In Seattle we used to go to Long Beach (or even the Olympic Peninsula) at least three times a year so I could get my orgone levels charged by the sea air. I'm off to give this a try with the English ocean; see you on Sunday!

It has been a right crap day for me right up until about 5 PM. Fortunately I had a show on so there was hope to distract me. Last Seen distracted but did little else; it was quite a limp fish and only mildly redeemed itself by being both cheap and short.

The good news is, tomorrow after work we're heading off to Scarborough for a long weekend courtesy of the_same_sky, who's given us keys to a house there. Yay! And she's someone we met off LJ, too. Hurray for the internet creating real connections with people. And thank you to everyone for the consolation messages today. I can't tell you how happy I am that I am having a three day weekend and that it starts at 5 PM tomorrow.

As a person with a strong temper and a big mouth, I found this article in the New York Times very interesting.

"The adult brain expends at least as much energy on inhibition as on action, some studies suggest, and mental health relies on abiding strategies to ignore or suppress deeply disturbing thoughts — of one’s own inevitable death, for example."

But then: "Perverse impulses seem to arise when people focus intensely on avoiding specific errors or taboos. The theory is straightforward: to avoid blurting out that a colleague is a raging hypocrite, the brain must first imagine just that; the very presence of that catastrophic insult, in turn, increases the odds that the brain will spit it out."

I am doomed, I tell you. But I sure feel my brain sweating through keeping my mouth shut, even though I so frequently don't.

Wow, I was completely off of the internet last night. I went to the pub, celebrated payday with a curry, then went home and read Saturn's Children for an hour.

How did that happen? It's like forgetting to brush my teeth or eat, almost.

I am tired this afternoon. It might have been from all of the iced tea I had yesterday afternoon after our big steak dinner, though I'd expect the cider would have slowed me down enough for later.



It might be because I haven't been to the gym in two weeks - my membership has expired and I don't really feel like spending £99 for two months of gymming. Last week I was happy not to have it as the AC at LA Fitness is NOT very good and I expected I would have fallen over dead from heat exhaustion if I'd gone in.

But today it's nice and cool and after going to the doctor and discovering I'm at an all-time weight high and my blood pressure is up, it seems like it would be a very good thing to be getting some exercise today (and tomorrow, and the next day). But I just missed on getting a deal for £75 for THREE months and I don't want to sign up for the outrageous terms just described.

It seems, in fact, that all of the energy I have in my body can be described as "just about enough to look at adorable pictures of baby hedgehogs" (and then make a new user icon out of them).

Schedule: tomorrow Time and the Conways (for only £10, no, really, join us if you'd like), then Last Seen at the Almeida Theatre's Summer Festival (join us for that too if you'd like, we're going to the 7 PM one), then off to Scarborough for a lovely weekend courtesy of the_same_sky. I think it will be a nice week overall.

At the doctor's this AM for my first checkup at the new office. Blood pressure is 145/95 - too high. And I've put on 7 pounds in a month. I'd suspect 3 of them was just from the steak last night. It's nice having a grill again.

I realized that all of my friends here have attached spiderweb-thin lines to my heart, and when I think of leaving London, I can feel them tugging on me. I'm pinned like Gulliver, each thread helping the other. I want to bike by the Duwamish again, spend the Fourth at kingrat's watching fireworks over Lake Union, kayak along the rich waters of the sound, but when I think of leaving, of leaving these people behind, it hurts.

Can someone own up to sending me "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks? It was mailed from Idaho, air mail, at a cost of some $10. Someone wanted me to have this but there's no card or note inside.

Anyone?

Well, here it is a Saturday and I'm sitting around the house by myself. Now, I've got an invite to go to Streatham - which I may likely take up - but I also have an utterly filthy house and hair looking so bedraggled I really must get it dyed up. So despite the numerous things I might be doing today (it's open day at Kensal Green and that looks great, too), I have a feeling I'm going to 1) do my hair 2) do the dishes 3) fall asleep. We'll see. I'm going clubbing tonight so I want to not work super hard during the day today, though, really,w hen you look around the house at the mess it's clear I do need to really make an effort.

Also, J got a tank for the grill he inherited last weekend, and has filled it with gas, and we're now set to spend the rest of the summer grilling in the backyard. I've anticipated this by buying nice steaks. YUM.

And for those of you who are wanting to do the cheap theater thing, the National is selling tickets for Time and the Conways for £10 (details here). J and I are going Tuesday if you'd like to go with us.

Okay, off to touch up the dye now!

