i'm guessing ...

that this detox thing is working as beyond feeling a bit light headed I think my body is enjoying the break from all the bad things I put into it. It's quite amazing how quickly you realize much crap you do eat when you're forced to think about it... however in retrospect... I would not recommend such an activity so close to xmas and so close to Tasha's and Andrea's Birthdays! No chocolate cake for me *poo*

And yes, if you're wondering which I'm sure you are... it is possible to catch a chill on your ankles while cycling... I discovered that little chestnut on my way in this morning... brrrr...

so the plan is to do xmas shopping for CDN peeps today at lunch. I'm going to buy peeps here xmas pressies from home as it seems like more fun to receive exotic gifts... yea well, not too sure about Toronto being exotic but we'll just pretend.

After making a botched 20£ donation to Ryan air... I am the biggest ditz in the world... Siobhan is not coming this weekend as initially planned. Too bad really as I wanted to see her! But in all things sad there is something glad... I'm going to head down to Canterbury this weekend instead!

Prior to leaving, the girls and I are hitting the shops to attempt to decorate our sadly un furnished flat... It will be really nice to finally make it into a home... the last two places I've lived have always been a stop gap and I've never settled or decorated.

It's a gloriously sunny day which makes me well happy. They had announced rain all week. I just love it when they're wrong!

you know

i'm definitely not the first person nor the last to ponder upon the capacities of human emotions...

sometimes when i'm not experiencing any major high or low I wonder to myself how I could have let certain things in my past upset me so much... it just seems impossible... I cite it as just a simple chemical fluxes in my system... It's kind of fascinating how that emotions are purely chemical.

"Time heals" and all that jazz- I do wonder if it is possible to have an infinite amount of love to give? When you've been hurt or you've hurt yourself you think you'll never ever be able to open yourself up to such pain ever again... but nothing ventured nothing gained... and as time passes you meet someone new, and things re-develop.

So I come back to that nagging question... Is if it is possible to have an endless supply of emotion to share with each new person in your life, or do the marks of time eventually start to show? I feel slightly worn down in this capacity, but don't get me wrong I am most definitely happy in my new relationship (albeit cautiously)... now, is that cautiousness a mark of me being worn down or is it just a defence mechanism? It's all part of the process... or else i guess it's just true that it takes a lot of love, to keep the heart from breaking....

i'm detoxing

for the first time ever... it's a five day plan. the only hard part is having no dairy and no diet coke! If you know me you're probably thinking what on earth is that girl going to eat as she practically lives on dairy products... lets just say it ain't much. Lord knows how any one ever manages to diet! It's so hard to think before you eat!!! Oh yea, and it's just never the right time to not be able to eat chocolate cake... what was I thinking!? next time I will have to plan before I attempt to cleanse my body of all the abuse that I've subjected it to of late

16 working days left (not including weekends of course and not including the time I'm taking off to go to Paris with miss W at the beginning of next month. If I said that I was counting down the minutes it wouldn't be too far from the truth.

apples are so filling

I had...

a very vivid but strange and gross dream last night

I was on a subway of sorts with my sister... when a bunch of lads piled on and dropped their friend in the seat next to me. He was extremely drunk and not at all in a good state... I was really agitated as there was a fare collector that made my sister and I pay 19£ for a one way journey... citing some stupid reason that I couldn't get my head around... then before you know it the horrible man next to me was sick all over me... pretty vivid and disgusting... what in god's name does that mean?

on a brighter note... happiness is:

finding out you've got 3 more day of holiday on top of the 7 days I'm taking off at xmas!
coming home to an uber clean flat (thank you lovely cleaning lady!)
owning fab orange boots purchased in NYC
being booked in to fall into a vat of gin with the lovely dearbhla
not getting schmucked by a taxi (which I so nearly did on my way home last night)

this morning...

on my way into work I cycled past hotel near to UCL and saw a man entering a black cab wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist... he was also wearing blue socks and a fleece jumper...? So i'm thinking... that I can't even begin to come up with a story that could explain what I saw... do you think the bird he was with just up and left taking all his clothes with her? Hmm?

then as I cycled through Hyde park I was getting rather warm as it's quite mild here today... so I un buttoned my ever so chic bright yellow rain coat and then unzipped my blue jumper a tiny bit... then this middle age Scottish man shouted at me as I rode by something to the likes of 'cover your chest up lass!'

