FRIDAY!!!

Another Friday is already upon us and it is time for another song! On my exploratory visit to YouTube, listening to some Edie Brickell and then moving on to REO Speedwagon this song came up on the side. It brought back memories of my teenage years, going to the school "social" getting ready in the hostel/boarding house, heading across to the school hall for the big night and hoping that HE (whoever he happened to be at the time!) would ask me to dance....while a song like this was playing!

Foreigner - I wanna know what love is.

A Cry For Help

Blogging was my first way of communicating with the outside world when we moved to Ireland. I discovered other blogs that made me laugh and cry, there are so many wonderful blogs out there but obviously with limited time I had to cut down on who I visit. One of the people that I knew I could not stop popping in to see is K8. Her writing is inspirational - she has the ability to make you laugh and cry and has such soul. I remember reading about her son and wanting to call her and offer to help in some way, silly I know, especially as she has a great family support base and I am sure she would have thought my offer bizarre, but I was not working at the time and looked at my easy way of life and was humbled. She is now asking for help and I am compelled to do this tiny little thing to raise awareness for the plight of St Catherine's. Please read this link A CRY FOR HELP and do what you can, even better, tell your company that it would be a great charity to support at Christmas time, together we can make a difference!

Bank Holiday Weekend...

E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D is the only way to describe how I am feeling tonight. It all started on Wednesday when we boarded a bus on O'Connell Street to experience the Ghost Bus tour, an evening arranged by the sport and social committee a work. In fact it started a bit before that with drinks and snacks at a pub, which is probably why we were all in such good humour on the bus. The tour was interesting but sadly not at ALL scary and afterwards we all headed off to Whealans for a couple of drinks and ended up leaving at 03h00...luckily I had stopped drinking WAY before then, always sensible...but it was such great fun getting to know people from work at a social event hat I could not bare to leave... I paid for it the next day, I was exhausted after 31/2 hours of sleep! Luckily we were all in the same boat, and if anything it boosted team morale, which we really needed because it was only Thursday which meant we still had to face work on Friday - an unpleasant thought.

By the end of the work day on Friday we were all ready for a couple of drinks and went off to the pub around the corner, this time I was a lot more sensible and came home at a decent hour. Sadly somebody pinched my favourite jersey/sweater/jumper AND my leather jacket, the jacket MIGHT have been a mistake, highly unlikely, but a very ordinary brown leather jacket was left beside me.

Saturday night was dinner at Diep in Ranelagh to celebrate Kelly's birthday and there were 5 S.A. couples and we had fantastic food and lots of fun. The food was awesome, I had salt and pepper calamari with a wasabi mayonnaise to start followed by Drunken Noodles, vermicelli noodles stir fried with prawns, spring onions, chillies, peppers, beans and Asian greens -YUM!

Sunday we woke up to an absolutely beautiful day, packed the car and headed down to friends in Brittas who had invited us to their place for the weekend. By the time we got there the weather had turned nasty but the brunch in the conservatory was worth staying in for! It cleared later and we went down to the beach for an hour and then back to the house where the wine was opened and we all proceeded to get silly...until 04h00..idiots! I was awake by 08h00 and could not get back to sleep so went and attacked the kitchen...it was NOT a pretty sight!

The weather was fabulous and we walked to the beach, which was absolutely freezing...the sky may have been blue but the wind was icy. We sat in the dunes soaking up the sun and hiding from Jack Frost's breath. This was followed by another brunch and the sun was blazing into the conservatory which was bliss after the cold outside. At around 15h00 we all got into the car and headed home, tired but happy.

Friday Song - Beautiful Day U2

The Rock Ball

Wow, so many new experiences in Dublin and here comes another one which I think I will really enjoy! Our hockey club is having a ball…no not a round thing that you play with, but a good old fashioned ball gown party. It is called the Rock Ball and there are 250 tickets available for the evening, one of those tickets will be worth a €5000 diamond…of course you first have to cough up €125.00 for a ticket but I get to dress up like a princess for a night! The Vets ladies have decided that we will get a table of girls together and I am really looking forward to the evening…a champagne reception followed by a 4 course meal and a live band…I finally get to play grown up…Cinderella is going to the ball. Best of all I hopped on the scale today because I have had to really watch my food intake now that I am not able to do any exercise and I have actually LOST some weight too! Last night I thought my jeans felt roomier than usual and I was not wrong…makes the idea of trying on all those pretty dresses a bit more palatable!
The girls of course are absolutely thrilled that I have to dress up, funny enough it is there dream come true to see me dollied up and in a pair of heels…they are so funny!

Lifted The Lighthouse Family

I could not make this up if I tried...

