Usually Saturday is mother/daughter day but this week we brought it forward to a Wednesday. So off we trundled to the cinema (I can't tell you how fun it is to have a cinema within walking distance) to see Hancock.

I'd seen the trailer for it a few times and it looked absolutely hilarious. It didn't disappoint. It was very funny. I always love to hear the entire cinema laughing out loud together. But it soon twisted away from comedy and went to some other place. There was superhero-action scenes, love scenes, sad scenes, more funny scenes. It was a hard one to pin down, which made me love it, of course. You know how I love to mix genres.



Now: tennis. Lleyton Hewitt is out. Federrer kicked his ass. I then hoped the Croation guy might kick Federrer's ass but he didn't. But I was glad to see that Nadal booted Murray out so convincingly. I know I should support Murray cos he's British, and in a way I do, but he's such an arogant git I find it hard to back him completely. I like Nadal. He's the best player at the tournament. And, yes, he does have lovely arms, and, yes, a lovely bum too, but, contrary to popular belief Raymond that is not why I like him; I happen to think he's good at tennis. And I want him to win. But then I wanted that last year and the year before so what I want doesn't really come into it, does it?

Labels: films, tennis

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Ray and I went out last night for drinks. While we were in the pub we decided to treat ourselves to a desert. We were tempted to have two separate choices but it worked out cheaper (and you know how I love to save every penny I can) if we shared something called an Ultimate Sharing Sundae. It sounded lovely:

Chocolate fudge cake, profiteroles, vanilla flavour ice cream, Cadbury’s Crunchie Nuggets and chocolate flakes with chocolate flavour fudge sauce and a whip of cream

And it was. But it was also huge. It was apparently meant for two people to share but I think even four would have struggled. I ate as much as I could but I had to leave the rest for Ray. I think I must have gained about fifty pounds just by looking at it!

We ended the evening in Tesco - yes, we are that hardcore ;) We bought two storage boxes (blue and black, not silver and black, though) for the bedroom. While I fell in love with all the circus kitchen accessories, which all appeared to be on the sale, which probably means they won't be available for much longer :( I can't wait 'til we can properly dress the kitchen.

Now then, do you want to test how smart you are? It's an english test. I am a writer, an avid reader, and English is my first language... yet I only got 15/20! Test Your Brain. Let me know how you got on :)

Labels: food, house stuff, pub, quiz, ray, shopping

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Last night I went to visit my in-laws. Ray's mother was in work and his gran is poorly so after a bit of chatting we amused ourselves with some old photos Ray had found.

I come from a family that documented most of our lives from childhood onwards. Actually, I think it slowed down once we all got into our teens but then we were able to take over the job ourselves and so there has always been albums full of photos in the cupboards. The other week my parents dug them out and we all stood in the kitchen reminiscing, laughing and teasing each other about the funny faces we were pulling in the shots.

I forget that other people don't take as many photographs. I forget that other people don't put their photos into albums.

Last night I sat down expecting to see heaps of embarrassing photos of Ray when in fact there was only a handful that he featured in. One when he was about twelve - such a skinny blonde thing, and always in a baseball cap. The others from his uncles wedding when he was wearing make-up to cover up a black eye from a fight the night before. He assures me the fight had not been his or his uncle's fault but do you think I beleive him? Do I heck! ;) And finally some photos of him with his cousin proudly holding up some fish they'd caught.

He doesn't say it but I know he feels sad that there aren't more photos of him. That my endless albums worth of childhood photos remind him that his life was different to mine. It made me think about my own childhood.

Ray has always said he loves visiting my family because our house is a home, that everyone can say and do what they like - we're all a bunch of idiots who don't care, basically. I didn't realise just how fun and relaxed and filled with love my family home was and is. I went through some tough times with my family in my late-teen years but looking at us now and how we were before the bad times I wonder how it ever happened, how they could be the same parents who hurt me so much. Because they're not like that anymore. They weren't before and they're not now.

I guess moving out of home has made me look at my family and my family life in a new light, from a different angle. I had a wonderfully happy childhood, no matter how bad it got after puberty hit, the childhood was fun. And in between the bad times the good times were always so good. It's nice to be able to appreciate the good parts of life. I spent so long concentrating on the negative that I forgot to see that there was some damn good times mixed in there too.

Basically: my family rule! ;)

Labels: childhood, daddy, family, in-laws, love, mammy, photos

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The xbox360 broke Friday night. I beleive they call it the ring of death. Because it basically means the xbox has fried. But through the despair and worry, we went online and booked it in to get fixed, not really knowing how we'd find the money to get it done, we learnt that because this is a known problem with the xbox360 console, and because we've had it less than three years (not even a year yet actually!), we can get it fixed for free. Which is a big relief. Ray packaged it up and today the man from UPS came to collect it. The only good thing we can take from it is it does mean we've dug out the old xbox console and are now playing the original Lego Star Wars game. Ray is very upset, though. He loves his xbox360. I've spent most of the weekend keeping his hands busy elsewhere...