If I didn't know better I would think it was nearing a full moon

busy busy busy

weekend... but was good fun!

went to the nice organic pub in angel. The food was nothing spectacular but the wine was nice and the company really pleasant. Miss W's da and Margaret were lovely!

Sunday morning we all shuffled off to the Tate Modern and it was really something to see! I've got some nice pictures that I took on the camera built into my phone... think they are cooler than the ones on the Tate site.. Guess because they're more grainy. I wonder if I could convince santa claus to buy me a new digital camera for xmas? Ha I'm such a brat!

Catching up with a bunch of people this week I can't wait! Looks like Hon is going to be getting married! Very exciting news for him... Micha is off on her 6 month adventure starting in Thailand soon... and miss D is working like a trooper drowning- not waving... poor thing... but in her sound words she says 'lets meet up, I need to fall into a vat of gin' she's so funny!

Went to the gym at lunch today... was strange to come back to work afterwards... my poor brain was all confused as it only ever associates gym time with it being almost time to go home.

28 days till I fly home!!!!!!!!!

New York...

was a blast!

sadly, since I've been back there have been 12 h work days and enough work related stress to erase almost all my witty stories I was going to write down. Lets see if I can't rustle up some yankee doodle dandies

Yvonne and Benoit own the two fluffiest cats in the world... great to cuddle with, but no so great when I was skirting respiratory arrest due to my god forsaken allergies to cats... I think my wheezing was louder than their purring! Y&B were both looking great and their flat in Forest Hills is lovely!

Shopping was mostly on the cards on Friday and we shopped and shopped and ran into the cutest black 3 month old pug dog in this shoe shop near Broadway... the ugliest creature in the world but soooooooooooo cute at the same time! Lunched at balthazar t'was swell indeed, even if the only veggie thing on the menu for me was a salad.

I learned one important lesson... martini's in Manhattan make me retarded... clearly I can't keep up with the strength of their concoctions! I vaguely remember being at some bizarre place in St. Marks after having dinner with miss Y and the girls at gobo then kj and I were lost *pronounced with a lisp* as we took the wrong subway exit... I guess the 2h walked that ensued was most beneficial to my scullied state

Got all dolled up and got a manicure and pedicure in Queens with my sister on Saturday morning. It was the most hilarious salon in the world... right out of a sitcom let me tell you... the lady's accents were so unreal! Very cultural foray indeed. Then to add to the beauty I got a makeover at MAC at bloomies from the most lovely lady... she gave me the most large and luscious lips one could ever imagine... I've got pics to prove it. Angelina watch out sister!

The charity fund raiser at the waldorf was a good laugh. Rosie cancelled but she was there instead ... it goes without saying that she had the most spectacular bosom in the world! It was a very fun night watching rich people give away their yankee doodle dollars to a good cause... still, why the table of diabetic children were eating burgers with ketchup was beyond us... Our meals were fantastic! Then we ended up a pravda... strangely enough, my co worker who was in New York at the same time as me, ended up in the same place! Don't quite know how we managed to miss each other as we we most definately in the same place... what a riot!

Sunday morning KJ left and jetted back to TO leaving behind the very few purchases she made... I spent the day with Yvonne catching up and strolling through her neighbourhood. Then she took me to veg city diner! wow I almost cried from excitement... just made me think how limited the options are in ol' London town :(

One thing I can attest is that New York is a buzz with the cutest puppies in the whole world... I felt like I was becoming obsessed as every corner there was a new little squidgy face! I've already mentioned the pug... then there was the shitzu puppy at the charity auction (nuzzling into Lorraine's chest!) then the cute little bulldog puppy in Soho.... awww

Thanks for American airlines for bumping me off the flight home... the 500$ in travel vouchers is real swell!

god bless America *cough*

oh yea... just write me if you want to see pics

I shall go to the ball!

how exciting is this??!?!?!?! I'm going to the ball... The 31st Annual Promise Ball - International Chair: Mary Tyler Moore. Emcee: Chuck Scarborough. Auctioneer: Rosie O'Donnell. Entertainment: The Hank Lane Orchestra. Grand Ballroom, the Waldorf-Astoria. 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.: Reception. 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.: Dinner and dancing. Black Tie. Tickets: $1,000. (but free thanks to miss Y's work)

Well done miss Yvonne! I feel mildly jet set!

