Category Archives: life stuff

happy birthday!

07 Monday Jan 2008

Posted by in birthdays, home, life stuff, sevilla, spain

≈ 23 Comments

As it’s now just after midnight and officially my birthday I thought I’d post this before heading off to bed. Boy, compared to last year, turning 51 feels a bit meh. Though this year today is a national holiday (it’s usually on the 6th, but as that fell on a Sunday they moved the holiday over). Of course this is how it should always be 😉 . I never work on my birthday anyhow, but at least this year I don’t have to feel guilty about turning down the always much needed cashola.

And so I’ve been thinking about what it means to be actually in my fifties now. Feels a bit unreal, to be honest. Kind of like something that happens to other people. But of course I’m glad to have made it to another birthday and today, unless Nog has something special planned, I think I’ll just buy a bottle of f_bubbly.gif and enjoy this last day of the holiday season with a good book or a film and some of my favourite popcorn (my friend guspemar picked some up for me when he was in New York last week). And I may even get round to changing the only-a-woman-in-her-50s-would-be-caught-dead-wearing frumpy brass buttons on my pretty new M & S red cardy , so that I can finally wear it.

It’s the custom in Spain (or so I was once told) that the birthday person buys everyone in the bar a drink, not the other way round, so ever since that first birthday in Salamanca that cost me a small fortune, I’ve pretty much stayed clear of bars on the 7th of January. Of course, virtual bars are quite a bit more economical (well, except for the buying a computer bit), so please come in and make yourself at home… and welcome to my birthday! f_magic.gif

The casa az bar is now open!
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changing gears

05 Saturday Jan 2008

Posted by in life stuff, musings

≈ 4 Comments

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Edge is an online thinktank whose informal membership includes some of the most interesting minds in the world. Its mandate is to promote inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues, as well as to work for the intellectual and social achievement of society.

Their annual question for 2008 is:

What have you changed your mind about? Why?

The Edge Annual Question

When thinking changes your mind, that’s philosophy.
When God changes your mind, that’s faith.
When facts change your mind, that’s science.

How about you? How have you changed gears this past year and why?

~ first seen on h2g2 ~

terry pratchett

13 Thursday Dec 2007

Posted by in books & writing, health & happiness, life stuff

≈ 7 Comments

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Pratchett has Alzheimer’s disease

Author Terry Pratchett is suffering from a rare form of early Alzheimer’s disease, it has been revealed.

He said: “I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news.

“I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s, which lay behind this year’s ‘phantom stroke’.”

He added: “We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism.

I first saw this on Paul Kidby’s website yesterday, via a post on Ask h2g2. Mr Pratchett is also quoted as saying he would prefer it if people “keep things cheerful”, but it’s hard not to feel sadness and concern. 😦

gibraltar, here I come?

12 Wednesday Dec 2007

Posted by in christmas, clothing, holidays, life stuff, retail therapy, trips

≈ 3 Comments

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Will it be third time lucky???

As I mentioned on the travelling plans post, my friend Carmen has very generously offered to drive me to Gibraltar to buy underwear at Marks & Spencer, but the date has been moved up to this Saturday instead of the 22nd. And really, not a moment too soon given the very sad and sorry state of my knickers. Of course given my bad luck with having tried to get to this place twice in the past (mentioned here and here) I probably won’t believe it until I’m actually through passport control and walking through the M&S front doors on Saturday morning.

Anyhow, I’m getting quite excited and also plan to stock up on mince pies if they have any. And maybe a sweater or two. Oooh, and some socks. . .

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