S-t-r-u-g-g-l-e-!

I left this morning at 3.45 to catch a flight to Italy.
I've just had a heavy Italian lunch and my next flight is in a few hours to Bratislava for one day, then back to Italy, then back to Belgium.

I'm hoping it's time for a famous Italian siesta shortly!

The power of uninention

I always start out with the best intentions when I head home. After a very relaxing late lunch, I left work and headed straight to the DIY store. You see, the other week I bought a power drill. Upon arriving home I opened the box in eager anticipation to find that there will no drill bits included in the box - gutted!

Today I bought the drill bits. I started preparing things to put up the last curtain only to discover we don't have any more screws and that we returned Sarah's mum's ladders.

It's warm, my enthusiasm is waning, so I think I'll spend the rest of the evening chilling on the terras.

Faff

The joy of being a procrastinator is that I sometimes find my inspiration for things a bit late. Like feeling motivated to work when I should sleep. On the opposite side, it's a total struggle sometimes to pull myself out of bed in the morning. I delay getting up to the last nano second before I can get ready for work. Why is that? Am I such a control freak? There's also an edge of risk taking to it as well. Like driving a car until it's in the red and not wanting to fill up the diesel till the very last moment.

On the other hand, procastination does have its upsides. I enjoyed folding the dry clothes the other evening because I knew it was delaying the more daunting and arduous task of cleaning the kitchen. If it wasn't for my procrastination, I would've done all of my Christmas shopping in Belgium and lost out on the good exchange rate!

I'm going to get back to what I should be doing ;)

P for procrastination

Why is it I always feel compelled to blog when ever I have tonnes of stuff to do?! This has left me with an array of unpublished ramblings...which may explain my blank postings of late. So, herein is my effort for today ;)

Chocs away

I'm in over drive just now and have been all day. I've also just sampled some coffee from the new rocket juice machine that we've just received...*perhaps* not a good idea cos it took me ages to fall asleep last night. Well, I've got lots of stuff to catch up on so it's not a major problem.

Anyways, took this in Brussels airport last week - this is my kind of duty free shopping, if only lol!

Random pics

Bike park Pukkelpop Aug 08

Pink bike - Gent

Always have time - Rotterdam Mar 08

Museum of Modern Art - Glasgow June 08

Museum of Modern Art - Glasgow June 08

Rather childish, I know.

Mmmm!

London - Jan 08

3 things about me

Okey dokey, don't normally do these things but I was procrastinating yesterday so what the heck. Questions courtesy of Annika ;)

Three names you go by:
1. Schaat

2. J-ho (inspiration J-lo of course)

3. J-Mac

Three things you are wearing right now
1. Blue argyle socks

2. Sarah's joggy bottoms - oh the benefits of being a lesbot

3. Festival tee that I bought at Pukkelpop yesterday

Three longest car rides:
1. Cumbernauld to some where too far south in France - school trip

2. From the apartment rental pick up key point to said rented apartment in Florida - tense father just coming off a 7 hour flight not used to an automatic and driving on the wrong side of the road...add to that that the pick up key point was in next to some not so tourist friendly crack joint...Needless to say we got pulled over by the cops 30mins later, no joke...

3. Eindhoven to Geel last week. I was bursting, dehydrated and lost! It would normally only take 40mins but took considerably longer!

Three of your favorite things to do:
1. ride my bikes

2. hang with my homo, family n friends

3. over eat

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. to procrastinate until Sarah gets back

2. to finish my work that i planned for today

3. a saxophone

Three animals you have had:
1. Only one - dear, dear Dolly Daydream

2. see above

3. see above

Three people to tag:

1. Sanne

2. Greet

3. Lama

Three Things you ate today:
1. Poached egg cos made by sarah cos Belgies don't eat them and i miss Auntie Betty's poached eggs!!!

2. Powergel - whilst riding

3. post ride home made bananananana shake

Three people you last talked to:
1. Sarah

2. Helen

3. Today is my catch up day with mates

Three things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Working, drinking lots of cawfee and eating a Belgie waffle

2. doing a nice loop home from work

3. Making my own dinner cos Sarah's deserted me and is in Gent for the night :(

Three favourite holidays
1. California 98-99 turned out to be a loooong holiday

2. Belgium Easter w/end 07

3. Toronto 88

Three favorite Drinks:
1. Coffee

2. Errrol Grrrrey

3. Milk shake

Friday faff

Sarah promised me that the climate was much more exotic in Belgium than in Scotland, my thoughts being, well, it's closer to the equator, so that must be true, eh?!