So it is Hi Ho Hi Ho and off to work I go this morning, driving to a parking garage and then catching the luas in to work. Today is a FOUL day - the ducks disagree - but whose listening...ANYWAY.... I go in and have to get my password reset, slight annoyance coz it took 30 minutes but it gave me a chance to catch up with everyone's news!
Then it starts...the doc's note has me booked of for a week, Thursday will be a week. Apparently because of the note I am not insured at work and it is not a chance the company are allowed to take. I offer to write on the back of the note that all is great and besides a stupid limp I am well and able. Nope, the physio who wrote the note needs to give me the nod. So I call her...she tells me that she does not want to put her neck on the line and that if I am happy to be at work so be it, my boss can give her a call but she is not really authorised to supply letters and did it as a favour. Fair enough. But not good enough. So my boss gives her a call...now I have not told you that my physio has verbal diarrhea of the very worst kind and according to the boss he could not get a word in edge ways, she would not budge on the note, told him to tear it up, demanded as to what he was typing while talking to her..blah blah blah...mmmmm.
Then I get call during my noon lunch hour...from my physio...blasting me, she was doing me a favour etc. then says "I did not even know you were going to work today". Well I gave her the best kind of commanding voice I could (even impressed myself - I swear it takes a lot to stop ehr talking) and explained very patiently that I was not holding her to the week on the letter, she would not be responsible but that she most certainly DID know that I was going back to work today, it was a long discussion including the fact that I could not walk to the luas etc...suffice to say I refreshed her memory.
SO...
Work then decides that we have 2 options...1. the GP down the road for a note or, 2. I go home. The GP is called and we discover that I cannot get an appointment today so option 2 came into play and I got sent home...to make my next appearance in the office on Thursday...with a chocolate cake, in lieu of spending time at the office I get to do my thang in the kitchen!

Questions, questions...

EM received this fun little quiz on her blog in the form of a meme and as I have only had morbid stories of all sorts of injuries lately I decided to fill this in as a blog post too...feel free to answer it yourself in my comment box...all or partly it would still be fun to here from you all!!! I have copied all the questions at the bottom of this post to make it easier for you..

What are your nicknames?
Nats mostly. When Malcolm was trying to charm me in our early dating days he called me SLUG...mmm, princess was obviously not in his vocabulary back then, or now. Oh and mmmoooommm, not fair, you're so boring...

What TV gameshow/reality show would you like to be on?
Would LOVE to do Amazing Race!!!!!

What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD?
Mmmmm...I dunno but I do remember watching Girls Just Wanna have Fun with my sister over and over and over and...do you remember how long they took to rewind?

What is your favourite scent?
Rain on the hot ground. As far as perfumes go my everyday fave is Maybe Baby by Benefit, I lurve Elizabeth Arden After Five and Spa Sanctuary lotions. Oohh and I tested Daisy by Marc Jacobs the other day and LURVED it...still waiting to get my mitts on it though.

If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?
Mmmmm think I would put it in a high interest earning IRISH bank account and live on the interest for a while and give it some thought.

One place you’ve visited, can’t forget and want to go back to?
Oh there are a few....always said Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard but was lucky enough to spend some time in the Netherlands during the summer and would love to explore more of it.

Do you trust easily?
Mostly, but I do think I am a good judge of character most of the time...mistakes have been made!

Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
Oh dear...definitely act first...and not think about it later, much easier that way!

Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
mmmmm no comment.

Do you have a good body image?
Nope. But I am working on it.

What is your favourite fruit?
Fresh cherries....and as the season is so short I have to eat LOADS while I can.

What websites do you visit daily?
All the ones listed on the side of my blog, although lately I am sad to say I do not have as much time for that as I once did..

What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Getting fit for hockey, having fun nights out and....oh this is so sad what else....was definitely addicted to blog reading but that has taken a serious nose dive since my new job.


What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
A LOT of fun and very spontaneous. Would still love to have a glass of wine and a good long lunch with her sometime.

What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
Pink - So what! Listen to it every morning on YouTube due to the younger generation and it has grown on me...

Favourite clothing
JEANS that flatter my rear end...hard to find but not impossible thank goodness. Well I am hoping anyway...the last pair I got certainly got the thumbs up from the teens and pre-teen in da house...

Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?
Not really, although with melted mars bars.....now that is a different story altogether. I guess that explains the jeans problem.

What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?
Mmmmm find a friend and go out for lunch. I know I should say something like give it to charity...but I am trying to be honest... and yes I am using a bit of irony on purpose...

Items you couldn’t go without during the day?
Tooth brush, cell phone, a wee bit of blogging or visiting of blogs, breakfast, lunch and dinner...and I love my daily walk to the luas.

What should you be doing right now?
Lying on my bed with my foot elevated...long story refer to blog post called Torn if you could be bothered.

What are your nicknames?
What TV gameshow/reality show would you like to be on?
What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD?
What is your favourite scent?
If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?
One place you’ve visited, can’t forget and want to go back to?
Do you trust easily?
Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Do you have a good body image?
What is your favourite fruit?
What websites do you visit daily?
What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
Favourite clothing
Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?
What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?
Items you couldn’t go without during the day?
What should you be doing right now?

