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So I was having a cuppa last night and happened to look into the bottom of the cup after I had finished to see a heart staring back up at me and I wondered is it a sign? Which leads me to the art of reading tea leaves – also known as Tasseography or Tasseomancy or Tassology [why couldn’t they just pick one] which is the divination practice of reading shapes and patterns in tea leaves (sometimes coffee grounds) in order to foretell one’s future. It’s an ancient practice that dates back to the Chinese. And so my heart apparently can be taken to mean love [fairly obviously], pleasure or trust. For other symbols, check out Tarot Canada. We won’t go into the fact that I used a tea bag and not tea leaves and therefore it more than likely was not a sign!
If you want to learn how to do it properly, check out the Mona Lisa Method of Tea Leaf Reading or read more at Suite101: How to Read Tea Leaves: The Divinatory Art of Tasseography.
In other news, this is my 500th posting!!! Can’t believe I’ve had that much to say but then again my little blog is almost a year old.
Tis March and my favourite month of the whole year – so many lovely things happen in March including Paddys Day [the first bank holiday of the year] and of course it’s the month of my birth and lots of birthdays apart from mine including my mums, my aunts and two good friends all share my birthday month! Well am pretty sure they’re not the only ones but am more than willing to share [am generous like that]. And then you have the days getting longer, warmer [hopefully] and brighter – what’s not to love? All the flowers start appearing and pretty soon fields full of yellow daffodils are in bloom.
It’s March – happy days!
I have to say I know first of all it is a cliche but am petrified of spiders since birth (well am guessing that part). I like to think this deep-seated fear was the result of my first encounter in my crib with a giant spider that I have since blocked out of memory! In Anyways I have never liked these eight-legged creatures who dart around the room and are especially speedy particularly when aiming themselves in my direction. I think they know! I remember two vivid stories about instances with these nasty vile creatures and one of them I wasn’t even present for!
The first was when I was around ten and I was in the hall with my sister when she turned around and I saw a giant spider on her back – cue lots of screaming from me and running away. Since she had no idea what was wrong, she followed with spider and so she chased me around the house. The more I ran, the more upset she got but I couldn’t while gripped with fear string a comprehensible sentence together. Anyway situation resolved itself and you’ll be glad to know my sister hasn’t travelled life with a giant spider on her back – needless to say we wouldn’t be friends if she did!
The second incident happened in Australia. Now I did think twice about going when I discovered that giant venomous spiders live there – specifically the red-back and the funnel-web! I heard all the horror stories and for weeks once I arrived I never put a shoe on before shaking the bejesus out of it and never sat on the toilet seat before giving it a thorough once over but alas this didn’t last too long. After having been there about three months and having no spider instances we grew comfortable. And so one day I came home from work to a horror story of an encounter with a Huntsman, the spider that is not a man who hunts (think tarancula and you’re on the right lines). One of the girls was opening the fridge when she saw something black poking out on the wall behind the fridge what we now know was a black hairy spider leg. Perhaps it was the fridge door opening or the girl screaming that woke the spider but whatever it was it scurried along the wall revealing itself to my housemates who watched with horror as it darted from wall to counter to floor.
As I wasn’t there (thank god cause we would have had to move out if I was), the girls were only too happy to regale me with the story on my return home. And so the chase began around the apartment where they tried several things to maim the spider (seriously he was big, hairy with long legs – you would have done the same). They sprayed him with bug spray which only made him white and didn’t slow him down. They tried to lure him to the balcony. We were on the second floor. At one stage they had him cornered at which point they say he reared up on his hind legs. I was horrified seriously a spider has hind legs who knew? They threw a plank of wood on top of him and one of the braver girls stood on it but alas this didn’t kill the spider although am fairly sure by this stage he was probably a little woozy. They eventually got him to the balcony and threw him over. It sounds exactly like Arachnophobia, a film which I screamed the whole way through and watched from behind my hands. Later we learnt that he was a huntsman (seriously doesn’t the name just say it all – hunts-man!) and actually a pet of one of our neighbours who went missing! I never did hear if he found him again. *shudder*
I have to say I still haven’t gotten over my fear but it has lessened to some degree just don’t go testing me!
Today is (statistically) the most depressing day of the year
Depressed? Blame Blue Monday. The third Monday after the new year begins is traditionally the saddest day of the year.
