What an odd week I have had. Let’s rewind and cover all the bases. Apologies in advance for length…

Thursday, 21st
I swapped Thursday with Friday at work so I actually had a lovely day off. I know I went into town [Boots to book an eye appointment, the library, Lush for more face lotion and got some very nice foot lotion at the same time*]. According to my ‘to do’ list from Wednesday/Thursday I also mowed the lawn, made bread and washed two batches of laundry. Then as you know, we went studio cycling.

Sweet lord it was difficult. I fancy myself a fairly competent cyclist, I’ve been riding to work for over five years and I cycle to run my errands and everywhere in between. However, I don’t stand up while I do it and I don’t always run into ‘little hills’. As far as I can tell studio cycling is spin cycling, darkened room with fancy coloured lights flashing away and person at front with microphone encouraging us to ‘go faster’ and ‘stick together’. I did the entire session as instructed, but I can’t say I’m in a hurry to go back again. My wrists and my back would complain.

* I’ve become sort of creeped out by the products I use every day. When I do my lotion routine, I now have my fancy face one, fancy foot one and an all over body one. I’m also putting on Chap Stick and deodorant and depending on what I’m getting up to I might even put perfume on. This is excluding all my washing products and my make-up [only eye liner, mascara and lip liner]. I like all of my products though so I doubt I’ll take any steps to reduce the amount.

Friday, 22nd
Went to work, had a lovely quiet day since everyone except A was out of the office. New office is a god send, adore the space, love having a shorter commute. I have managed to make myself paranoid about the reduction in cycling time, I used to take 30-35 minutes each way. I’m now more like 15-20 minutes. So I have been investigating alternate routes home, with a goal of hitting 30 minutes. In the morning I’m all for the shorter journey, so this is my compromise. There is a dirt track between the hospital and a neighbouring village, so I’ve been taking that. It is so much more enjoyable, there is no car traffic, there are wide open green spaces all around and I get to walk over a train track which is an adventure. It takes about 25 minutes, but I’m trying different ways to get that extra five.

Doodle was here when I got back, we had an okay sort of practice. I was all tense I think from working and the excitement. I tend to get rather worked up. So I wasn’t singing well and they both felt they weren’t doing 100% either, so we begged off a little early. The next morning we did do some more work and we were more on the ball.

Saturday, 23rd
We went to see Clerks II and oh my god! It was so good! I love all of Kevin Smith’s films and this is no exception. It was everything I could have hoped for and more! I love the dialogue Kevin writes, it is almost musical to me. I’m a regular reader of his website for this reason. If you haven’t seen the film yet, go go go!

We did have plans to grab quick lunch and go to An Inconvenient Truth after that, but Clerks II went on longer than we were expecting and we missed the starting time and the next one wasn’t for two hours. So we went on home. Weasel and I had a mild argument and ended up rooting out some deeper issues and within an hour we were back to ourselves. I think we’re much better at communicating with each other and we are getting on better now than we ever have before. It is wonderful. We went and got some ear guards and goggles for Weasel to wear while she used our new hedge trimmer. The hedge looks 100x better, we have a huge section at the back of the garden that needs cleared out still, but we are making progress.

We finally managed to play two games of Settlers then too. Weasel’s been working a lot of overtime trying to get a project finished on time. Her whole team is giving their all. Hopefully after the launch she’ll be able to relax and have more quiet time.

Sunday, 24th
Gym first thing. Nicer weather this week so more people. We ended up using one of the studios for our ball exercises since the ladies gym and the stretching area were full. Unfortunately, I was feeling a little under the weather all day and very sluggish. By the end of the day my throat felt very spiky.

Monday, 25th
I woke up with a very sore throat. I gathered my throat lozenges and went off to work. Turns out R had been ill all weekend so I suspected I got it from him. Anyway, a few weeks ago, Weasel and I read in the Independent that the reason flu was so prevalent in the winter was not because it was cold and everyone was packed together in close quarters, but rather because everyone was indoors so much we didn’t get enough vitamin D.

So Weasel went out and got us some and I took two when I got home. I also had my usual lemon, honey and cinnamon throat comfort drink and two paracetamol. As said here, I had a fever too. So I went to bed early. When I woke up on Tuesday I felt fine.

As I recall, Tuesday was pretty standard so I won’t expound. However, I should mention more about my vitamins. As you all know, I’ve been reading loads of health and diet books, having had much advice, I decided to up the vitamins and supplements I was taking. So I added vitamin E, a vitamin B complex and an oil pill [has fish oil, olive oil and evening primrose oil]. Anyway, after taking these four three days I felt like a completely different person. I actually have energy. I have been so tired for so long I’d forgotten what not being tired felt like. I am still adjusting to it, out of this world.

Wednesday
Went to the gym in the morning. Came home, found that my first assignment had been ‘graded’ and returned. I apparently need to add a few more sentences, she seems positive about what I’ve done so far though. Huge relief. I need to re-read it properly and put it in context, but I’m pleased.

