the size of the creeps in Clapham

Honestly, I am so creeped out by all the bugs in our house!! And I sincerely hope that the spiders at my new place (there will be some, I am a realist) are at least smaller than the ones we have. Encountered one on Sunday that broke current records (as in, biggest I've ever seen *and* simultaneously biggest found in my room). I guess I was lucky - I was getting my IKEA bag out from under the bed to fetch my laundry in the bathroom, and while standing next to the washing machine I noticed something moving and dumped it in the bath. Huge! beastly creature (about 7cm, I estimate, with thick body!), and I even felt a wee bit guilty about killing it. I managed to finally unfreeze enough to realize I could just flush it - but it was so big it took at least a full three or four minutes before it was squashed and folded enough to go down the drain. Iiih. Couldn't stop shaking for at least half an hour.

Also last night as I was brushing my teeth in the hallway (yes, I am a walk-and-brush kinda girl), I was noticing I couldn't spot the spider currently webbing all over the ceiling over the stairs. I idly speculated that it may be able to get into my room, went into the bathroom to spit, and promptly found it - climbing in my hair. Yey.

On another note, have I mentioned I'm moving? If not, I am, to Clapham, very soon! I'm off to Sweden for a week on Saturday and as soon as I'm coming back I'll have to start hauling my shit roughly a 90 degree turn in London, from North West to direct South. It has a freezer, a living room, *and* a kitchen with a really cute table and chairs (so many options of where to hang!). Granted my room is quite small but as I shan't have to spend every waking moment in it it'll be fine. The location of Clapham is also going to get me another 15 mins of sleep every morning.
Heaven!

FYI liking pink is now OK!

...at least for women, that is...
Although I wouldn't say my family was actively feminist, a lot of opinions on the subject are held by most members of my family, and the whole 'giving pink things to girls and blue things to boys' has always really pissed me off for what should be obvious reasons.

But no more! Studies in evolution (as read on dn.se) have revealed that girls *do* like pink more, because in times long past it helped them, as gatherers (as opposed to hunters), to spot berries.

So there you go! Finally, I can admit that I do like the colour pink, and not feel like I need to make an excuse whenever I buy or pick something of this colour (and thus avoid feeling like I'm only doing it because I'm falling pray to society's constructed demands regarding my gender).

The study also revealed that both genders prefer the colour blue to most other colours. This is because, it is believed, blue signifies clear skies and good weather, which we like.

So there you go! Unless you are a guy who actually really likes pink (which apparently is not natural...), science has yet again eased your mind.

(now there's just global warming to worry about...)

pondering

Why?! when you nuke something in a cup, does it always (always!!) stop with the handle as far from the opening as possible? Without exception! I really don't think it's conforming with standard probability rates. Hmm.

Hmm

It's really not good that we have a computer in the hallway in our house, it's so easy to just stop by and be stupid.

Last night was the 2nd and official version of my team leader's leaving drinks. She has left for greener pastures (or so it would seem), making us a very dull team and one man short. Or well, one woman short, and now the balance has shifted! and if the guy who is being interviewed takes the job we will be woefully outnumbered me and R.

I am feeling a wee bit queasy today, and rightfully so, as I should be punished for drinking that much on a weekday. Oh well. My bed beckons, but there are still four hours of seemingly endless mapping to overcome. It's been a quiet couple of weeks, and I've even catched up on my back log of data entry/updating. August in London is so calm, and it's even possible to get a seat on the tube in the morning (although of course not today of all days, leaving me swaying and queasy this morning, ugh). I'm just hoping it's not gonna rain too badly this weekend, as A is coming for a visit and I get to play tour-guide. Although London has much to offer, it's still much easier to be a successful tour-guide if the sun is shining...

Otherwise my thoughts these days are mostly occupied by flat-hunting, as I'm looking for an upgrade. A living room, people to talk to in it, a working freezer and a location south of the river are my unmovable demands. Should hopefully not prove too challenging, but it is mentally draining, and having only looked at one flat (and been rejected) I am already drained of enthusiasm. However, I am determined.

Watch this space... *ahem*

drunk posting

I am drunk. And posting. Did I mention I'm drunk?

Shit.

And on a completely unrelated note...

...I'm back on the caffeine, as a doctors visit at home revealed my efforts to avoid the heinous substance had failed and I was aneamic again, as I suspected (although the last time I wasn't even vegeterian, so don't go making assumptions!). If you've never been chronically tired I hope you never will experience it, as it's kind of freaky (sleeping doesn't help and you mostly feeling like slapping yourself to wake up! which doesn't really help either).
Still, there's an easy fix in the form of a pill and as I've had little or no caffeine for the last six months I've spent a lot of time this week fabulously jittery.
It's good to be back.

Alert! Bad jokes and vegan-musings ahead

So, am back in London once more, and hotdamn! it's sweltering… Although I’m not really a heat/sun person (someone remind me why I ever moved to Spain?) after this dreadful summer it’s actually quite nice. Being back at work felt easy peasy, what was depressing was when I realised on Friday afternoon I didn’t actually want the weekend to come – even if I sleep *a lot*, it still means at least 35 awake hours spent entirely on my own. Iik. Today I feel fine though, and having internet again (after about 3 months without it in the house) does help. While the messenger/facebook/blog combo is no long-term substitution for a social life, it does mean you don’t feel completely disconnected (because you’re connected! haha! and I’ve clearly spent to much time with my father again - Holger-humour alert...).

Still, something needs to be done. Even had a look at some volunteering opportunities, but nothing seemed appealing. I’m still hoping I’m going to find accommodation with people who actually talk to each other, preferably whilst in an actual living room. While it seems like a very luxurious concept at the moment, I don’t think it’s entirely impossible to achieve.

Today I engaged in my usual ‘longish-walk/sightseeing/light shopping' trek through London. My main purchase was a vegan cookbook (and oh my gosh, my spelling program doesn’t recognise vegan! how appropriate). Not that I think I’ll ever become 100% vegan – mostly for cultural and practical reasons. Now when I was home and travelling around I experienced just how much my choices inconvenience others, which makes me really uncomfortable. My main objection to meat is the whole breeding concept – inducing life just so it can suffer in horrible conditions and then kill it and chew on it, well. I just suddenly find it distasteful. I think I will continue eating fish though, as although I try to minimise it for sustainability reasons it doesn’t really clash too bad with this reasoning.
The main hurdle I still need to overcome is completely eliminating dairy products. As I’ve found out since I became vegetarian, milk production inevitably leads to meat production as the cows (or goats for that matter), need to give birth at least once a year to keep producing milk. The males go directly to slaughter (except for a select few that can be used for breeding), and become veal. So unless I start my own farm and keep the males alive just for the hell of it, I don’t see how I could ever justify it to myself. At the moment I’m incorporating more and more soy in my diet, so most likely I will keep to that when I do my own cooking but accept dairy when I’m a guest (end of lecture!).

There is still of course the remote possibility that I will one day wake up in oblivion and with the ability to not listen to my conscience, but this seems less and less likely, and really only occurs to me when I am hungover and everyone in the office is having a bacon sawnie.