea pig for new software, but please could it be someobody else’s turn next time?

Dear Newcastle United. Whatever you do, please do not lose against QPR this weekend! You are too close to relegation to be doing anything stupid.

Dear unhealthy foods. Why must you be so tasty? (Yes, Cheddar Cheese, I am looking at you. And you Sour Cream & Jalapeno Tortilla Chips!)

Dear self-raising flour. You need to be used, so I’m thinking baking sesh this weekend. Healthy baked goods only, of course – I mean, Blueberry Muffins must be healthy, they contain fruit 😉

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Friday already! (Letters time)

Looking back on this week, it seems to have both flown by and dragged. It’s strange to think I’ve been back at work a whole week already and Christmas was nearly 3 weeks ago! It feels like I only got back from Luxembourg a couple of days ago. But, on the other hand, now that routine has set back in it’s as if I’d never been away from work. Monday and Tuesday sped by because I had plenty to do, then the stream of jobs slowed to a trickle and I spent lots of time wishing either a translation would come in or home time would finally arrive. But now it’s Friday, the end of my first week back at work, and time for another edition of Friday letters!

Letters
Letters (Photo credit: MadalenaPestana)

Dear boyfriend. Thank you for doing the dishes the other night so I could go to bed. You’re a star!

Dear Internet service provider. Putting someone on hold for 20 minutes only to then disconnect them rather than actually answering the call is not good customer service, okay!

Dear Karlsruhe train station. When you write on the board “This train is cancelled. Please listen for the announcements” it tends to help if you actually make announcements! Just saying…

Dear new dress. You look just as beautiful in real life as you did on the Internet. Can’t wait to wear you!

Cheddar cheeses
Cheddar cheeses (Photo credit: richard_north)

Dear self. If you really want to get rid of your trouble zones, doing one circuit on your exercise DVD one day a week is not going to be enough (even if it is the thighs one that makes you want to cry)! Be better next week. The alternative is giving up Cheddar cheese and I know you don’t want that…

Dear weather. Was it really necessary to bring back the cold just in time for the weekend? Me no likey!

That is all. Not much has been going on this week.

For more Friday letters, check out: http://www.thesweetseasonblog.com/2013/01/fridays-letters_11.html

Let the choir sing

The boyriend’s choir is practising here tonight because theperson whose place they usually practice at can’t make it, so I’ve been banished to the spare bedroom. Actually, that’s not strictly true. I could have stayed in the living room and watched them, but honestly where’s the point in that? In reality I took myself off to the spare room, becuse at least the computer is in here. And my cross stitch. And other things to do, like moving all the stuff off the spare bed so that someone can actually sleep in it on Saturday. But saying I had been banished sounded so much more dramatic – although I’ve kind of spoiled that now with this explanation.
Anyhow…

People coming round meant I had to rush home from work this evening (as much as one can rush when relying on Deutsche Bahn – for once my train was not delayed!) and attempt to sort out the chaos that was our flat. The living room was most important, because that’s where the practising takes place, but the kitchen was in a state that can only be described as absolute chaos. Definitely not suitable for the eyes of visitors! Which is why, after yet another long day at work, I found myself folding clothes, washing dishes and taking down rubbish. I would love to say that this was only necessary due to my having being ill, but regular readers would know that was a lie. Really, I’m just a terrible housewife… and Jan is no better! Having got the flat into a semi-decent state (it would not pass my grandma’s inspection, but luckily she’s in England) I had to quickly cook the two of us something for tea before the choir turned up. We had baked beans on toast. Not strictly cooking, I know but at least it was hot! And I grated Cheddar cheese on top – that’s practically a gourmet meal, that is. The alternative would have been muesli (which I hate so actually that wouldn’t have been an alternative at all).

And where was Jan in all this, you may ask. After all, it’s his choir! Well, he didn’t make it home til around 20 past 7 (choir practice is supposed to start at 8, although it’s now 10 past and only 2 people have arrived!), but when he did get here he cleaned the bathroom a little and finished cleaning the living room. He’s not all bad 😉

And why am I blogging about housework? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that I have nothing else to say and I’m trying to avoid the pile of work that I brought home with me to do this evening (deadline tomorrow at 10! Won’t get it all finished if I don’t do some tonight!). Pracrastination is responsible for a lot you know! Check out this YouTube video. Says it all, really…

But I don’t WANT pretzels and Bratwurst…

Isn’t it funny how, when you’re ill, you crave comforting, familiar foods. Foods that you were brought up with, that accompanied you through your childhood. Much as I love local specialities, like Käsespätzle (small, thin dumplings covered in lashings of melted cheese) and Flammkuchen (tarte flambée – technically from Elsace but Karlsruhe is so close to the border that they’ve adopted (and adapted) this dish for themselves), for the last few days I’ve been craving English things. Crumpets literally dripping with salted butter. Heinz chicken soup. Mashed potatoes with a large helping of cheddar cheese mixed in. A chip butty drowning in gravy. Horlicks.
I just know I’m going to be disappointed no matter what we have for tea tonight. Plus, I’ve run out of Lemsip. Doooom!