This has been one of the best weeks in memory. It got off to a great start with a weekend of tremendous lazing about in the garden of my flat, then progressed to (Monday) ballet at lunchtime, being taken out to dinner with shadowdaddy and fed prodigious quantities of white wine, (Tuesday) more dance at lunch, going to a hysterical show with J, wechsler and booklectic at which more white wine was thrust upon me, (Weds) picnic in the park over lunch (my gym membership has expired so laziness has been thrust upon me) then skipping Pilates (Y too hot) in favor of yummy Italian food and red wine, (Thursday) a day in training but NOT at the office, which meant done much earlier, then the evening being fed food and watching True Blood (WOW was there a lot of sex - never watched a cable TV series before), and then today, when lunch was spent chatting with sniperi and dinner will be visiting an American friend of a friend and then watching some ballet (I scored tickets to a sold out show after hitting f5 every ten minutes - yay!).

And I got a package in the mail nearly every day. For some reason I've got a book from Idaho which normally I'd think was an Amazon order, only it's not a book I bought. Has anyone sent me any books lately? If I find out this one is from my mother in law, it's heading straight to the charity shop.

I've whiled away the afternoon fixing automation, wondering about accomodations in Dubrovnik, and generally getting psyched up for the weekend. I hope it goes as well as this week has. Even though it's been really warm, I'm finding there's a lot to like about this summer.

In other news, anyone noticed how quiet LJ has been lately? I come by here to see what's going on and there are tumbleweeds rolling by. I wonder if everyone's moved to Facebook and Twitter? I still don't really get FB but I've gone completely mad for Twitter.

Today I spent my time inside a building in the cool old heart of London, being trained in the use of a content management system. It's knowledge I hope to not really have to use. As I was getting through the lessons pretty quickly, I was able to spend some time writing up my review of Forbidden Broadway, which I went to see on Tuesday with J and booklectic and wechsler. It was really just a grand time and I'd like to go back.

After killing a bit more time at St. Michael's Churchyard (next to the site of the first coffee shop in London, a deliciously old part of town), I headed over to Waterloo and thence to Worcester Park, where shadowdaddy and I enjoyed a meal made by adjectivemarcus and then watched True Blood with him and booklectic and dr_d. It was a really good evening and we even made it back home before 11 PM. I want to watch some more of it soon; we only got to the middle of the second episode. But we had raspberry whirl ice cream with fresh, delicious strawberries so I thought it couldn't be seen as anything other than a great evening. This means I'm four for four this week; except for the sleep, things are definitely going well, though it's actually still running rather warm for London. Remember, there's no AC almost anywhere, even in most offices, people don't have it at home, and the tube gets up to 100 degrees and more - it was at least 95 on the Central line around noon on Monday and Tuesday, and when you're commuting for an hour it can get brutal.

I just announced to a packed lunch room that the QA resources were now going to be bid on by the various Agile teams, using "money" they'd each get based upon the value they'd been able to return to the business. Teams could sweeten the pot with offers of cookies, better working hours, camaraderie, etc. This would also apply to the DB team members, who are also in short supply.

Amusingly, it was the person who worked for me who fell for it.

Oh dear. The last two night I've been rather irresponsible.

Last night: three hour long dinner (with 5 people total). Two bottles of wine. Home 11:20.

Tonight: hysterical Forbidden Broadway at the Menier (with the Westend Whingers, who were namechecked on stage, during a song. Oh, the envy). This was followed by more white wine, poured by a lovely gentleman who was regaling me with tales of singing "I Feel Pretty" with a men's chorus in Norway. Time flew. Home at 11:15.

Ah, summer. These long days just encourage staying out too late and the heat leads to grabbing whatever beverage is at hand - too frequently something with alcohol in it.

I am, however, having rather a good time. Hope the rest of the week goes as well as these last two days have!

It's a muggy and unpleasant day today, though the office ACs managed to keep it at around 78 or so, which I can work in. I helped by dressing in linen. Unfortunately my much loved linen capris suffered some sort of catastrophic structural failure along the lines of Galloping Gertie the bridge - I can only imagine that my "wardrobe malfunction" was narrowly averted by the fact that they were lined. I guess I got four years of wear out of them.

Best part of my day so far was my field trip to St. Paul's cathedral to watch English National Ballet's School and the Central School of Ballet perform on the steps in front of the building. It was sticky outside but somehow the dancers did not pass out in the heat. I live tweeted it like a lunatic (for once I could type without worrying about irritating other people and take pictures knowing it was legal) and basically enjoyed myself quite a bit, in part because it felt a lot like playing hooky. Even better, as I was heading back to the Tube, I saw lovelybug, and I think we'll watch tomorrow's performance together.

Other things that distracted me today: four books arrived from Amazon; I'm wanting to find a hotel I can afford near Olbia so I can take a weekend holiday there that doesn't break the bank (the £80 RT fare is very attractive); and I won some very cute plate on Ebay that I need to go pay for now. And Annie Get Your Gun is looking on for October 5th and my trip to Penzance is completely sorted. So there are things to look forward to.

