I'm baaaaaaack

...and where have I been, you ask? I've been on Facebook! And don't get me wrong, any of you who know me know I am still on Facebook...a LOT. But I miss my blogging days and it's kind of strange that when I've had a lot of time to write it, I've just not. Maybe I haven't been sure what to talk about, but I am today reaffirming my commitment to the blog-gods that I will update this regularly and try to be witty, giddy and wise. Or something to that effect! What prompted this return to my roots? I'm sitting at home (and logged into Facebook of course)...my friend Xenia is at her house and we are chatting (by the way, FB chat is a really sucky application, just hiccups and stalls all applications) but anyway, we're each watching Independence Day and chatting about it. I sent her a link to a past blog entry that I thought was apprapo and inspired by the movie. And I realized I used to write all the time; I would have ideas during the day and look forward to putting them in blog form.

So, let's see...holding pattern is still in effect. I'm hoping a shift is coming soon and god knows I'm putting in the effort and really trying! In the meantime, I'm thoroughly enjoying living in Ringwood; I regularly bump into people I know in town and I love my quiet, cozy little house here. But for the right opportunity, I'll absolutely relocate. One thing I've learned during my moves is you can create cozy homes anywhere...as long as the interior lighting isn't too harsh! Nobody likes THAT!

Since my last post where I mentioned a visit from Mom and Shannon, I was lucky enough to have another visit, my pop! He flew in from Vancouver (he should write a blog about that journey from hell!) and stayed with me over Christmas. We did some walking, a bit of sightseeing (he really got to know Salisbury!), lots of eating and chilling out. He was very generous with his time and presents and I am very lucky indeed to have such a loving Dad! I hope that next Christmas I will be visiting the states, hopefully getting to spend a few days in LA with friends there as well as a long visit to family and friends in Phoenix.
















Big upcoming events. Well, I will be looking forward to the Superbowl tomorrow night. Doesn't start until 10:55pm here, but I am staying up late tonight (Saturday) in the hope I can do the same tomorrow. I'm rooting for Peyton and Colts. I tell you, I can smell the testosterone when he's calling out the calls just before the snap! I'm not hugely keen on his accent but his machismo makes up for it! Bummed the Cardinals and Cowboys lost in such spectacular fashion but such is life. Last year Lucie and I stayed up to watch and the Cardinals were sooooo close! So that's on Feb 7 and then one month later to the day, I'll be in Manchester for Dave Matthews Band! I went last summer (also with Lucie, pictured in front of the band, kind of) and saw them in Wolverhampton (near Birmingham). I Facebooked our status throughout! It was so exciting and we were sooooo close. Well, WE weren't so close, but the venue was so...so intimate shall we say...that we were all so close. I hear the venue Manchester is a good one, so looking forward to it. I'll be flying in for the weekend, seeing friends etc., and then going to the concert that Sunday (March 7) with Lucie but also joining us this time will be Jill and Lesley, all soul-sisters from up north. Hopefully I can convert them to being DMB fans!

I also got the chance to see one of my oldest friends from junior high school recently. Mike was working in London so I went up to join him for dinner and isn't it great when conversation just flows, where you have similar ideas but loads of new stories to tell? I love that! It was brilliant.

Then the end of March marks my birthday. Gasp! I've been calling myself "38" for the last few months in the run up trying to force myself to accept this shocking age I shall be turning. ME? 38??? Not possible! I keep waiting to see what is going to happen when I "grow up". No idea what, if any, plans I'll have. Hopefully a dinner out with a few friends.

And a blog post wouldn't be complete without two things: an update on Abby (of course) and my recent reviews of movies/TV:

Abby: she's awesome. I could leave it there but what else can I say...she's still fit and spry and ready to rumble! She loves her country walks (sometimes just with me, sometimes we go with Nancy and all her "charges" we're like a big pack!) She is a creature of routine and I find her hop, skip and jump after I get home in the evening, after dinner, because she knows it's rawhide time! Like MC Hammer, she does her own little dance. I can also tell she's getting old, however, by her huge increase in flatulence as well as groans when she is repositioning herself on the bed, the ol' body creaks I think! I could also call her "MacGyver" because if it's possible, she can use a couple matchsticks and a deflated balloon to somehow get herself high enough to pull dirty dishes off the counter! Of course though, I adore her. She's a joy.

There is one other guilty pleasure I've recently gotten into and it's what we insiders call "DDO", which is Dungeons and Dragons Online. My sister and brother in law like to play it and they were generous enough to give me a subscription and we can meet online at the weekends and play together. I tell people who don't know it, it's like playing The Lord of the Rings! Because we have headsets and microphones we chat while online either about the quests, making jokes, sometimes catching up. What you may not know, unless you've tried it, is that time FLIES when you're on it. And as I learned the hard way, if you're trying to wind down to go to sleep, don't fall into the "I'll just do one or two quests before bedtime" trap, hours pass and it just stimulates you. Shan and Dev are great because they'll play early in the day their time (which is evening my time) in order for us to do it together.

Now, I've not been to the movies forever so can't comment a whole lot on those, but I do watch a fair share of TV:

TV:
Glee - it just makes me happy. I've also converted Nancy and Carolyn and over dinner last night, we laughed a lot about it and how it related to our high school times (especially them as they were in small-town America!)
Survivor - starts again this week, never missed a season (there have been 20!), even after moving here. Thank you iTunes!
Burn Notice - my guilty pleasure (apart from the selection of reality TV I remain dedicated to) and this show just has it all. Quirky humor (love his best friend and his mother) and lots of shit blow ups. And while I hate the heat, I just love this show set in Miami!
The Closer - I really enjoy this ensemble.

Saving Grace - I hear it's been canceled but I really liked this one, thought it was unusual but still had interesting crime-solving.
True Blood and Dexter - my goal is to be patient enough not to pay for and download the latest series when they become available on iTunes because both are successful here and if I can be patient, I will be able to watch them on TV here for free!

As I type, I am watching the British version of So You Think You Can Dance. It's on BBC so no commercials, so those dancers just have to move from thing to thing without a break. They also show the results show an hour after the show airs, none of this milking it out all week like American Idol. There are certainly British shows I'm watching but none that I am a rabid fan over.

So I do love Facebook and the immediacy of feeling connected to my friends and family everywhere. But I will endeavor to keep the blog alive. I do get a kick out reading back on some of my posts...I can be funny sometimes! And I'll leave it there, until next time...