All that you never wanted to know

I went to Maifest yesterday at my old student residence. That’s the Fest where the ex residents are invited to come back to meet the new residents and bore entertain them with tales of how things were back in the day. It was my first Maifest as a former resident, but seeing as I only moved out 2 months ago I didn’t have any back in the day stories to tell. Not that I would tell them if I did, but y’know. Mostly I spent the day telling people that I do not, in fact, still live there. I’m now wondering whether anybody actually noticed I was gone. I had planned to come home fairly early, but instead ended up sitting up all night drinking beer, finally making it home at 8am. I then went to bed, but only for a few hours. Seriously need curtains for the bedroom – the whole bright sun shining in on me thing makes daytime napping difficult. And now it’s 3:45pm. I’m still in my pyjamas and I’ve just eaten a whole 200g packet of chocolate raisins. You may decide for yourself what that says about me.

Anyway, I spotted this meme over at Home Office Mum’s blog and in the absence of other inspiration decided to steal it for today’s post.
So, what I have to do is answer the following questions. Oh, and I also have to replace one question and add one question. Fair enough.

1. What are your current obsessions?
Taking photographs. I took one of a purple tree on my way home this morning. Why? Because I could. Chocolate raisins. Adding books to my huge list of things I want to read some day. Facebook. And my blog of course, but that kind of goes without saying.

2. Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
Black trousers. I wear them for work. Work is all I do. therefore I wear my black trousers all the flipping time. I seriously need to get a life.

3.Tell me your current most played song.
A Long December by Counting Crows. I am listening to it on repeat even as I type. no idea why I’m so into it at the moment. I just love it. I’m also listening to All For You by Sister Hazel a lot. “Words can’t say and I can’t do enough to prove it’s all for you“. Was this song written about me?

4. Last thing you bought?
Food actually, but I’m guessing that isn’t what you want to know. Other than that I believe it was 4 champagne glasses from Nanu Nana. They were 95 cents each. How could I possibly resist?

5. What are you listening to?
A Long December by Counting Crows. Still.

6. Wine or chocolate?

What do you mean or? Surely it has to be wine and chocolate!

7. Favourite holiday spots?
Somewhere that isn’t here. Anywhere. Please, just take me away.
Seriously? I adored Rome. Really want to go back. Also Austria. I miss looking at snow capped mountains. Just don’t ask me to climb the bloody things.

8. Reading right now?
On the tram: A Dragon Lance book. In German. At home: Nothing actually. How is that possible?

9. Four words to describe yourself.
Pretty much permanently confused. (Hence the title of the blog)

10. Guilty pleasure?
Naturals crisps in Balsamic Vinegar flavour. If I carry on like this I’ll be the size of a house by June.

11. Who or what makes you laugh until you’re weak?
Katyboo‘s blog. Clue. Possibly the funniest film ever. Also Belgian Waffle. So two out of my three things are blogs. I’m sure that’s significant in some way.

12. Favourite spring thing to do?
Eat icecream. Spend time outdoors before it becomes too hot for me to cope.

13. Planning to travel to next?
England. In July. For a friend’s wedding.

14. Best thing you ate or drank lately?
Baked potato with lashings of cheddar cheese. I rarely get to eat any cheddar cheese here so when I do it’s as if Christmas, Easter and my birthday have all come and once.

15. When did you last get tipsy?
Last night. First time in months.

16. Favourite ever film?
Usually I say A League of Their Own, but really it’s a toss up between that and Edward Scissorhands.

17. Care to share some wisdom?
I have no wisdom of my own to impart so instead I give you a quote from the Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume 2. “If we deny love that is given to us, if we refuse to give love because we fear the pain of loss, then our lives will be emptier, our loss greater“. Or, in other words, take a chance people. At least if it all goes wrong you’ll still have the memories.

18. Song you can’t get out of your head?
Before I chased it away with Counting crows I had that Umberella (ella ella) song in my head. It was playing in a shop the other day and it’s been haunting me ever since. I don’t even like the bloody song!

19. One thing you’d really like to do this year
Ugh. Why must you asked such difficult questions?
If you’d asked me three months ago I’d have said get a flat, but I’ve done that now and I can’t think of anything else.

20. What or who makes you irrationally rage and totally not proud of yourself at the same time?
Old people on trams. I hate the way they expect you to give up your seat for them, even if they’re only going one stop. And if you fail to stand up they just glare at you until you do. It drives me mad! And then I feel guilty because they are old people after all.

If you could have chosen your own name what would you be called?
When I was younger I always wanted my name to be Abigail. I’ve no idea why, or where I even got the name from, but I always thought it sounded so much more interesting than Beverley.

OK, now it’s over to you. I’m not actually going to name specific bloggers,  so anyone who wishes may consider themselves tagged.