I then had a shower, ate foods and then Weasel and I got on the 12:15 to London. We made our way to the 20 Years of Rock Photography as shown in Q Magazine. I was a little disappointed. I’d gone hoping to see poster size versions of all the images. Alas this was not the case. In 1993 [I think] they had a photo shoot with Tori, Björk and PJ Harvey and I so wanted to see a massive version of it. It was still interesting and I’m glad we went.

Since that only took a few minutes, we then made our way to Knightsbridge and Harrods to partake in lovely doughnuts. With our extra time we took in the 3rd and 4th floors. So much gorgeous furniture, antique clocks and wonderfully comfortable sofas. It definitely made us wish we had more money. There was a gorgeous vanity, only £7,250. I want a vanity for our dressing room, but I was thinking more in the region of £200-£300.

At this point I was starting a headache and suffering from sensory overload. There is always too much too look at, too many people in too little space when I go to London. We made it back to Kings X in plenty of time, got a pasty and a milkshake to cheer us up and waited for the 16:15. To distract myself from my sensory overload, I decided to read my book. My headache didn’t appreciate this and by the time we got back to Cambridge I was in a lot of pain. I have never had a headache that was that painful. I got some paracetamol with codeine, took a long hot shower, then laid in the dark for a half hour or so. I felt really strange for the rest of the evening.

I didn’t help this by watching Wednesday night TV on Channel4. We started with How Clean is Your House? Where I got to be disgusted by the conditions some people are willing to live and feel 100x better about the state of my home. This was followed by You Are What You Eat, again I got to be disgusted by the conditions some people are willing to live with and feel 100x better about the state of my body. After that was the finale of Ian Wright’s Unfit Kids. It was really moving seeing how those kids feel and how much they’d improved. It was upsetting to see how unwilling the government are to change things for the better. Everyone and their dog is upset about childhood obesity at the moment and as far as I can tell they just like to talk about it, no one is willing to change the situation.

Unfortunately, all of this combined meant Horatio got picked on somewhat when we spoke on the phone afterward. Thankfully he is a resilient sort and he handled me beautifully.

Which brings us to Today. Horatio and I have officially been together for four years! I’m so happy I get to see him tonight on the actual day. Unfortunately, because of uni he isn’t getting here until after 10, but better late than never! So I’ve been cleaning and trying to relax since I got home from work.

Waiting for me when I got home was my anniversary present! Tori Amos – A Piano The Collection. It is stunning! The box is so cleverly done and there is a hard bound mini-biography inside with some photos I haven’t seen before. I’m nearly finished listening to the first of the five discs. I’m sooo happy. So much love for Tori. I’m very excited to hear the new tracks, Zero Point, Take Me With You, Walk to Dublin, Not David Bowie, Ode to My Clothes, Dolphin Song, Peeping Tommi, Fire-eater’s Wife/Beauty Queen and proper version of Merman! Love love love!

Phew, that’s enough for now I think!

I have a cold. I think I have/had a fever too.

Wednesday is giving me the fear when I think about it too much. It isn’t complicated, I’m just not used to doing much of anything. Going to the gym first thing as usual, then home for food and a shower. Weasel and I will then go to London to take in a rock photography display at a gallery, nip over to Harrods for doughnuts then come home. I pushed grocery delivery back to show between 7 and 9… it should all be fairly painless. But anything outside my normal routine means I get to fret about it. Next Wednesday should be even more fun! Gym again first, an eye appointment at 11:30, grocery delivery and dentist at 3:50. Fret fret fret.

I am the tired.

I’m going to my first ‘studio cycling’ class tonight, we need to leave at 18:30. I was getting all worked up because it was 17:20 and I managed to not notice the 17 part of it, instead thinking I only had 10 minutes to get ready.

I shall now re-read some chunks of the Literotica forum I skimmed over before and make myself relax. Grumble.

Shiny new layout woo.

It helped me re-affirm my dislike of Internet Explorer too. Woo. I needed to see how things looked without an active login and instead of logging in an out of Firefox loads I decided to use IE. The links on the right – there should be a space between the last link of one category and the title of the next and there’s not. On my Cunning Linguists page, there should not be a white box around my radio buttons. If anyone knows of any quick ways to fix those please let me know. Also let me know if you find something that looks odd please refresh at least twice before commenting.

Weasel and I went to the gym this morning, it was a bit misty outside so happily there were not that many people were there. We got our workout done in record time. We also bit the bullet and signed up for the 19:00 studio cycling session at the gym on Thursday. Not sure what the difference between studio cycling and spin cycling is, sure we’ll find out soon enough. Thought I’d take the chance to peak in on the fitball class to see if I could do it. It is marked as level two, but I have no idea what that means.

When we got home, we watched a 1979 cartoon version of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe overly a leisurely breakfast. It was the one I watched growing up and managed to find a DVD of it in the States last Christmas.

We went to the store to get some ground rice so I could make English muffins. They look amazing. We tasted the runt of the batch while cooking dinner and they are very tasty! I am very pleased with how they turned out and we will be making them again. I never knew they were fried until I went to make them.