Speaking of which: this quote, a key element of a gorgeous illustrated article in the New York Times, is really wonderful:

"Time wastes too fast : every letter I trace tells me with what rapidity Life follows my pen ; the days and hours of it, more precious, my dear Jenny! than the rubies about thy neck, are flying over our heads like light clouds of a windy day, never to return more -- every thing presses on -- whilst thou are twisting that lock, -- see! it grows grey ; and every time I kiss thy hand to bid adieu, and every absence which follows it, are preludes to that eternal separation which we are shortly to make. --"

Now we're off to, um, kill some time before dinner, as we're meeting some people in Soho at some nice Italian joint in two hours - their treat. I think pre-show gelato and even Pimms is called for here.

1. Mice in my fridge, eating olives. ICK.
2. Trying to take my cousin, my stepdad, and lovely_bug and ciphergoth to an Indian Food dinner together. WHY?
3. The joy of catching buses in American, with two miles between bus stops, when the driver passes your stop by.
4. Talking to fun and fuzzy stuffed animals.

Bad sleep in general, unfortunately. If I'd slept better I wouldn't remember all of this crap. And I'd already be on my way to work.

OMG! I've been namechecked in the New York Times! In an article on how to travel cheaply! Because of my quick response time on Twitter! I'm shitting myself with excitement! EEEEEEE!

Yes I did write about this on Twitter also but I couldn't express my excitement properly in only 140 characters.

I'm going to get my review of the Walking in my Mind show at the Hayward written up at some point today, but I wanted to share this picture of the Intrepid Well Spotted ExplorerVane:



It was a good show and a really fun way to spend a Friday night.

The day started off nicely getting my birthday presents from my brother ... (thanks, C!) ... and then work.

I made it through an obligatory 1 hour training module on ethics or something. It was dull.

I made it to Pilates. It kicked my ass. I'd describe it but anyone who doesn't do Pilates would find it dull. (Short version: lots of exercises in the "jacknife" position, which I can't do unsupported.) It was also too hot in the gym (no AC) and I got just too warm and uncomfortable to carry on.

I have made arrangements to go to Penzance over the weekend of August 28th. Again, it would be much cheaper to go abroad (English train travel and hotel costs are VERY high), but I want to hang out with friends (esp. booklectic), and I do want to see Cornwall, so it's Penzance. I'm already practicing my Arrr.

I have bought tickets to a preview showing of Pitmen Painters at the National for Thursday, September 3rd. It seems crazy to be planning so far in advance, but I had already made plans for the 2nd.

Now it's off to the Hayward and maybe off to see the water music show at Greenwich. But I'm SOOOO tired it's hard to imagine staying out past 8 toini

Boy, I have been having way too much fun this week.

Tonight I went to see Star Trek with shadowdaddy, and we had a bit of a probalm as the theater we went to first wasn't showing it anymore. This forced us to go to a semi-nearby cinema, where we managed to get in before more than, oh, 5 minutes of the beginning.

I live tweeted the showing, since the theater was almost empty and no one could see me using my phone. It was really fun. shadowdaddy thought I was the most irritating thing on the planet. That may be true but it wasn't because of this.

My vote: Star Trek is a perfect popcorn film, of the sort I haven't seen since one of the XMen movies (can't remember which).

Anyway, I have GOT to get to bed earlier. I suspect tomorrow will be my night to actually get in bed on time.

Wow, six minutes a week is as good for building muscle as these ridiculous hours and hours most people associate with gym work? I may need to rethink my routine.

(I like articles like this because I feel like a lot of people don't like to exercise because they think it takes to much time. It's really encouraging to think that it could be easy and I want to encourage these thoughts to spread!)

I was fascinated by this article on how food has "evolved" to make it so much more difficult to control overeating. The person interviewed has just published a book called The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, and I would like to get a copy of it because it seems to delve into elements of human psychology that I personally find fascinating. How do food manufacturers make us want to eat more, even when we are full? What is the psychology (and perhaps even physiology) of hunger?

"This is not a diet book, but Dr. Kessler devotes a sizable section to “food rehab,” offering practical advice for using the science of overeating to our advantage, so that we begin to think differently about food and take back control of our eating habits.

"One of his main messages is that overeating is not due to an absence of willpower, but a biological challenge made more difficult by the overstimulating food environment that surrounds us. 'Conditioned hypereating' is a chronic problem that is made worse by dieting [emphasis mine] and needs to be managed rather than cured, he said. And while lapses are inevitable, Dr. Kessler outlines several strategies that address the behavioral, cognitive and nutritional factors that fuel overeating.( Read more... )

The article also has the most wonderful description of a Snickers bar, which, of course, has made me want to go out and get one. Evil!

(Meanwhile, Mark Bittman posts the 10 ingredient shopping list that will keep you going all week. The only problem is, er, well, it includes shrim, asparagus and mushrooms, so I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole.)