The holidays are over, new year’s resolutions have been broken, and you can’t seem to shake your cold. To top it off, you are tired, overwhelmed, and just downright depressed. You are not alone. Blue Monday is the third Monday of the new year, and it is called the most depressing day on the calendar. The third Monday in January became a black day in 2005 when Mr Arnall was paid by a public relations firm to identify the most miserable date in the calendar in order to promote holiday firm, Sky Travel.
The self-styled ‘freelance happiness guru’ chose the date based on a pseudo-mathematical formula involving the weather, debt, motivational levels and time elapsed since Christmas. Now Mr Arnall, from Brecon, Wales, has admitted the idea of a single most depressing day was “not particularly helpful” because it became “a self-fulfilling prophecy” and that achieving happiness and being less materialistic was a year-round aim. “I’m pleased about the impact it if it means people are talking about depression and how they feel but I’m also encouraging people to refute the whole notion of there being a most depressing day and to use the day as a springboard for the things that really matter in your life,” he said.
Think the animals have it right….look how warm and snug he looks.
I didn’t take too kindly to getting up this morning and facing more arctic like conditions – this time a wind that made me travel ten times as fast when it was behind me and made me travel ten times as slow when I battled against it. Aw extreme weather, it makes every day an adventure! So am gathering up my nuts and joining my winter furry friends. Wake me up when springs here.
Ok who speeded up Christmas and forgot to tell me? I can’t believe it’s next week!!! Anyway apologies for short hiatus between starting my christmas shopping, putting up the decorations and cooking my first EVER turkey and ham dinner it’s been a busy weekend. Have to say though I do love Christmas – everything seems brighter (and yes I know it’s just the lights) and happier (and yes I know it’s mainly the alcohol) but I love the spirit of Christmas – must be the optimist in me! So I’ve put up the snow and am officially looking forward to Christmas most especially the lovely break. Roll on the 25th!
So yesterday is officially called Miley F’n Cyrus day as the little wench ruined my perfectly good day (not her personally but the promoters behind her tour). Now I don’t usually swear unless under extreme circumstances like driving. Back in June, I bought three tickets online via Ticketmaster for the concert in London for my brother as he doesn’t have a credit card. He lives in Vienna and is home for a few days so I rang them to check on the tickets as I was hoping to give them to him this weekend instead of having to post them.
Got through to customer services in Ireland and they informed me I’d need to ring the customer services in the UK. A very nice girl told me the tickets had been posted on the 12th October but as there is a postal strike in the UK they are probably delayed in transit. All well and good until she chirpily ended the conversation with “And don’t forget to bring your credit card and some form of ID on the day” (Excuse me, rewind)….I was like “Oh but I’m not going to the concert, I bought the tickets for my brother.” And she was all happily, “Well the ticketholder HAS to attend the concert”. This was the first time I had heard of this and who reads the terms and conditions anyway when booking you tick what you have to tick to get the tickets in the time allowed!
Now this is where I started to get a little upset and panicky with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, “Well that is going to be hard as I’m in Dublin and the concert is in London and anyway my brother has booked flights and accommodation from Vienna to London and has told the girls he’s bringing them to the concert”. To which customer services girl replies in her nicest possible voice, “Well it was in the terms and conditions which you agreed to at the time and you ticked a box to say you agreed to them”. Apparently it was decided by the concert promoters to avoid ticket touting which I totally understand but is a pain in the ass for me! And so went the conversation in circles with me getting more and more upset and angry and customers services girl remained nice but stubbornly stuck to her parroting phrase of “You agreed to the terms and conditions” while my blood pressure went through the roof, my face got all red and blotchy and I was close to tears (I do not react well to confrontation). She also nicely informed me that if I had rang before the tickets were printed maybe they could have done something which was like red rag to a bull at this stage. I did make the point that it should have been made more obvious on the screen rather than filed under the terms and conditions which no one ever reads. I was getting nowhere fast. To make matters worse shouting at the nice customer services girl as well as getting me nowhere was also making me feel guilty as it wasn’t her fault, she was just doing her job.
