I get drunk and sentimental

In a year that has seen some pretty bad lows, but some fairly major highs, I am ending it with the person I love most in the world, not really doing anything. It's the first year in about 8 or 9 I have stayed in, and I am excited about it. I'm also excited for what the new year brings, it's going to be tough, but I am trying to stay positive and think about the fact that this time next year I will have a 9 month old baby.

So whatever you are doing, whoever you are celebrating with, I hope that tonight, and the rest of 2008, is good for you.

x

It's New Year's eve eve, I have cooked (well, am cooking) a stew, and T is in bed, after spending the day at the football, so I thought I might as well start refelecting on the past few weeks.

Pre-Christmas week was spent in Knoxville, Tennessee, where T's brother lives. Now, I love America, I love the food, I love the people (most of them), I spent 2 summers in Oklahoma City, which is definately not the cultural capital of the world (there's a bomb memorial and some a lot of churches, so I like to think I am used to the 'quieter' side of American life.

Knoxville was quiet. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time, but I was not prepared for quite how little there was to do.

Our week went something like this:

Sunday: Arrived. Via chaos in Chicago. Went to a bar for food (and drink, if you are not me).
Monday: Went to Target (T was massively excited by the novelty, I was not). Went to the Mall. Went out for lunch Chilled out at the flat for a bit. Went to a friends for deep fried Turkey*.
Tuesday: Walked round downtown Knoxville. This took 20 minutes. Went out for lunch. Chilled out at the flat. Went out for dinner (and drinks, again, if you are not me). Played some pool**.
Wednesday: Chilled out at the flat. Went out for lunch***. Went to the Mall. Went out for dinner.
Thursday: Went to Dollywood. Oh My God. Fantastic, even if I couldn't go on any rides because of the bump. There's a Dolly museum, which was actually really interesting. And you could buy Dolly clothes, which we did not. But highly worth the visit, and I would definately go back. Then went to El Chico, where I ate proper chips and salsa and queso and fajitas and mexican apple pie with brandy butter. Clearly the best day. Fantastic.
Friday: Can't actually remember. I think maybe we went to the mall again. We ate at the flat though, then went to a very odd concert, which we then left, and went drinking.
Saturday: Went out for brunch. Went to a different Mall. Nearly cracked up. Went to the Sunsphere****. Went for pre-dinner Sushi. Went for dinner.
Sunday: Went for brunch. Got to airport. Waited 3 hours to fly to a -12 Chicago, where they made us walk outside. Then flew home.

*A whole Turkey, deep fried, in the yard, right in front of you. I shit you not. They do it every year for Thanksgiving, and to impress stupid foreigners like us, who think deep fried poultry is actually hilarious.
**Pregnancy has improved my pool skills no end. Either that, or everyone around me was very drunk.
***We actually thought we were going to be shot where we ate for lunch. It was terrifying and "on the wrong side of town". But the food was good, and T got to experience sweet potato and marshmallow, which I still love, and he, predictibly, hated.
****The sunsphere is on an episode of the Simpsons, where it is filled with wigs, because no one can figure out what to do with it, which I think pretty much sums it up.

So that was it, the trip in a nutshell. We did enjoy just doing nothing, but at some points, it did get a little too much nothing. I definately ate way too much. By Saturday night, I felt so full that I was surprised any more food could actually fit in me. But the food was good. That's what I really miss about America, the easiness, and cheapness of eating out. And of course, good Mexican food.

We arrived back Christmas eve morning, and then Christmas happened. That's all for another time though.

After 2 weeks away, I am home.

Lots to write about, lots to think about, but right now, I am still exhausted, despite having been to bed for 3 hours this afternoon.

I will blog about Christmas over the next couple of days, more for my own sanity than any other reason. But for now, here are a few random, well, I don't know what they are. A few bits of randomness.

1. I have new, short, highlighted hair. And, I think I actually quite like it. Done by an ex Big Brother contestant, who was very plesant indeed.

2. America was fun, but odd. And I ate lots of food. And went to El Chico, which made me quite possibly the happiest I have been in a long long time.

3. I love Dolly Parton. I dare anyone to go to Dollywood and not fall in love with her.

4. There is far too much washing sat waiting for me to do. I don't want to do it. But I do want to just lie about wearing my pyjamas for days.

5. Baby is fine. Kicking hard as ever. And seems to be fine with flying. And the proud owner of several items of clothing from Monsoon. My baby will be dressed better than me.

6. I don't understand the heating/hot water in our flat, AT ALL.

7. I think I will be applying to move from here to another hall. Being away has done me the world of good.

Tomorrow is my last day of work before Christmas and I am so glad.

For the last week, all anyone has said to me, is how tired I look, and how I must be looking forward to the break. Well yes, I am tired, and I am looking forward to it, but no need to point it out every time I bloody see you.

I feel like I've constantly been on the go. Christmas shopping, christmas wrapping, washing clothes, sorting stuff out at work, doing stuff at the hall. Tonight I am lying on my sofa with chocolate, trifle and the tv and doing nothing else. And I refuse to feel guilty about it.

