It’s been a fairly relaxed day, which has meant I’ve been able to get on with things in the house. I did head out to the shops to pick up some more Christmas supplies, but it’s absolutely freezing out there so I’ve stayed in otherwise!
Geth is watching all the Star Wars films in preparation for seeing the new one tomorrow, so that’s been good background noise today.
Not an OOTD: Dad is installing various old systems on computers at the moment, so I’ve dug out my copy of The Bingi Burra Stone to take with me when I visit for Christmas. Grandad had this game in the mid-’90s but I’ve not been able to get it to work on any emulators or old Windows installs on modern machines. Maybe this time we’ll get lucky!
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – ‘The Edge Of America’ Wham! – ‘Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do)’ The Champs – ‘Tequila’ The Boomtown Rats – ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ Tim Minchin – ‘White Wine In The Sun’ And One – ‘Panzermensch’
Geth and I are back in Newcastle after a few days in Lancashire with the in-laws. The drive back was fairly ‘interesting’ – ice, fog, snow and low sunlight all featured en route! Got to love winter driving.
Since we got back I’ve been wrapping presents. I love the paper we’ve bought this year, but there’s been some fairly big gifts to wrap and so I’ve already run out of it! Will be going out to pick up some more tomorrow.
Might see about getting some more winter supplies for the car while I’m out there…
Not an OOTD: so many glittery stars! Will try and find some equally pretty paper tomorrow.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Tim Minchin – ‘White Wine In The Sun’
And a bonus track that Geth was humming earlier:
Perry Como – ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’
I still feel pretty rotten, but having had a day on the sofa today, I think I’m just about starting to recover from my cold now. I’ll be out in the open air again tomorrow, so fingers crossed it won’t be quite as frosty as it has been recently.
On the plus side, I did get a lot of online Christmas shopping done today!
Not an OOTD: the Christmas decorations are out if not quite up yet! Bonus Strictly catchup on the TV too. I’ll get a bit of decorating done tomorrow before I head out.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – ‘Falling Down’ Ariana Grande – ‘Thank You Next’ The Police – ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ Sailor – ‘A Glass Of Champagne’ Slade – ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’
…is the best way I can describe my brain right now. This cold has really knocked me out.
I don’t think it helped that I ventured out in the sub-freezing temperatures this evening in order to attend the Slimming World opportunities event. It was useful and informative, and I’ve signed up to find out more, but it was a real struggle walking back and forth from the Metro (especially as all of Newcastle is an ice rink at the moment!). Tomorrow will be all about staying in and keeping warm.
OOTD: I may be only sometimes conscious and also simultaneously too hot and too cold under my blanket, but at least I got to wear my snowflake jumper for the first time this winter today. Jumper unknown brand (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2019).
Today’s earworm playlist:
John Williams – ‘Across The Stars’ Duran Duran – ‘My Antarctica’ Destiny’s Child – ‘8 Days Of Christmas’
I didn’t end up parkrunning today, because I came down with a cold overnight. It’s exactly a year since I last had an inconveniently-timed cold (it was the 30th November last year that Geth and I headed to Electric Dreams), although thinking about it I suppose there’s no such thing as a conveniently-timed one.
Because of some flu-like dizzy symptoms, it was a tough day finishing my NaNoWriMo project. Nevertheless, I hit the 50k, making 2019 my sixth win out of eight attempts, and my fifth in a row! Going to take a few days off from creative writing in order to give my brain a bit of a break.
Hoping to feel a little better tomorrow, as I’m not looking forward to going out in the cold right now!
Not an OOTD: this stash that Geth brought home is making me feel marginally more alive.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – ‘(I’m Looking For) Cracks In The Pavement’ Duran Duran – ‘My Antarctica’ Andy Taylor – ‘Bringin’ Me Down’ Duran Duran – ‘Falling Down’
London was lovely and warm. I was able to go out in just a thin jacket last night and everything! It reminded me of when I lived in Southampton and didn’t wear coats for four years solid. Back in the nippy north now, which feels a bit more right for late November.
The Andy Taylor gig was amazing – I’ll write a bit more about that next week when I’ve had time to think about it!
Things will be fairly nonstop for the next few days (especially in terms of finishing my NaNo – eek), but I’m currently eyeing up a possible day off on Monday, which will give me a chance to get organised again.
Not an OOTD: I’m always fascinated by this notice they have next to the plug sockets on trains. You just know that it’s there because someone was ACTUALLY stupid enough to plug in a toaster or hairdryer at some point.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – ‘Ball Of Confusion’ Andy Taylor – ‘Tremblin” Ramz – ‘Barking’ ‘Korobeiniki’ (the Tetris theme music) Andy Taylor – ‘Love Or Liberation’ Zack Laurence – ‘Force Field (The Crystal Maze Main Theme)’ Barbra Streisand – ‘Woman In Love’ Duran Duran – ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’
I was out and about all morning running errands. About five minutes after I left the house, it started pouring with rain, and I hadn’t brought a brolly so I was a drowned rat by the time I got home a few hours later! Glad I don’t have to go out again for a couple of days now.
