Do something new every year

I like the idea that you should try something new every year.  Karen got back from yoga yesterday and told me about kendo classes in the local sports centre.  Now, this looks great, BUT, they practise Tuesday, Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings.  Tuesday and Sunday are out, as that's climbing wall days.  At the moment, Thursday IS ok, but the karate club I'm in is a Wednesday lunchtime and Friday night, and run by a researcher, who only has 8 months left.  If she leaves, then she wouldn't be able to run the Wednesday, and if she has to move for work then the Friday night could be over, meaning......that I'd have to go to the Whiteinch club we're affiliated with, and it's on.....a Thursday.

So, I'll leave it this year, see how things pan out with the karate club, and possibly give it a go next year.

There's a part of me that is screaming out to me to de-clutter.  I find this incredibly hard to do so, as I am a hoarder.  I used to have a bag full of old tour shirts from the 80's when I started going to gigs.  Now, these t-shirts were pretty much all medium.  My build means I now wear XL.  I could wear L, but I find them a little tight under the arms.  Anyway I struggled with myself for months before getting rid of them, but the charity shops benifited at least.

The problem now is that I've a pile of football shirts from countries I've visited (Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal), and I don't even like football.  Every country seems to be a bit footie daft, and it's a cheap (usually) souvenir of a trip, but - and here's the rub - I don't think I've ever worn any of them, so they are jsut lying un a drawer takin gup space.

My head says "Charity shop" but I've having a real problem letting go.  There's more than the footie shirts, but that's the best example.

Pretty much accepting the new level of suck that is work.  On a cheerier note, I'm of to the theatre tonight to see Fiddler on the Roof.  Before that we're going for some Japanese, and before THAT, I've been instructed to sit in the pub until K arrives.  Doesn't get much better than that :-)

I'm toying with the idea of having a teetotal March.  I want to raise my fitness level and lose a little gut, so it can't hurt, although, it might not make any significant difference as I don't really drink much anyway.  I can but see.

Had an enoyable weekend doing nothing.  I jsut basically vegged out and caught up on the last of Season 1 of True Blood, which was pretty cool.

While it's good to get away from work and do something else, it's also good to occasionally do absolutely nothing but veg out.

Just heard a song on the radio that I've not heard in ages.  The lyrics just resonate so much with me. Marillions' Script for a Jester's Tear will always give me goosebumps and make me maudlin.

Today was the complete opposite of yesterday.  Just before lunch I get an email from my line managed sent to myself and a collegue asking for a plan for a new layout and new furniture for my room.  The furniture in here is about a year old, so I asked him why new furniture was being bought and he said for the new people coming into the room !  Now, I'm only the person occupying the room, a little warning that the occupancy was going to go past the three it's currently laid out for would be nice. 

Oh, and BTW, where exactly are you going to put them, as the last remaining wall is a glass partition.  How exactly are you going to put the trunking for the power and network cables along a glass partition?

I've said I want moved out.

I was on the recieving end of a random act of kindness today, when one of the lecturers in work, who was in front of me in the queue for coffee, waited till I'd ordered, told the girl to make it large, and paid for it.

Things like that restores my faith in humanity.

SIXTY-ONE NAILS

There's a quote on the cover of Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevedon, calling it the "Neverwhere for the new generation."  This is true, but the book is oh so much more than a mere Neverwhere clone.

The story follows the exploits of Naill.  Divorced and living a crummy life of work, home, sleep, work, his life is thrown into turmoil when he "dies" on the platform while waiting for a tube, and is rescucitated by an old woman who turns out to be one of the Fayre.  She explains to Naill that he is in fact a half-breed, part fayre, part human, and that there are seven fayre courts.  Six of which bred with humans to continue the bloodline, and the seventh - the Untainted - which refused to, and withdrew, promising to return and restore the land to the way it was before humans.

When he "died" one of the Untainted tried to enter his body, and she managed to prevent it.  Unfortunately they were now aware of his existance and the fact he's a mongrel.

With the Untainted trying to kill him, and also cross back into this world, Naill and his saviour discover that the only thing keeping the barrier up that prevents the Untainted from carrying out their wish is an ancient ritual, that is carried out once a year.

The battle is on for Naill to stay alive and with the help of his saviour - Blackbird - to ensure the ritual takes place and the barrier held intact.

Sixty-On Nails is an absolute page turner.  It's one of those books you really don't want to end.

The comparison to Neverwhere is only accurate in that it IS and urban fantasy, and it IS taking place in a world hidden beneath/behind our own, that we might just glimpse, but never see.

Highly recommended.