I went to see the new Narnia film Saturday afternoon with Mammy and Jemma. Such a good film. I highly reccomend it. It's darker and yet funnier than the first one. Jem is suicidal, though, cos Peter has said he won't be returning to Narnia again. We're meant to be seeing Hancock this weekend, which looks so funny. I'm really starting to get used to these girlie afternoons we spend in the cinema. I'm going to be sad if they stop.

At the moment I'm listening/watching live wimbledon because I don't want to miss my favourite player: Lleyton Hewitt. Typically he's up against Federrer, which means this will probably be the last game I see him play this tournament. I'm trying to write Olimpia Valley at the same time but something tells me I'm going to get distracted by a cute Australian in white shorts.

Labels: films, jem, lego star wars, lleyton hewitt, mammy, narnia, ray, tennis, wimbledon, xbox, xbox 360

by Ys | COMMENTS? 2 | permalink |

For those who don't follow my writing blog/journal (here or here), I have some very exciting news.

I'm going world wide with Shadows.

Okay, yes, technically I am already world wide with Shadows @ LuLu but I'm going to be even more accessible in a few weeks time. Why and how? I qualified for a free distribution package (it was always out of my price range), which means my book will soon be available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and will be listed in the Bibliographic Database. Because the book now has its own ISBN number.

This doesn't mean I'll sell more books but it does mean there's more chance of people stumbling across it. Heck, I don't care if I don't sell a single copy - the fact that I'll be on Amazon is exciting enough! The fact that there's a possibility of people seeing it and liking it and purchasing it is also extremely exciting, of course, but you know me: I write cos I have to and not for profit.

The book won't be available for about six-eight weeks so there's plenty of time to wait yet. But as soon as it's there I'm sure I'll post time and time again with giddy excitement.

Labels: books, self-publishing, shadows, writing

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After all that serious talk about life and the future, let's get back to something much more fun: sex.

Now, you know I'm on The Pill but because because we also use condoms as well. Because they're not needed for protection, as such, anymore, we've started using all kinds of different ones to see which ones feel the best. This month I saw this ad:



Says the porn stars love it so why wouldn't we, right? ;) I'll have to let you know. So far I haven't been overly impressed with the supposedly amazing-feel condoms on offer.

We tried the Love Condoms, which were meant to be the thinnest you could find. They were not at all lubricated so not much fun from my side, and from the male perspective Ray said he couldn't feel a thing. Pleasuremax: I could feel the ridges and dots when I was putting the thing on but once inside? Nothing. Same for him.

So we've stuck with the ones that feel the best for the both of us, funnily enough the first style of condoms I ever bought, Durex Elite. I can't say enough good things about them: they feel good for both of us, well lubricated, nice fit. All good. Seriously, we should have stocks and shares in these condoms! I know they're a little more expensive than the old favourite Extra Safe, but if you have another form of protection then these ones are really no fun anymore.

Any good condom recommendations? They don't have to be Durex, although I've just realised they do seem to be a favourite of mine. As long as they give good fit, lubrication and a natural feel then I'll be happy :)

Labels: condoms, sex, shopping

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My ambition in life is a simple one. It's been the same one pretty much all my life. It was intensified through my later teen years and I've been obsesseddriven to making it a reality ever since.

All I want is to meet the man I love (check), marry him, buy a house together and fill it with lots of children and animals and love.

Now that ambition does not sit well with feminists. Does not sit well with teachers in school. Does not sit well with women who feel they were forced to live that life yet always wanted more. But to me that is more. That is everything I want.

I was talking last night, just throwing out words to see how they sounded, see where my mind was at. And I just came to realise that that's not what a woman of twenty-five is meant to wish for. I'm meant to want a fulfilling, busy career, which pays me heaps of money so I can go out drinking every night, and buy shoes with the rest of it. I'm not meant to want to save for the future, to make tentative life plans about wanting a house in the country and neighbours close to my age who I can go for drinks down the local pub with, meet up with outside the school gates and be happy with that life.

Have I just been told the wrong things by the teachers in school and the adults in my life? Is it just me or does the media tilt everything in favour of frivulous single life, while painting the family life as boring? And why does it do that? Why can't you mix both and enjoy both? I don't intend on giving up my social life, my youth, just because I've fallen in love and want to get married to that person.

I count myself lucky in that I had two young parents who devoted their lives to me and my siblings in their own ways. Daddy always provided for us financially, with trips out at the weekend to teach us things about life, and Mammy always provided love and fun and games and food. But that didn't stop them going out and enjoying themselves, having friends over, getting drunk. My childhood home was always filled with laughter and friends. And boy did my parents argue when they wanted to. And it was real life and it was emotional but always, always fun. I want that. I don't want the career and the bags of money. I just want laughter and babies and family life. And I want that life to be as fun for my children as it was for me.

Labels: children, daddy, family, life, love, mammy, marriage, work

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