I was bored with the beige layout and it looked dreadful on my laptop, so I decided to change it to something else. I wanted something different image-wise but wasn’t sure what and as always my imagination far outweighs my graphic skills so I ended up with a simple picture of lavender. It’s one of my favourite aromatherapy scents and I always have a bottle around.

What else? Finally got around to making an appointment for new contact lenses at Boots, however since I’m a new customer I had to go through the whole trial process which is a pain in the ass. I got them fitted today and had to wander around town for half an hour until they settled before going back for a check up. I am actually seeing better than someone with 20/20 vision when I wear them but still have to go back in 2 weeks for a further check up. I haven’t had this many checks since I first got the damn things years ago. Someone at work actually got laser eye surgery done last week and I’m really envious because I’d love to be free of glasses and contacts but it costs way too much.

Speaking of work, the heating still isn’t fixed and the boiler has a huge crack in it that is leaking water everywhere. The water is in fact beginning to seep through the ceiling and into the electrics around one of the kitchens and the bathroom area. I mean surely this must be classed as a danger if the water is soaking into light fixtures and stuff? Yet we are still expected to work as if nothing is wrong. They’ll know all about it if someone gets seriously hurt….

I’ve been feeling down the past few weeks and I don’t really understand why so I’ve been putting it down to January blues. I really don’t feel like working and the year just seems like such a long, boring stretch ahead. I guess I just get bored of doing the same old thing day after day. I get up, go to work, come home, go to bed and then repeat the same thing the following day - it just gets tedious. I know I should be grateful I have a steady, reliable job but there are days when I really resent how much time it takes out of the week, leaving little time for anything else.

Now that I’m using my laptop more often, I’ve decided it’s finally time to say goodbye to my desktop. It’s about 8 years old now, possibly more, and it really has done me proud over the years but it is very slow and really can’t cope with a lot of the up-to-date software. I can’t even get iTunes to work properly. The only reason I was putting off the inevitable was because I need two DVD drives, one set on R1 and the other set on R2, and nothing available would convert my laptop drive to a multi-region. So, I solved that particular problem by buying a second hand external DVD-RW on ebay which works a treat with my laptop so I can still screen cap in either region. So, I’m going to move all my stuff over to the laptop and start pulling the old one apart.

My main goal for 2006 is to start eating more healthy and to lose some weight because it is starting to make me unhappy. I’ve always been a naturally slim person but I developed a bad habit of comfort eating whenever I felt down so I really need to address this issue. I’m not setting myself unrealistic goals because I have a wicked sweet tooth and if I cut everything out, I’ll just end up bingeing on chocolate by the end of the week.

So, the present goal is to drink more water, cut back on dairy products and start doing some yogalates. I’ve already substituted soya milk in my cereal in the mornings and I actually quite like it because I don’t get the same bloated feeling I usually get with cow’s milk. Apparently, dairy products are very bad for mucous production and cutting back on it should also help with my hay fever. If you want to be put off cow’s milk, do a search online and read about the bacteria and hormones that are present and you will never touch it again.

Now, I’m already a vegetarian so I have to be careful that I’m getting all the correct vitamins, minerals, etc, and make sure I find suitable substitutes. I adore cheese and yoghurt so this isn’t going to be easy for me but if it works, it will be so worth it. I’m not going to deny myself totally either, if I fancy a tub of bio-yoghurt instead of the soya stuff - then I will eat it occasionally.

Next goal, is to cut back on the sweet craving which is going to be the hardest of all.

A challenge from Chelle

Three names I go by:
1. Caledonia
2. Tracey
3. Auntie

Three screen names I have had:
1. tsarina
2. laeriel
3. bonniescot

Three physical things I like about myself:
1. lips
2. hair
3. nails

Three physical things I don’t like about myself:
1. bust
2. thighs
3. tum

Three parts of my heritage:
1. Scottish
2. English
3. My surname is French but it must be very far back in my family tree cos I haven’t found it yet.

Three things that scare me:
1. spiders
2. water (as in drowning)
3. people

Three of my everyday essentials:
1. contact lenses
2. lip balm
3. computer

Three of my favourite musical artists:
1. Bon Jovi
2. U2
3. George Michael

Three of my favourite songs:
1. Careless Whisper - George Michael
2. Always - Bon Jovi
3. With or Without You - U2

Three things I want in a relationship:
1. Trust
2. Love
3. Passion

Three LIES: (I’ve told)
1. It wasn’t me!
2. Yes, I really love working with you!
3. I love you!

Three TRUTHS:
1. I have anxiety attacks
2. I’m anti-social
3. I don’t believe in marriage

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to me:
1. eyes
2. hands
3. butts

Three of my favourite hobbies:
1. crafting
2. genealogy
3. websites

Three things I want to do really badly now:
1. go on holiday
2. lose weight
3. be happy

Three careers I’ve considered:
1. Editor
2. Teacher
3. Writer

Three places I want to go on vacation:
1. New York
2. Vancouver
3. San Francisco

Three kid’s names I like:
1. Natalie
2. Nicholas
3. Eilidh (pronounced Ay-lee) (Gaelic)

Three things I want to do before I die:
1. See U2 in concert
2. Buy my own home
3. Be content with who I am

Three ways that I am stereotypically a boy:
1. I love geeky gadgets!
2. I hate being dragged round the shops!
3. Burp? Oh, yeah, with the best of them

Three ways that I am stereotypically a girl:
1. I have long hair which I refuse to cut
2. I love painting my nails. esp with glitter
3. I have PMS right now! Damn it!

Three celebrity crushes:
1. Orlando Bloom
2. Sebastian Spence
3. Drew Fuller (very, very recent girlie crush)

Three people that I would like to see post this:
1. Alx
2. Shauna
3. Gillian

I don’t consider myself much of an art lover but one of the biggest regrets of my life is my complete lack of artistic talent. I’m afraid when the artistic genes were being given out - my brother got them all and the most annoying thing is he *never* uses his talent. Now, I’m quite a crafty person - I make all my own greeting cards and I do things like cross-stitch and you can’t imagine how annoying it is not to be able to do all the designs I have in my head. I need someone to invent a device that transfers art direct from my brain! So, in my latest quest for artistic skill, I’ve decided to learn calligraphy because I thought it would look cool on my cards. I haven’t started yet but I’m looking forward to trying.

I also got 2 new books: Nene Thomas and Favole Book 1 by Victoria Frances.

Nene Thomas’ fantasy art is so beautiful!