After speaking to her supervisor and me counting to 100 trying to control my anger, she arrived back on the phone with the same story “there was nothing she could do, all your own fault, blah, blah, blah”. Now this wasn’t very helpful so I asked what could I do in this situation to which she replied I would need to write in to customer services in the UK (not sure why the written process will get me further but at this point it was my last option). She started to give me their address when I remembered the postal strike and asked for an e-mail instead. Instead of giving out e-mails, you have to log back on to Ticketmaster, go through their Frequently-Asked-Questions and then once you haven’t found an answer it allows you to Ask a Question in a comment online form. After filling this all out, I got a reply this morning to tell me that I would need to contact the Ticketmaster in the UK (GGRRRRRGGGHHH!!!! Are these people trying to send me crazy?) So I logged on yet again and made sure it was the UK based Ticketmaster and filled in another online form. And so the waiting begins.
I was so upset after the phone call and drama of yesterday evening, it almost drove me to M&S to pick up my favourite chocolate chip cookie to calm my frazzled nerves and make me feel better but alas I was strong and resisted. Instead I concentrated on my mission to find boots hoping that shopping would provide a distraction from my dilemma. I walked into Clarke’s met by all these shop assistant with headsets like a strange sort of nightclub or backstage on a TV show. I did pick up the cutest black shoes (I know they’re not boots) which made me feel a wee bit better. I also noticed the Christmas shopping windows are already starting – liked the Clarke’s one with the shoes on snow – very festive. So am hoping the situation resolves itself before I have to tell my brother and disappoint my nieces. Fingers and toes crossed.
Exercise to me is akin to torture, not to be entered into lightly so I have taken to trying to trick my body into exercising by distracting it with loud music, the promise of treats or by disguising it as fun activities! This has been working nicely so far so good -my body hasn’t yet noticed! My rule is if it hurts well then you shouldn’t be doing it. So last night I took to the pool to throw shapes to ABBA. Yes we might look odd bouncing up and down, fighting with waddles and bumping into each other like badly driven bumper cars but hey it’s a work out.
And part of this new healthier, fitter and hopefully thinner me, so begins the month of abstinence. Yes I am trying to abstain from chocolate, cakes and all sweet things which is hard for a chocolate fiend like me. It is kindda like building a dam, totally unnatural but has to be done to prevent the disaster of flooding! It also does not help working in an office where on a daily basis we get cake to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, mondays. I tend to rely on sweet things to get me through the day so am having to reply on willpower alone. I think though there is a plot against this new healthier, fitter, thinner me – probably led by my evil twin the chocolate fiend. On day one as well as having to contend with birthday cake at work, the aftermath of Halloween ‘trick n treating’ (courtesy of girls in the office – there was even a whole tin of Roses for goodness sake) and a lunchtime table quiz complete with muffin treats, so the chocolate taunting continued into the night. Firstly got paid a visit from a member who brought her dog, a chocolate poodle (who knew they created those tempting creatures) named Rolo and then later that night while settling in to watch the Apprentice, what did their weekly task consist of only the dream job of creating a new dairy milk bar for Cadburys and even the ad breaks were filled with chocolate advertisements! Even my dreams that night were filled with chocolate. It’s a conspiracy but so far I’m resisting. I even refused another cake at tea break – go me! Long may my willpower last.
Well tis the season for trick or treating and dressing up and finding your inner child. Am not a huge fan of Halloween myself – think it is the scary bangers and the fact I wasn’t that creative as a child and there’s only so much you can do with black bin bags, white sheets and cereal packs! I am partial to pretty fireworks and bonfires (under supervision of course) but would happily give this holiday a miss – bah humbug!
Think this cartoon says it all!
So the problems with my feet continue (Yes am falling apart one body part at a time!) and as I’m still experiencing a bit of pain especially when I’m standing for long periods or wearing heels, I decided to do something about it aside from complain and approached the foot doctor. Now cue my baby self to emerge with full-on pout and mini tantrum with wails of “No, I don’t wanna go” and “You can’t make me” and “You’re not the boss of me” but it turns out actually I am. My baby self emerges when I feel panicked or scared usually involving either some sort of trauma like having to go to a doctor (if I’m sick) or god forbid the dentist (nothing sends me into a tizzy of horror faster than hearing that word). Sometimes my grown up self has to take control and just do it!
Now the foot doctor wasn’t as bad as I thought. He did an analysis – I’m lopsided apparently and my right foot prostrates a little too much and some of my leg muscles are too tight and my ankle bone is a bit inflexible but aside from that am grand – nothing a bit of orthotics and a few stretches won’t cure. Note to self: stop being melodramatic!
Girl from the Hills Blog 