Mark- you could almost fake that my poverty jet set days are over--- almost (okay so i'm flying economy) I won't tell if you don't!

It's been a manic past few days. There is just no time between trying to get projects wrapped up and handed over and actually doing anything else before I leave tomorrow.

On an aside note... did you know that when you eat asparagus... even your tears smell funny (I discovered this on Sunday night...after laughing so hard I cried)

Miss W has sold a painting within 10 minutes of the start of the exhibition that opened last Thursday... the fastest 1k ever! Then the clever little minx got commissioned to paint another one for the same buyer... Go check it out! It's on at the crypt gallery (st. Mary's church) Islington open Thurs&Sat. Congrats to her!!!!!!!!!

Overheard at Starbucks on Monday at 11am from a table filled with ladies of leisure.... with posh accent and condescending tone " Yes, darling but you know... he's middle class"... *shakes head*
erm... any one have a fancy party dress for me?

pregnant monkeys, new jobs and new life!

I laughed so hard I cried this afternoon... We were messing about with the two monkey finger puppets I've got at my desk given to me by miss w as a present... There is a mum and a baby one... When the baby one was tucked up inside the mum one it looked like she had a pregnant belly... Doesn't sound so funny now, but I seriously laughed until I cried... And until my boss came out and glared around, then shut his office door in disapproval... Man laughing like that is sometimes so good for the soul, even if it's not so good for your professional credibility....

Congratulations young Mr. McCann on landing a new job! And to Dave and Lisa for producing another beautiful offspring into this world. Welcome Ryan David!

lots of funnies

so this Sunday evening I was bending over to collect my washing from the floor near the kitchen. We've got this huge glass vase on the floor there. All of a sudden I got this massive waft of smell... so I say to Sally and JoJo who were sat in the living room.. " my god these flowers smell like germoline, can you smell that?" Sally then turns to me and says " How should I know, I've never been to Germany" Oh how we laughed...

Saw Kill Bill on Sunday afternoon... god how I laughed... there were so many points in the film that I was the ONLY person in the theatre laughing... I don't get it, I thought it was so funny... maybe because I grew up in North America???? dunno, but it was pretty obvious that I was the only North American in the theatre when the "silly rabbit, tricks are for kids" line was delivered... AH HA HA!

Found a wonderful French bookshop in South Ken this weekend... I had to come down this way to meet up with my friend whom I was supposed to be going to the gym with... which never ended up happening because the silly goat kept ringing my old mobile number to try and confirm with me:) So I went on my own and had a super kick ass workout :) nice!

It's an extraordinarily gorgeous day here today, sunny, bright... chilly but not too freezing. fit!

no...

it's totally impossible to listen to any David Grey song without wobbling your head... it just simply is not.

tragedy thy name is

pink thong...

yup, you wouldn't think it possible, but it is. During my lunch break today I zipped over to the gym for a swim. Nearing the end of my workout a woman entered the pool area sporting a circa 1980's neon pink thong! the type that's high cut up to your ying yang and full on thong action at the back... I thought those only existed in bad America infomercials that are shown late at night!?!?!? I guess it's just another good example of money not buying class... truly amazing, you should see some of these 'ladies of leisure' types that ponce around my gym... mental... I don't think I'll ever get my head around south ken....

Sweetness!

Thy name is Tunnocks Caramel Wafers. At only 120 calories per bar, sin has never tasted so good!

ahem, who ordered the rain? I was not consulted! It's going to be a wet ride home let me tell you!

she's arrived!

my new baby has arrived... she's so pretty, and she's even got a blue tooth! She's so smart she was even talking with another baby just like her this morning when I got into work... now I've just got to figure out how to feed her and get her to check my email...

time is just spinning by which is a good thing as I'm dying for a holiday... this year has certainly had the better of me so I think some retail therapy in Manhattan will most certainly help!

brr brr chilly chilly cold cold! that's what my backside says for about 40 mins after I get off my bike... my grandmother would die if she knew my kidneys were being frozen like they have been in transit lately...

positive words or wisdom from miss crow


for anyone who's been feeling low...

snip from everyday is a winding road

I'm just wondering why I feel so all alone
Why I'm a stranger in my own life
Jump in, let's go
Lay back, enjoy the show
Everybody gets high, everybody gets low
These are the days when anything goes

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer

psst. I'll tell you a secret...
the project I've been working on has finally launched *shock horror* I'm still not quite over the shock of it all.
It's a beautiful sunny day here today and I've taken a break from cycling today to give my poor bell ringing thumb a rest... when it's cold and pedestrians in London have no concept that there are bicycles as well as cars on the road... I need to ding my bell lots on the way home. Last night was well chilly!