I’ve been doing day job work since then (and I’ve no idea how it’s managed to get so late as I’m sure I didn’t have that much to do!). Hoping to squeeze in a bit of work on my NaNo later this evening.
Not an OOTD: I’d never normally succumb to mince pies this early but it’s not been the best of days.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – ‘The Chauffeur’ Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello and Cardi B – ‘South Of The Border’ Sam Feldt and Rani – ‘Post Malone’ Roxette – ‘It Must Have Been Love’ Lewis Capaldi – ‘Bruises’ Meduza and Goodboys – ‘Piece Of Your Heart’
It was so cold this morning that it was a real struggle to get out of bed and go to parkrun! I’ve got one eye on that 100th parkrun celebration in a few weeks’ time, though, so I shivered my way to the Jesmond Dene start line. It was slightly busier than usual because both Leazes and Newcastle were cancelled due to the ice, but the tree cover meant that most of the course was unaffected by the cold, so it was a nice relaxed run. I didn’t take my hoodie off though.
I spent the afternoon catching up with various things, including my NaNoWriMo project and my text adventure game updates, and then headed out for the third of the many gigs I’ve got booked during November! It was Adam Ant tonight, and it was a great show. I’ll post a review later this week once I’ve caught up with my backlog!
More weekend catching up tomorrow.
Not an OOTD: that moment when you try to take a picture of the Bridges of the Tyne all lit up from the Metro…and succeed only in photographing the grimy reflection of the train window.
Today’s earworm playlist:
The Midnight – Los Angeles Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care Adam Ant – Puss In Boots Colonel Abrams – Trapped
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I’m trying to hit my Garmin step goal every day this month.
However, today was a regular Sunday, and a regular Sunday, for me, involves a lot of videogaming and not a lot of movement. It was also a fairly miserable day weather-wise and so I really didn’t want to leave the house. As such, I had to be a bit more creative in terms of hitting my step goal, which was why I ended up dragging the treadmill out of the cupboard for the first time since April and trying out my Garmin’s ‘indoor walk’ setting.
It turns out that my Garmin is not nearly as generous as my TomTom used to be. One of the issues I had with my London Marathon training was that I did most of it on the treadmill (because it was cold outside at that time of year and also because being able to watch TV really took the sting out of the long, boring training runs), and my TomTom tended to overestimate the distance I ran compared to the treadmill. My Garmin, in contrast, massively underestimates it, so while the treadmill believes I walked four and a half kilometres this afternoon, the Garmin insists it was just one and a half. One and a half kilometres over an hour and forty minutes! I’m slow (especially on the treadmill, which really messes with my sense of speed and effort for some reason), but not that slow. This is a very good reason to avoid treadmill runs during ‘marathon training take two’ this coming winter.*
However, the aim of today’s workout was not speed or accurately estimated distance, but hitting my step goal…which I have also not yet done. I’ll do another half hour on the treadmill later this evening, but I need a bit of time to recover from the first session! Walking can be more tiring than running sometimes.
Other things done today included (1) videogaming, (2) more videogaming, (3) starting to plan out the next videogame I’m making, (4) unscrewing the broken extractor fan in our kitchen that is getting collected tomorrow and (5) more videogaming. Back to work tomorrow.
*In a move that will surprise nobody, I have decided I am going to take up the free guaranteed place at the 2020 London Marathon that I was offered along with all other seven-hour-plus finishers. I really did mean it when I said afterwards that I was never going to put myself through that again, but I’m a Scot and I’m incapable of passing up a freebie. Besides, it would be nice if I could have a slightly faster time listed as my marathon PB.
Not an OOTD: slow but getting the steps in.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Naughty Boy and Sam Smith – La La La Altered Images – Don’t Talk To Me About Love
It was too wet and miserable to go for a run this morning (yup, I have become a bit of a fairweather runner ever since doing the bulk of my marathon training on the treadmill!), but it had brightened up by mid-afternoon so I ended up running later instead. It turned out that it wasn’t a good idea so soon after lunch! I need to plan things better if I’m going to start doing late afternoon/early evening runs.
Other than running, today I have mainly been getting on with admin and writing. I’m really appreciating this nice quiet week after the whirlwind of the last fortnight.
I’ve now updated my text adventure game after collecting various feedback over the last week!
More of the same (with bonus ukulele class) tomorrow.
OOTD: posting today’s outfit again for once! As you might have guessed, I am currently happily living in my ’80s jumper collection. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), jumper Jac (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2018).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – The Chauffeur Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around Andy Taylor – I Might Lie Ed Sheeran and Stormzy – Take Me Back To London Naughty Boy and Sam Smith – La La La Lewis Capaldi – Hold Me While You Wait Trevor Something – Miami Nights
