Ready for the New Year and Sexy Dwarves
How are you celebrating New Year's Eve? I'm off to a party that was arranged a couple of weeks ago where it was decided a fun theme would be 'national dress' - oh why!?! Cue stereotypes...
Well, I have some clogs, so I'll be Holland. They are Moshulu clogs, red with flowers on... in other words, my actual shoes. And N has a kilt so can be Scotland. Hope he wears pants this time... my mate's grandad nearly passed out last time he wore the kilt out in public in a light breeze.
He doesn't quite have the hat, though. He has a tam o'shanter made of astroturf with a golf flag and ball stuck to it. Makes it very specifically St Andrews. Mmm...
English national dress is a little harder to identify. There are different groups around trying to assert saxon clothing, or morris dancer garb, or the costumes of pearly kings and queens as examples off the English National Dress, but overall there's no consensus. I can't think it's because we are too regionalistic. I wonder if it's just that we generally have a poor grasp of our folk heritage? It's a shame, I think.
Today's motto is eat, drink, and be careful, for tomorrow we have to run round the park a bit.
We've been eating up the pies, cheese and pastries to make way for tomorrow's healthier choices. Dinner last night was duck - a fatty meat, but very tasty. Except I nearly broke a tooth on a bit of stray shot... be careful of that sort of thing if eating game. It can be cheap, but emergency dental work can make it a false economy.
Last wantonly frivolous outing of the year was a trip to the cinema to see The Hobbit - a second time for N, who went to see it whilst very drunk on Christmas Eve, and subsequently paid extra to sleep through half the 3D version. What am I going to do with him? i know it's had some iffy reviews, but I really liked it. Perhaps my enthusiasm may have been buoyed by the on-screen presence of Aidan Turner. N tried to point out that this does not make Tolkien dwarves sexy; it's just a sexy man playing a dwarf. I don't know. I am quite worried by me. I mean, I only ever really liked James McEvoy when he was playing Mr Tumnus the faun. And I only really like Orlando Bloom as Legolas (mind, I think everyone agrees that elves are meant to be sexy).
A bit of make do and mend was required as my jeans needed sewing before I was fit to venture out. Yay - I did something practical!
I've got a storytelling gig this week, so I'm planning the final outing of the Royal witches for a bit, and will hopefully be able to fit the trip into my January mini-goals.
Sealed Pot Sunday: it's not January yet, but I've chosen to travel by bus not train, and not buy a diet magazine, saving £10. Every little helps.
No-spend days: Aiming for at least 4 per week. 5 or 6 if possible.
Fitness: climb stairs every day, 150 minutes moderate exercise, building up.
Food: Budget £80. WW F&H.
Work: Sort out invoices for month, tidy office, complete reviews, begin magazine work, CV people.
Reading list: Ben Aaronovith, Rivers of London (reading) in queue: Russell Kane/Neil Gaiman/Paul Cornell/Caitlin Moran.
Cons: Book Eastercon and World Fantasycon. Hotels will have to wait.
Wedding: Choose honeymoon, pay for venue (with N)
Well, I have some clogs, so I'll be Holland. They are Moshulu clogs, red with flowers on... in other words, my actual shoes. And N has a kilt so can be Scotland. Hope he wears pants this time... my mate's grandad nearly passed out last time he wore the kilt out in public in a light breeze.
He doesn't quite have the hat, though. He has a tam o'shanter made of astroturf with a golf flag and ball stuck to it. Makes it very specifically St Andrews. Mmm...
English national dress is a little harder to identify. There are different groups around trying to assert saxon clothing, or morris dancer garb, or the costumes of pearly kings and queens as examples off the English National Dress, but overall there's no consensus. I can't think it's because we are too regionalistic. I wonder if it's just that we generally have a poor grasp of our folk heritage? It's a shame, I think.
Today's motto is eat, drink, and be careful, for tomorrow we have to run round the park a bit.
We've been eating up the pies, cheese and pastries to make way for tomorrow's healthier choices. Dinner last night was duck - a fatty meat, but very tasty. Except I nearly broke a tooth on a bit of stray shot... be careful of that sort of thing if eating game. It can be cheap, but emergency dental work can make it a false economy.
Last wantonly frivolous outing of the year was a trip to the cinema to see The Hobbit - a second time for N, who went to see it whilst very drunk on Christmas Eve, and subsequently paid extra to sleep through half the 3D version. What am I going to do with him? i know it's had some iffy reviews, but I really liked it. Perhaps my enthusiasm may have been buoyed by the on-screen presence of Aidan Turner. N tried to point out that this does not make Tolkien dwarves sexy; it's just a sexy man playing a dwarf. I don't know. I am quite worried by me. I mean, I only ever really liked James McEvoy when he was playing Mr Tumnus the faun. And I only really like Orlando Bloom as Legolas (mind, I think everyone agrees that elves are meant to be sexy).
A bit of make do and mend was required as my jeans needed sewing before I was fit to venture out. Yay - I did something practical!
I've got a storytelling gig this week, so I'm planning the final outing of the Royal witches for a bit, and will hopefully be able to fit the trip into my January mini-goals.
Sealed Pot Sunday: it's not January yet, but I've chosen to travel by bus not train, and not buy a diet magazine, saving £10. Every little helps.
No-spend days: Aiming for at least 4 per week. 5 or 6 if possible.
Fitness: climb stairs every day, 150 minutes moderate exercise, building up.
Food: Budget £80. WW F&H.
Work: Sort out invoices for month, tidy office, complete reviews, begin magazine work, CV people.
Reading list: Ben Aaronovith, Rivers of London (reading) in queue: Russell Kane/Neil Gaiman/Paul Cornell/Caitlin Moran.
Cons: Book Eastercon and World Fantasycon. Hotels will have to wait.
Wedding: Choose honeymoon, pay for venue (with N)