My tube journey was most strange this morning as I had the overwhelming feeling that I was either really early or really late for work. There was no one on my train... or on the down escalator... I had to seriously think to myself if it was truly Friday or if I had just gotten up to come to work on a Saturday!? Hmm it's Friday... and I was on time to work... stranger things have happened.

follow-through phobia bus conductors and naughty auto generated passwords

okay so there was a strange incident yesterday. I was on the bus on the way to supper with miss W we paid for our tickets to Highbury barn where we were meeting some of her work friends for supper... the nice conductor promised to let us know when the stop was... as he collected our fares with one of those new ticket machine thingies... he let the ticket print out and then tore it 3/4 of the way across and then handed over the little machine to us individually motioning for us to each tear off the final 1/3 of the ticket... how very odd... is this indicative of some sort of follow through phobia? Or do I simply notice very odd behaviours in people?

probably the latter

on another more humorous note... once of our microsite partners today produced a hilarious error... in signing up for the service their systems generate a random password taken from the English dictionary... the password can only be 8 words long and thus truncates the random word at the 8th letter... Apparently the test team requested a change to their password issuing system when they were assigned the password 'punish me' while testing! LOL! how hilarious is that! it truncated 'punishment'!

how much Dutch chocolate can one PC production team consume during a 9h period? approximately 600g /21.1 oz to be exact... won't be needing supper after all!

happy turkey day

to my family back home and to my friends too of course!

received this really cool shirt from my mum in the post today. It says trick on the front and treat on the back in orange writing... it's black and as you can guess it's a hallowe'en shirt :0) too cute!

the weekend was nice and relaxing, didn't end up in Antwerp as intended but chilled a lot and had great dinner with friends and a nice long bike ride. Monday morning, however... came too quickly.

less than a month till my trip to NYC getting well excited about it!

did you know that...

it's possible to do Signing With Your Baby: and that you can use sign language to communicate before your baby can talk.???

Well the other night when I was out with the lovely miss Hannah she was telling me about her boyfriend's brother's child who is learning sign language concurrently to speach. Apparently it's well popular in dem united states... it helps reduce frustration and subsequently crying in babies. How cool is that... man... not that I've got a degree in lanaguage aquisition or anything like that... (okay I do but I never talk about it) but it's such a brilliant idea!

My sign language interpreter friend would be most interested in this indeed....

excuse me while i run off and have babies so i can play!

dang... guess I'd need a bloke for that...

foiled again!

last night

when I returned home from my evening visiting with the lovely Hannah... I plugged in my mobile that had been dead all day. I cleared out the messages that I had received throughout the day. I noticed that I had one stored in my outgoing folder... I opened it and it read

'call dad'

now I'm absolutely clueless as to how that go there as I certainly didn't write it, nor did anyone touch my phone yesterday as it was out of juice...

I kind of wish I could call him as I would love to have a chat... but as my sister put it... but there is no way to call him up there!

message from beyond?

hmm I kind of would like to think so...

I'm thinking that he's been around London lately... Tuesday after work as I rushed out the back door of the office out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a man sitting on a chair... identical profile to my father... I didn't dare look back for a closer look as I didn't want to disappoint myself because I knew that it was in theory impossible to see him... maybe he's stopped by for a visit?

Hi dad! love you!

you know

it's pretty amazing...

for the first time since like forever I'm not skint. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why, but god damned, it's a nice change.

this month is just flying by and soon in just a couple more weeks it will be time to flutter off to NYC! so so so excited about that.

popped into Harvey nics at lunch and had some fab french guy make my face glow... tee hee... makeup counters generally scare the poop out of me but this guy was sound and it wasn't so scary (but i really just went in to buy my flatmate a b'day pressie)... I'm meeting hannah after work tonight... she'll wonder what the occasion is ... i so rarely wear makeup to work (anything more than lipgloss that is...

dang where did the day go?