Cooking with BALLS

You may feel decidedly queasy at this take on cuisine, even
EM will be flabbergasted by this bizarre twist on pies and pizzas, so have a look at this and then thank me for using a link and not assaulting the gag reflex by laying it all out on my blog! And of course a big thank you must go out to the one and only lovely Tracy who very kindly pointed me in this sickening direction! So gather your ingredients and let me know how it all turned out, personally I think I will keep leafing through my Bill Granger and Nigella Lawson, but each to their own.

The Friday Song....

Katrina and the Waves - Walking on Sunshine

Torn

I am falling apart. I have torn my calf muscle, and in a very public place...running across the road after work in a rush to get home. So bad in fact that I found myself sitting at a bus stop for 20 minutes waiting for Malcolm to collect me. A bus stop that I could only get to by HOPPING..yes really, across the road. I could NOT walk the last 5 minutes home, and I sat there in a panic as to what I had done to myself. Luckily we got into to see a physio that evening and she did some tests by squeezing my calf and determined that the muscle was torn but not severed...thank goodness. She told us to use the rice method... rest, ice, compression and elevate booked me off work for a week and made an appointment to see her at 3:30 today.

I was mortified, I did not think I would have to miss work...worst of all was the wisecrack I had made as my boss walked out at 17h00...I had told him that I would see him tomorrow if I felt like coming in, one of the other guys was on leave and another of our team members was sick, hence the comment...me and my big mouth.

Luckily I still had some anti inflammatory pills from my pinched nerve (fine by the way) and the physio suggested I take them. This morning I took a couple of them and 2 pain killers and felt decidedly light headed and faint, later while reading the prescription I realised that I had double dosed on the anti inflams....oops. I saw the physio and she worked her magic for me and will do so again tomorrow. This had better be the last episode of strange happenings regarding my nerves and muscles...oh and bones and whatever else too.

To my sister

Last night I was asked to settle on the couch and listen to this song via Tracy's mobile phone so that we could share it together! Needless to say it was rather difficult to here it and afterwards I went to YouTube as I recognised it as a Barbara Streissand song and found this one...so in the spirit of sharing here is a timeless love song...

Friday Song...Love Cats - The Cure

Oh my....been looking for a Friday song, lots in my drafts folder, and then I came across this one, another trip down memory lane. When I listen to it now I do wonder WHY I was so mad about it, but when we were out and that song came on the dance floor was the only place I wanted to be! I know the video is not great but for old time's sake....

The Nerve

I woke up at 04h00 this morning in excruciating pain. The upside is that I had actually had a good nights sleep up until that point, the downside...I literally could NOT move. I really do not think I am a drama queen or wimp but I actually had to wake Malcolm up as the pain was causing me to breathe a bit funny, almost like I was tired from a run. He picked me up and turned me onto my side and the pain eased ever so slightly, the worst of it concentrated a little below and behind my left shoulder blade. I took a couple of Nurofen and after a while fell asleep again (YAYA!!). This morning Malcolm absolutely insisted that I go to the doctor and I knew that I could not have another night like that and it was the sensible thing to do. The strange thing is that it is worse when I lie down, during the day while I am out and about I get a sudden pain explosion that causes me to catch my breath but then it goes away again and I get on with my day, hence not going to the doctor when this all started on Sunday.
The doctor I saw was a S.A. woman so we had lots to talk about besides my painful left shoulder but she finally came to the conclusion that 1. My posture is all wrong, my left side slopes down a bit and 2. I have a pinched nerve. She suggested I try the egoscue technique for righting my posture and has referred me to a doctor who I can go and see. She also prescribed me a nice little cache of drugs so I get my first foray into the world of Valium, apparently it will help me relax the muscles at night and eventually the nerve will work its way free...kinda like Willy the whale! I am very relieved that there is such a simple explanation for it and I also think I am going to be sleeping much, much better for the next few nights!

Humpty Dumpty..or Kirstin's Fall?

Sunday was a successful day, I felt that finally everything was falling into place and my organising skills were on top form. I got the house cleaned -with the help of Malcolm and then got all the grocery shopping done and still found time to go down to Dundrum with the girls. I suggested we walk as it was a beautiful day and all went well until the return leg of our journey. Kirstin was walking a little ahead of us with Jess and she decided to jump onto the wall and literally all we saw were legs as she hurtled head first over the edge into the bushes. My heart was in my throat because I thought that it was a long drop but luckily it was very low and although she scratched her face, her knee and hurt her arm nothing was broken. We sat on the wall a while my pounding heart returned to normal pumping action while I just hugged her and then we dusted her off and continued on our walk. We got home and I made a chicken salad for dinner and then we watched P.S. I love you…not sure what all the hype was about, I did not think it was that great. It was a relaxing end to a fantastic weekend, until I got into bed and could not sleep that is! I finally went to la la land at 01h30 after a very frustrating few hours, I hope these sleepless nights are going to come to an end soon!