Happily Imperfect Life

Rock and Roll

A quick update on my rock and roll lifestyle.

On Monday night I spent most of the evening surfing the internet, online window shopping for new furniture and other bits and bobs.

Last night I spent some of the evening flicking through catalogues, browsing for new furniture and other bits and bobs.

Jealous, aren’t ya.

To be honest it’s fun and a little bit exciting, a new start, a clean slate and I’m only slightly bamboozling myself with all the choice out there, what is my style, when DO I buy an iPad? So many questions!

In other news, I’ve decided to vote Lib Dem, but that’s not really that important. Right?

Anyway, how the hell are you?

April 14, 2010

Virtual Shopping

I’m the worst person in the world when it comes to buying big ticket items as I find myself lost in endless loops of reviews, recommendations, better options, different options, cheaper deals, discounts and before long I start to lose interest and end up just not buying something or, more often than not, I end up just buying ‘something’ which may or may not actually be the best option.

A friend of mine once commented on this when she asked for some advice on which mobile phone she should buy next, stating “I know you like to research these things a lot”.

Which at face value is true but, as it turns out, isn’t really true at all.

Funny how that happens. A lot.

See it’s not that I enjoy the researching process, it’s more than I’m scared to make a decision. Scared to decide that, yes, I WILL buy a Mac Mini, a big hard drive and use that as my main computer because there might actually be a better, and most certainly cheaper, option out there, it’s just that I’m not aware of it.

The new car was blighted with similar rounds of research, ponderingments and other such procrastinations. Admittedly most of the big manufacturers have ‘build your own car’ style configurators on their websites, which is always fun, but ultimately pointless as you never pay full price for a car, ever.

So whilst I sit here and think about buying sofas, beds, and other living room furniture (I won’t want for bookcases but few of them match..), I veer from my desire for minimalism and style, to what I can sensibly afford, to what I can afford at a stretch and then back to wonderous items that are just beyond my price range no matter which way I cut it. So I start over, with a budget in mind and still end up with too many options.

This affliction used to blight me when shopping for smaller items, clothes and whatnot, but I conquered that part of it by only ever visiting shops that I know are within my price range and trusting my first instinct.

Things is, when it comes to the big ticket items, my first instinct is usually the most expensive. It’s not that I choose things based on price, it’s usually the last thing I look at, but I seem to have expensive tastes.

Anyway, I need to stop THIS procrastination and make a decision.

This one, or this one?

April 9, 2010

Dr. Who

I’m not a big fan of this show. I probably should be something about it just never really rang true with me in the past.

When Mr. Ecclestone took on the role I watched the first of those and, mostly underwhelmed I didn’t bother watching many others. Then Mr. Tennant came along so I thought I’d give him a shot but, again, it just wasn’t working for me.

Regardless I tuned in last night to watch.. er… wossisname take his turn as the new Doctor and, you know what, I might just tune in again next week.

It might have been that the dialogue seemed sharper (“You’re Scottish, fry something”), it might have been that I prefer wossisname to Tennant, and yes I’m willing to admit that the cute red-headed might well have swayed me (although, seriously, the kissogram outfit, was that really necessary?), but I really enjoyed the show.

So, as well as everything else going on in my life at the moment, I also have to contend with being a .. Who-ite? What do you call yourselves? But hey, it could be worse, I could be watching Caprica, ugh!

April 4, 2010

[insert title]

This is where a blog post would be if I had something I could or even wanted to post about.

There would no doubt be some sentences, maybe a little attempt at humour, a quip or a pun, there MAY EVEN BE TEXT IN CAPITALS to signify that I’m feeling slightly indignant about something, or just as a poor way to emphasis a word or point (poor because I lack the necessary vocabulary to express said point in a manner which you’d understand through lowercase text alone).

There may also be parenthesis to include additional clauses that I think help explain something I’ve just said.

There won’t be all that much text in italics.

And finally I’d try and wrap it all up, make sure I’ve not offended anyone and then go and get some dinner because I’m starving.

But, for now, I’ll just leave you with this.

I hope you have found the time and space useful.

Be happy.

Yours “doesn’t have much to say but can’t NOT say anything”

Gordon

March 31, 2010

The long wait

Travelling back from London last week, I landed at Glasgow on time so knew I had 30 minutes to kill until I was getting picked up. Plenty of time for a coffee and to continue reading the book that had held me engrossed for the short flight.

Seating was at a premium, but I spotted a low, comfy looking seat over by the window, across from a man who was sitting quietly, staring out the window. I enquired if the seat was taken, he assured me it wasn’t.

I sat down and, as I tipped some sugar into my coffee he turned to me and asked where I was going.

“Ohh I’m actually just back from London, just waiting on getting picked up. You?”
“I’m waiting too, my wife lands in three hours and I know I’m a bit early but I’ve not seen her three months as she couldn’t get a work permit”, he said.

And so I found myself chatting to a complete stranger about how he had travelled to China to receive treatment for a rare disease, a disease that had brought about the end of his 15 year long marriage, and how he had met and fallen for one of the nurses who had cared for him whilst he was there.

He was very open, talking about how close to death he had been, about his divorce, and about how excited he was to be seeing his new wife again. He talked with passion about China, the people and the culture, he talked with fondness about his wife, and his ex-wife, he told me about how his sons had been accepting and understanding, and the whole time he smiled.

I don’t know his name. I don’t know if his wife’s plane landed on time, I don’t know if his disease will kill him in the next few years, or whether he will out live me.

But I like to think she turned up and they are as happy as he looked that day when he was talking to me.

March 18, 2010

5 am

It’s still dark and somewhere two birds are singing, beautiful trills and chirrups fill the air.

My head is full of other things though, but then it usually is, and right now it seems to be full of random thoughts about work.

Which is why, I think, I’m awake.

I’m a bit pissed off with my brain to be honest, it knows fine well I’m not feeling well yet did everything it could to urge me from my slumber and, despite my best efforts to stay tucked up under the warm sanctuary of the duvet, an hour after wakening I decide to give up and get up.

I’m sure I’ll be fine. You only need 5 hours sleep, right?

Of course getting up at 5am signals to a certain small black cat that perhaps, maybe, there might be the possibility of, if it’s not too much trouble, and if I remind you by nibbling on your leg every 10 seconds, it might just be time to put some cat food into a bowl.

He’s two hours too early though so tough.

Instead I’ll sit here quietly, listening to the dawn symphony and ponder the beautiful things in life.

Because, frankly, TV at 5am is utterly shit.

March 17, 2010