You’re Having A Giraffe

As the title suggests I have lost my finger-clacking abilities.  June has passed me by in something of a whirl, and I feel… well, I don’t know what I feel, actually.  Reading your other blogs, it seems as if I’m not the only one.  Despite it being summer, there’s a general lethargy amongst all and it’s very hard to get up and go when your get up has gone.

I have been struggling somewhat with my stomach.  Since I returned from India, it’s very easy to say that it’s not right.  I’ve actually taken to researching my symptoms and as a result I’m going to cut gluten/wheat out of my diet.  I believe that I might be intolerant to gluten, y’see.  As I type I am bloated and I’ve had stomach pains since I woke up with them at 3am.  Unfortunately for me I’m rather fond of my wheaty-things, from lager and wheat beers through to the crackers I eat my cheese with.  Having read that those intolerant to gluten should avoid blue cheeses, I’m avidly hoping that it’s not that…

As I sit here, sipping milk and drinking water like it’s going out of fashion, my stomach keeps reminding me that it’s still bloated, and it’s still grumpy with me for today’s food.  Hey ho stomach, I’ll be the judge of what you can and can’t have…

I’ve omitted to comment on the European Championships, but of course these finished last night with my favourites Spain taking the title.  I was especially pleased to see the Arsenal boy Fabregas receiving many plaudits, and anything but the Germans to win, honestly……..

There now starts the lull of the between-season period; hopefully we will see some transfer activity for both Arsenal and Bristol City in order to forge a new squad for the coming campaign.  I am off to the Emirates to hopefully see some of the new signings (if Wenger gets his chequebook out) at the start of August in the Emirates Cup.  Other than that, we have no pre-season planned and my initial hopes of going to Blackpool on the first day of the season may be a little out of reach (financially).

The house improvement continues (and may well take precedent over a holiday at the rate it’s going) as we are commencing the decoration of our study.  It’s a nice small room to be getting on with whilst we save up to do the more important jobs, and gives me a chance to try my hand at laying a carpet…  (the more filthy minded of you will have interpreted that exactly how I expected)

However we are going to try and get away somewhere, even if it’s in the UK.  Recommendations for pretty villages with decent eateries and beaches nearby are sought; at the moment I have made tentative enquiries for a trip to Weymouth; a place my parents used to take us when I was very young.  I quite fancy a stroll down the beach and around the harbour, visiting the pubs we used to go to but actually being able to drink in them this time around!!  If monies allow then Weymouth may wait until next year sometime and an overseas trip will take place…..  (that reminds me, must sort my new passport out).

I found out on Friday that I’ve passed the Foundation stage of my ITIL exams.  Very snoozesome but should make for a base to take a few more in time.  I found the exam quite hard and ambiguous, so wasn’t sure if I’d pass… thankfully I did, with a few to spare…

… and on that rather disjointed note; I appear to have actually written something: making my title rather pointless, one feels.

Those of you who’ve ever had a hotmail email from me… I apologise.

My account’s been cloned and some rather daft email sent out around 03.15 this morning (anyone who knows me well enough knows I’m never awake at that time unless something’s seriously wrong).

I apologise if you received one; I’m unsure as to where it came from, how it happened (it appears to have nabbed my messenger contacts too and sent it to them) or - well - anything really.  Am most puzzled.

I suspect that there’ll be a change of email address at some point for Messenger (not that I use it now anyway), although I’m shying away from Hotmail more and more these days.  This just proves that I’ve made the right choice.

As I type, Accuweather’s plugin for Firefox tells me that its the above; which is why its sunny and warm outside.  Accu(rate) weather my arse.

I have a cold.  I went through the entireity of the ‘dark months’ Oct-March without a single sniffle, and I haven’t had a day off of work this year.  I intend to continue this despite currently feeling like I have a mountain of phlegm behind my eyes, pushing them out of my head.  I’m on a course for 3 days this week, which means I’ll learn very little and won’t be able to pay attention… (how useful).  However, a colleague of mine is also attending the course; which means that I will have little chance of snoozing quietly at my desk without being noticed (grr).

S’s birthday flew past with me barely noticing (my bank balance has noticed, though).  Sex & The City was viewed in the middle of the day (why does watching a film in the middle of the day make me want to go to sleep?) - and I enjoyed it.  I’m quite simple when it comes to films; rom-coms, simple not-too-thought-provoking things are what I’ll devour.  This was right up my street…

Having mentioned money, I’m going to have a whinge… when I see reports of MPs gaining ridiculous payrises and expenses allowances, I want to go and bop them on the head.  Especially when you take into the account that my dear employers haven’t agreed a “pay deal” yet; and as a result I haven’t had a payrise this year.  Well, to be more accurate I haven’t had a payrise since I joined 18mths ago.  In that time food, petrol, council tax, household fuels etc etc have all skyrocketed and I’m actually starting to struggle to pay said bills.  At the moment, my lack-of-payrise is manifesting itself as a pay decrease thanks to all those other costs.  The ol’ bank account is groaning under the weight of monthly expenses, and they’re not even decadent expenses (I don’t spend what I don’t have).  Perhaps if our wonderful powers-that-be would be so considerate to organise whatever pay agreement they’re trying to put in place… I might start to feel a wee bit better.  Grump over.

Echinacea, vitamin C and plenty of orange juice await; as does the Euro2008 second day of football.

Is it just me, or is there near-all naff on (on the tellyvizeeon)?  I spent 15 minutes flicking this evening (damn you Rupert Murdoch for sucking me into your subscription hell) to find, well… nothing.

If it’s not shite reality tv shows (Prancy Nancy and Britain’s Sorely Lacking Talent), it’s Snogs of Praise (I so thought it was called that when younger…) and Points of View.  Points of View?  As I commented to S earlier; are there really people out there who think they’re mini Mary Whitehouses, writing in to tear apart yet more of our naff TV?  Or, worse still - praising it?

My tellyvizeeon will be turned off in protest (save for use by the Wii) until something half decent appears on our screens again…

Boredom aside (yes it’s been one of those weekends), I’m flirting with work over the next fortnight, achieving 3 days in the office out of the next 10.  I’m in Mon-Tues this week, having Weds off to shop and Thurs/Fri to celebrate S’s birthday (scarily it sends her into the latter half of her twenties, which means that the end of mine is fast approaching…. eek).  Next week I dip my toes into the realms of ITIL on a 3 day course, before sauntering into work for a day (if I can manage it) and then flitting to the Good Food Show.  It’d better be, or I’ll be writing a stern letter to the Points of View equivalent for such showcases (and if there isn’t one, I’ll create one accordingly).