On Friday I went into work to help with the office move. I didn’t get up until 8:10, then had breakfast with two episodes of South Park. After that I realised I should have checked my text messages earlier. Apparently they wanted to meet me at the office at 9:45. So I very quickly got myself put together and managed to get there just before 10 – none of the others were there yet. Anyway, three car loads later we were moved in. The new offices are very shiny, loads of space and the commute home afterward was only 15 minutes. I’m taking my camera with me tomorrow so I’ll share some photos later.

We went to see Weasel’s parents yesterday, lovely time as usual. Taught Mal how to play Settlers of Catan. The game is very different with four people, more bartering happens and the competition for space is fiercer. Very enjoyable, hopefully we’ll get to play again.

Horatio is back from France. Happily, he was able to stop in and see me on his way home. Weasel was by the door when he arrived so he didn’t ring the bell. I was engrossed in a computer game and didn’t see him come in. Then I had an arm around me that I thought was Weasel’s and when I turned to ask her something I saw him instead.

We only had about 10 minutes together. It’s funny the way I cope with missing people, I tell myself repeatedly that I’m okay without them. That they could leave forever and it wouldn’t be that bad. Then I see them, touch them and I know that all the people I miss would be so badly missed that I would have to shut the emotions off. I missed him so much. I know I only see him once a month [ish] anyway, but we speak on the phone for ages every night. Having him gone was strange and hard, but I coped in my usual way, only to be proven wrong yet again.

I miss all my Mom and Dad, I miss Horatio when I’m with Weasel and Weasel when I’m with Horatio. I miss the family dog, I miss my sister, I miss Brett, Chris and Dustin. I have had to turn it all off just so I could live my life here.

Cycling home from the gym today, I wondered if part of the reason I have so few memories of my childhood was because I blocked it out like everything else that was untouchable. I can’t see my grandma, I can’t go to my home town’s mall… maybe because I couldn’t replay shared memories I didn’t prioritise their keeping.

But that wouldn’t explain my current lack of memory. Just another thing I try not to think about.

I had my body analysis today [from Mark], I’m about a stone over the acceptable limit. I knew that, so no surprise there. I’m tired of thinking of diet and exercise so much. I need to see my GP and get a dietician referral. I want so much for someone to say eat X for breakfast, Y for mid-morning snack, Z for lunch etc. I don’t understand all the subtle ways food works, like if you’re going to eat fruit sugars, eat it with some protein. That’s all well and good as a sentence, but then I have troubles remembering which bits count as proteins. Then there’s the Glycemic Index to consider… I just have trouble putting everything I’ve read in order.

One thing the chat with Mark did bring up is that mixing up the cardio and weights is better for fitness and weight loss. I didn’t know that. So I did it today in a cycle of 10 minutes of cardio then two weight machines. Not only was the workout a little easier, but I also haven’t felt completely exhausted. I can’t remember the last time I came home from the gym and still had some energy. So today I’ve managed to walk up to buy some salad fixings and fruit stuff for Weasel and I, got some hardcore practice time in with some of our songs, I finished one book and started two others. I made bread. And I don’t even have a headache! I have had a headache after the gym for ages. I’m thinking of signing up for the spin classes on Thursday evenings as well.

My little Weasel went to the gym during her lunch break and she’s fallen asleep on the sofa. Bless her. Think I’ll go get us some dinner put together.

Fun with e-mails today. One from my tutor – she’s on holiday until the end of the month so I won’t know what she thought of my work until then. Meanwhile, I get to post my assignment form to her and keep working.

One from my Mom telling me she’d ordered one of my Christmas presents and it should be arriving soon. Weasel is to keep an eye out for it and check that it has everything and works. Then she will re-seal it and I’ll get a surprise for Christmas.

Had a lovely chat with Blanketgirl today, we’re writing a book together so we discussed some plans for that. Shoe lost her first tooth last week and was so delighted with the letter from the Tooth Fairy that she’s been sleeping with it. She also got $1 for her pains. I ripped all of my Depeche Mode CDs last week so I could share them with Blanketgirl later on and I keep thinking of other things I want her to see. Like all my Depeche Mode DVDs, Spaced, Eddie Izzard [she's only ever seen Dress to Kill]… we need to live closer together. Our running gag is that we’ll move to Canada when the rest of the world crawls up its own ass.

4chan very often has little pictures I love. For example, this Picture Unrelated… this one showed up and I giggled over it for like two days and decided not to save it. I don’t like to fill my hard drive with endless things that have no point. Anyway, I couldn’t forget about it. I even went as far as making a request for it to no avail. Then happily, a few weeks ago someone re-posted it and I saved it this time. Now every time I get something that I mull over for a few days and can’t decide, I end up saving it just in case. For example, the Reveal Your Secret pig is just so cute. This one makes me laugh every time, and so does this one… I’m stopping now.

Bands I would like to see, but are not because money is being used elsewhere: Placebo, Tool and Tenacious D. I am comforting myself with thoughts of seeing Imogen Heap yet again in October. Happily, she’s playing locally so no travelling to London for me, hooray!

The boy might be stopping by tomorrow on his way home. He has olive pesto [aka tapenade according to R] for me! I love olive pesto on sandwiches. Yum! This will hopefully make the next two and a bit weeks easier to bear. We’ll see each other again on the 29th [or 28th if uni is amenable] and celebrate four lovely years together.