Sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one must stay awake all day.

It's 2:49am. I knew I would regret that coffee at 10:30 this evening. Oh well. Sarah's tucked up in bed snoozing away. You know, sometimes procastinators even put off going to sleep. Isn't that strange?

I did try tonight.

I'm too restless.

Besides, taking a midday nap is all the more enjoyable than sleeping when you're meant to be in bed.

Fortunately being restless at this time of year provides the perfect opportunity to write the "to do" lists for this year!

Roll on the risky decision making, irritability and slight tremors due to a lack of sleep!

Note to self: reduce caffeine intake in 2010 and pay more attention to circadian rhythm.

Something old, something new...

Actually, I'm really not fussy, anything would do right now. I've been looking FOR AGES for an outfit for my brother's wedding that's just after Christmas. I've only had a full year to prep for it but it would appear I've gotten rather side tracked.

Not to mention my dad checking in with me to make sure that I'm organised. Well, it's not that he's checking that I'm organised, he's doing the "my daughter is a lesbian therefore her track record of outfits to social gatherings can, well, erm, go against the norm." It's not like I'm going to turn up in a tie die top, dugaress and cherry doc martens. Please dad give me more credit than that, I live on the continent you know!

I'll be sure not to take my inspiration from the below...

To do or not...

I have been on my own this weekend. So I had a long list of things I *wanted* to get done. I managed to get some thing scored off, but they took a lot of energy getting them finished. The main thing that I'd been delaying was house hold chores. Normally we have someone come once a week to clean and iron, unfortunately for me they didn't come last week. It was my turn to step up to the mantle.

I spent 5 hours ironing on Friday night. Not fun. I don't mind ironing, just so long as it doesn't take a large chunk of my life away. Admittedly all of the shirts were mine apart from 2 of Sarah's. The saving grace, and ironically the reason it took me so long was because I found the starch spray. I was obsessed with having clean sharp lines on my sleeves. It's very satisfying seeing them hang in my wardrobe like carboard cut outs (so long as I don't think about the time it took).

I found an unopened box of Kellogs 'Just Right' in the cupboard, so of course that delayed my trip to the supermarket. After 2 days of eating cereal and toast I managed to find the motivation to go to Delhaize. Oh how I miss Tesco's home delivery service!

Sarah will be home in 4-6 hours. I think that should be enough time to put the *finishing* (and the starting) touches on the flat. I don't mean this in a 'oh shit the folks are coming home better get the place sorted.' At the risk of sounding just a wee bit cheesey, it's more her coming home gives me the inspiration that I need to get off my arse and take action. It makes sense to do it for her.

Ok, so now I must ...I think Nike know the pains of procrastinators...that's for another blog...

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 ;)

Curtaintastic

Well, it's only taken us, erm, 6 months, but we finally have curtains up. Well, in one of our rooms at least.

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

Photographic procrastination

Here are some pictures of Gent:

I count sheep cos I cannae sleep

I've not been able to fall asleep easily the past couple of weeks. Strangely, I haven't been overly tired through the day. I've been trying a number of methods to induce sleep - Duvel, hot chocolate, gym...herbal remedies, etc, etc. Sarah recommended some good novels for me to get lost in. So I started the Da Vinci Code last night. 80 pages later and it was 2am.

I'd been asleep for only an hour, when I was awakened by my neighbours un-rythmic sex. This isn't the first time it's happened (actually, it's only the second, in say, 6 months, bless). Really, if you're going to get down to it and waken me at 3-fricken-am, at least give me something to listen to! At least then I could understand why they felt compelled to get it on, if, it sounded like fun. I really had to stop myself from going outside in my pjs and shouting through their letter box "IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?!?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING REALLY, REALLY HARD TO SLEEP HERE!!!!"


Anyways, back to the lack of sleep and strange behaviour. For someone who has the ability to delay the inevitable, I've been tackling quite a lot of tasks. Some through out the day and some, oddly at night. The other evening, well, I say evening but it was around 1.30am, I'm playing table tennis with my thoughts and decided that it would be a good idea to clear down my inbox. Not only that, I decided that I would categorise and give myself folders. 52 pages later, and I had an inbox that consisted only of those items that needed action. Believe me when I say that I'm in deep, deep, DEEP shock!

Is it possible that I'm actually trying to procrastinate on my sleep???

Delay vb.

1. to put off to a later time; defer.

2. to slow up, hinder, or cause to be late; detain.

3. to be irresolute or put off doing something; procrastinate.

4. to linger; dawdle.

Ramble

I was planning on getting an early night ce soir, but, I'm feeling the urge for another Green and Black's hot chocolate. And, I kinda feel that I just need to have a conversation, even *looks around the room and whispers* if it is kinda with myself. At the risk of sounding slightly demented, I started talking to myself out loud tonight when I was cooking my dinner. Unfortunately for me the voices didn't say "Jo! What are you thinking? Peanut butter is great on yer toast but not here!" It wasn't even anything profound, I think I just needed to hear vocals, not from the radio, and not from the tv. But out loud, and directly in my space.

It comes down to the fact that this is a period of adjustment after the luxuriant indulgence of Sarah's company over the holidays.

Aerosmith's "I don't wanna miss a thing" is playing on the radio as I write this *grin*. Very appropriate lol. It's things like this that make me chuckle. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in Starbucks, I had my usual spot by the window with my coffee and muffin, happily watching people go by. I saw a man go past with his daughter, he was pushing his grandchild in a pram. The man looked very proud as they walked down the street. It got me thinking of my Dad, and how he'd be if I ever had a child. For a very short while, I contemplated what it would be like to have a child *meep*. I have to admit that the thought did warm to me. So naturally I texted Sarah to alert her. To warn her that for the first time in my life, I could be reluctantly tip-toeing my way into a wee hormonally driven clucky period - my disclaimer being that I'm in my 30's now you know, I have no control over this! Just as the text was sent. A child, in pram, came into view,waving and smiling - DIRECTLY AT ME! *MAJOR MEEP*. Was this some sick sign from above?! I felt like I was in some sort of "Chucky" movie. I had visions of the child catapulting out of their pram and splatting onto the window laughing deriously at me whilst banging their bottle against one of the panes...I need to cut back on my e-numbers!

I've had that second hot chocolate btw, and some toast with real butter mmm. I should stop eating just before I go to bed. Meh. I've made my lunch for tomorrow though. That's an achievement for a procrastinator. I just can't be arsed ironing a shirt because I need ALL my energy to get out of bed to get to the gym before work. In all the 365 days in 2007, I only made it to the gym before work once. 2008 will be different *crosses fingers behind back*. I read the other day that women are more likely to stick to new year's resolutions if they tell pple about them. We'll see how tomorrow works out eh.

In the red

I have an inherent tendency to put things off, this is something that I'm constantly "working" on. Sometimes I wonder if I should just let myself be me, or, should I conform and just get my act together?

I left the house on time this morning, grabbed my latte and some toast on the way to work as usual and decided to grab some diesel en route. I was already in the red but figured I had enough to make the 4 miles to the petrol station.

Pulled into the petrol station when I noticed that ALL of the diesel pumps were covered! Imagine my horror! I got out of my car and asked the attendant if they were sure they didn't have any left, could they not squeeze a few drops out? "No" they replied. Shit!

I then preceded to drive to the nearest station with an average speed of 30mph in 6th gear - just in case. Luckily I made it to the station without running out of fuel. Lesson learned!