Following on from my last post, I decided that yes, I could get grandparents a picture of me for Christmas. Hurrah, that was them sorted. I had already got bits for T and my mum on the internet, so just the rest of the extended family to do, and my office secret santa. Clearly, a trip into town late night shopping was the way forward, I would get it all done, could sit back and be smug about how organised I am.

Of course I was wrong.

I went into town. It started well, but it was the point I realised that I had only bought half of 3 presents, but bought myself 5 new tops (4 maternity, so completly justified), 4 new pairs of shoes (who doesn't need bright red sparkly flats at Christmas?) and a new handbag, that the thought crossed my mind it was not going so well. I am currently sat in bed (explanation on that in a minute) looking at all the carrier bags wondering what I can take back because I really should not have bought so much stuff. On the plus side, I did buy wrapping paper. That really doesn't make it any better though does it?

So, I finish shopping because I couldn't carry anymore and me and T get chinese take away. I loved chinese food before I got pregnant, but since I have been, have felt really odd everytime I've eaten it, but both times, it had been from somewhere other than our regular old local takeaway. So we went back there last night. All good, until 4am this morning when I am wide awake and wanting to be sick. T has declared that there will be no more chinese food for me until the baby is born. Bah.

However, while being awake from the food, I start complaining that my legs hurt. This is a pretty normal occurance, but they really hurt last night. I put on a light, and am greeted with the sight of my ankles looking like they belong to someone 20 stone heavier than me. Swollen is an understatement. Que having a bath, taking paracetamol, waiving them above my head (now easier said than done) to try and make them les swollen, but when I awoke at 7.30 this morning I was still in pain and they were still giant, therefore, no work for me today. I am sat in bed, with them still elevated, although they are looking a bit more normal.

The bad thing is, I have to go back to town on Sunday, because I have to get this shopping finished. It's like my worst nightmare. Plus I am going to have to figure out what to return, I really, really, surely can't need all of it. Today is going to be spent making a plan of exactly what I need to buy, so they same thing can't happen again, although, I do need some more maternity trousers...

My half days worth of browsing the internet has led me to this question...

Is it wrong to get people a picture of me for Christmas?

It'd be me getting married, so not just a random picture of me drunk or anything. I have plenty of them. I'd get them framed.

Maybe one for the grandparents.

I don't even know if thats a word, but bear with me. A couple of things have happened, baby related, which I don't think I am being unreasonable about, but have really bugged me. I may well be being completely unreasonable, but I think I just need to get them out.

1. We went to York just over a week ago. Nice day out and all that. Met sister in law, brother in law and BIL's girlfriend there. I hadn't seen sister in law for probably about 6 weeks, and as such, she had not seen the bump. On seeing it, she starts taking pictures of it. Not of me, of the bump. Just my stomach. Not even with my face in it. She knows full well about the issues I have with my body. So why, why, why, would anyone actually need a picture of my stomach? I don't feel the need to take pictures of it, and its my bump. Gah.

2. Saw all the in-law crowd this weekend. Resulted in a large argument as they are insisting on telling people the sex of the baby, despite us asking them to keep it to themselves. We found out because we genuinely wanted to know, they bugged us to tell them, so we did, but asked them not to tell anyone as we wanted to break the news when baby was born (and because I think it may still come out as the opposite to what we were told). Yet, they seem incapable of doing this.

Really, these are just minor in-law rants. However, I don't think I'm wrong on either point. Yes, I know I am stubborn so going to think that, but I just don't understand why they can't just calm it slightly. They keep saying they are just excited about the baby. Newsflash: WE ALL ARE. But no one is quite over reacting (apart from maybe me in my ranting) in the way that they are.

And 3. It's nearly Christmas. I did well on the internet shopping yesterday, so T maybe pretty much sorted. But no one else is. And I have to get my damn office secret santa present. I hate stuff like that, I never know what to buy. And it looks like I will have to go into town at the weekend, which will drive me crazy. On the plus side, it does look like Christmas has thrown up on our office, tat galore.

lets have a fire alarm to celebrate!

Yes, I am now firmly back on my sofa after having to run across the hall, to what I initally thought was a fire door having been opened, so much so, I even took time to put my shoes on the right feet. As I got downstairs and about to go out the door, I saw students evacuating. Que much running, and almost mild hysteria from me, as I yell down the phone "its a false alarm, don't send the fire brigade!!", and then more shouting, as once I have silenced the alarm, a particularly annoying student decides to come sauntering out after going back in to use the toilet. I was not hapy.

Anyway, it was a false alarm, some students had been cooking breakfast (at 20 past 2 in the afternoon), and it had burnt, thus setting off the alarms. And here was I thinking we would make it through semester 1 without an alarm.

And it is the 1st of December. To celebrate this, I am playing Christmas songs, loudly, while thinking about cleaning my flat. I am of course, no where near ready for Christmas, but I felt a little festive, and with T at the football, well, I think I deserve it.