Happiness hit her like a train on a track...
The heating is off in our building today. We're trying to work out how cold it has to get before we can go home. As the office is almost empty right now as most of our colleagues are in a meeting, Emma and I had a five-minute jog on the spot to warm us up. I think lots of hot drinks will be in order today too.
Speaking of work, I have now worked for the university for two years, and have been in my current job for exactly a year as of yesterday. Seems a lot longer, actually.
Yesterday I met my younger brother for a drink after work as he was seeing a band playing at the Manchester Academy. I bought him a pint like a good older sister. Sometimes our conversations are a bit stilted as we run out of things to say, but on this occasion we chatted for ages quite easily - maybe he'd had a lot to drink before I arrived, that always makes him more loquacious. He's thinking of applying for Camp America next year which I think would be a great idea. He needs to get out and about more really - he hasn't been abroad in six years, still lives at home, didn't go to university, so it would be good for him to get away from our home town and see the world. I hope he goes through with it.
After seeing him I dashed home, made an omelette for dinner and then dashed off to line dancing. I had a terrific evening, and was exhausted by the end. I think if I could dance more than once a week I wouldn't need a gym membership, I get enough cardio exercise there! I think I danced nearly every dance and was quite out of breath after the fast ones. There are several new members in the group who are trying to learn all the dances, and as we were short of committee members last night, they were watching me during the dances to pick up the moves. This meant that I was really nervous in case I went wrong, so of course I made lots more mistakes than usual. Too much thinking.
However, after one of the dances I received the nicest set of compliments I've had in a long time, maybe ever. My good friend Patrick, the one with his arm around me in this photo, told me, very seriously, that I was looking "very hot" tonight, and had I been working out? I said that actually yes, a bit, and he was very flattering about my outfit and how I looked in it. He said, quite earnestly "you have a sophisticated sexiness that you didn't have when I first met you; I think you look fabulous and people don't say nice things to each other often enough."
Yeah, I pretty much just melted on the floor right there. If he wasn't so very, very gay, I would probably have proposed. (And if there is any chance that he's not completely gay, I think I'll be first in line and beating off the other women with a stick. I love him.) He made my day, my week, and possibly my year, and even now I still feel full of joy at such a charming compliment.
This morning the weather was cold but cloudless and bright in a wonderful Autumn way, so I dressed warmly and strode off to work. I love being able to walk briskly without getting too hot - I power-walked the whole way to my office and by the time I got there I was glowing with good feeling and noticeably more cheerful than my colleagues.
And after work today I am having a cup of tea with a girl from the Creative Writing Summer School who is back here for a year abroad. We're going to one of my favourite teashops, Teacup in the Northern Quarter.
Things are pretty awesome, really.
Speaking of work, I have now worked for the university for two years, and have been in my current job for exactly a year as of yesterday. Seems a lot longer, actually.
Yesterday I met my younger brother for a drink after work as he was seeing a band playing at the Manchester Academy. I bought him a pint like a good older sister. Sometimes our conversations are a bit stilted as we run out of things to say, but on this occasion we chatted for ages quite easily - maybe he'd had a lot to drink before I arrived, that always makes him more loquacious. He's thinking of applying for Camp America next year which I think would be a great idea. He needs to get out and about more really - he hasn't been abroad in six years, still lives at home, didn't go to university, so it would be good for him to get away from our home town and see the world. I hope he goes through with it.
After seeing him I dashed home, made an omelette for dinner and then dashed off to line dancing. I had a terrific evening, and was exhausted by the end. I think if I could dance more than once a week I wouldn't need a gym membership, I get enough cardio exercise there! I think I danced nearly every dance and was quite out of breath after the fast ones. There are several new members in the group who are trying to learn all the dances, and as we were short of committee members last night, they were watching me during the dances to pick up the moves. This meant that I was really nervous in case I went wrong, so of course I made lots more mistakes than usual. Too much thinking.
However, after one of the dances I received the nicest set of compliments I've had in a long time, maybe ever. My good friend Patrick, the one with his arm around me in this photo, told me, very seriously, that I was looking "very hot" tonight, and had I been working out? I said that actually yes, a bit, and he was very flattering about my outfit and how I looked in it. He said, quite earnestly "you have a sophisticated sexiness that you didn't have when I first met you; I think you look fabulous and people don't say nice things to each other often enough."
Yeah, I pretty much just melted on the floor right there. If he wasn't so very, very gay, I would probably have proposed. (And if there is any chance that he's not completely gay, I think I'll be first in line and beating off the other women with a stick. I love him.) He made my day, my week, and possibly my year, and even now I still feel full of joy at such a charming compliment.
This morning the weather was cold but cloudless and bright in a wonderful Autumn way, so I dressed warmly and strode off to work. I love being able to walk briskly without getting too hot - I power-walked the whole way to my office and by the time I got there I was glowing with good feeling and noticeably more cheerful than my colleagues.
And after work today I am having a cup of tea with a girl from the Creative Writing Summer School who is back here for a year abroad. We're going to one of my favourite teashops, Teacup in the Northern Quarter.
Things are pretty awesome, really.