Well. Not once have I had to get out the factor 30! I'm gutted because my class has finished for the Easter break and I wanted to get out on my bike today. With the forecast of sleet, snow and strong winds I think the ride will have to wait :-( G-U-T-T-E-D! Cobbles and ice aren't a good mix for a cyclist, but fun to watch nonetheless.

So, my plans for today are:

1. Read yesterday's Guardian which I begrudgingly pay 3 euros for every other day. For whatever reason I can't find a shop (winkel is shop in Dutch and that just cracks me up) that sells today's Guardian. *hmph*

2. I'll try really hard not to get oil on Sarah's nice wooden floors.

3. Maybe I'll put a wash on...

4. Faff on the internet. It would appear that the computer is my new best friend, which I have issues with.

5. Maybe I'll swot -I did yesterday which is an achievement for a PP- and finish off my revision for this week. Ik heb, heb jij, hebt u...and the list goes on.

I've got a presentation that I need to do you see, well, everyone in the class has to do it. We need to put together a 5 minute number about a hobby, job, family etc, etc. Then the class will have questions for you afterwards. It's kind of like show and tell lol, I'm thinking this is not the time for powerpoint and laser pen. Perhaps family tartan, a couple of bottles of Irn Bru, shortbread biscuits and some haggis will do the trick. If only I'd packed my Jimmy hat!

Photographic procrastination

Here are some pictures of Gent:

Sunday faff

Okey dokey, I have a wee bit of work to do tonight that I'm seriously avoiding. Not because it's too difficult or that it will take too long. I just loathe feeling like I have to do something. It's kind of like a fear of starting. Usually once I start, it isn't actually that bad. To avoid my work I've made numerous phone calls, written a few emails, started writing a blog, done some house work, chomped my way through most of a banana loaf (by the time I've written the full blog there will be no loaf left), watched a bit of tv, pestered my more studious other half with a prolific amount of texts, etc, etc. I figured I'm justified today - I've felt sick all week and woke up this morning feeling like I had a hangover. I was out last night, but I certainly wasn't drinking. You see, I was at the largest lesbot convention this side of the Atlantic, or should I say the Ouse.

*runs downstairs to get the remaining slice of the banana loaf* I felt body parts jiggle then that don't normally. Am I the only gluttonous person who buys a cake -for themselves- and consumes it within, erm, 6 hours, ALL-ON-THEIR-OWN?! The law of diminishing returns just doesn't seem to work with me. Some one please tell me that this is normal!! Now where did I put my elasticated trousers...?

Oh yes, the Lesbot convention. Well, first of all I'd like to begin by saying that as much as I knock things like this, that I deep down secretly love them as well. They have a purpose, they bring together the "community" which I think is always beneficial. I just wished that they played better music and the tickets weren't so expensive! My first experience of the Lesbot festival delights was when I first moved down to York. Two of my rather disillusioned friends travelled all the way down from Edinburgh to attend the festival. With the promise of Lesbot authors, merchandise, workshops and a wee boogy at the end, we were all looking forward to it. We were charged something like £15 to get in for the day (didn't include the boogy tickets). Imagine, if you will, a church sale of work. You know, wooden stalls with lots of random collections of books, cds, calendars and the odd dildo thrown in for good measure. I have to say that your regular church sale of work was -in my eyes- far more appealing. Why? Because they included cake stalls too. There weren't any at the lesbot festival. Oh, and the church fete is free.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Sandy Toksvig as much as the next lesbian. But what is with those random stalls that sell tie-die mohair jumpers and purple hairy hiking socks?!!!! I can't help but feel slightly perturbed and some what alienated at the same time. I think organisers of events like this attract such a broad range of women - which in itself is a huge achievement. But they really should try to broaden their appeal away from the usual stereotypes. I'm not saying that stereotypes are a bad thing, every social group has them, and needs them. But how are you meant to move things forward if you're regressing back to the same old?

Day 1

So, I've just hugged my girrelfriend goodbye after a having her very close for the past 5 days. I wanted to have her linger in my sight for as long as possible, so I lead her out onto the motorway. Just to be sure that she took the correct exit that would take her south. Apparently not everyone is as dizzy as me - I always miss that junction!

My "plan" for this afternoon was to read the Sunday paper for a short while, then do some work. Famous last words! I read an interesting article about a blogger from Brussels who's just had her blog published and it's inspired me to start a blog. Now, I know I should be working. That's the problem with procrastination. You always know what you should be doing, but it's sooo much fun doing something else! Factor in that I'm a wee bit of an instant gratificationist. I genuinely wonder how I ever get anything done! Okey-dokey, I'm off to fiddle around with my new page lol!