Month: July 2019

Reconnected!

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I finally have stable internet again!

This is not because the router arrived today. This is because the router did not arrive today, and so Geth called BT, and so we found out that the router that they promised us had been sent out Monday had never actually been sent and so they had to resend it today, and so Geth got fed up and ordered a same-day-delivery emergency router from Argos…and then when it arrived at nine o’clock this evening, he couldn’t get it to work, possibly because BT have proprietary stuff going on that won’t allow you to use other routers with their network provision. However, Geth ended up disconnecting and reconnecting so many cables that the old broken router decided to start working again. Go figure.

During yet another day without internet, I managed to get another 5,400 words written, meaning that I now have everything put together for a writing competition I’m submitting to in the morning!

By tomorrow lunchtime, we should have three routers. I am hopeful that between them, we will be able to set ourselves up with long-term reliable internet again.

OOTD 31st July 2019
OOTD: my new Duran Duran space shuttle t-shirt isn’t quite as blurry as it appears here – there’s a 3D effect going on in real life! Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), t-shirt Duran Duran (2019), jeans Zara (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done
The Human League – Tell Me When
Andy Taylor – Broken Window
Duran Duran – Late Bar
Duran Duran – Save A Prayer

Still disconnected

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Router did not arrive today. I am posting this during one of the brief split seconds that my laptop will actually deign to connect to the internet. This week’s learning experience is that computers on Windows 10 do not like using ethernet cables. Or possibly it’s just my laptop, which has not always been the most reliable of machines.

For the meantime, then, I’m stuck with minimal internet. I’m certainly getting a lot of writing done – 5,000 words today! – as well as catching up with a lot of offline reading.

OOTD 30th July 2019
OOTD: temperature is cooling down, which is something of a relief. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), blouse H&M (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Sigala and Becky Hill – Wish You Well
Vera Lynn – A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Angry Anderson – Suddenly
Duran Duran – Rio

When the world switches off

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No Music Video Monday post again this week as my internet connection is still being problematic and it’s difficult to upload things/find videos etc. I feel like a very poor excuse for a 20th century girl at the moment as this whole thing is reminding me that I am just as completely and utterly reliant on the internet as everyone else in this godawful 21st century! Thankfully Geth rang BT again today and we’ve been promised that our new router will show up tomorrow.

(I’m not going to say anything along the lines of ‘I wonder what I did before the internet?’ because I know exactly what I did. I listened to music and wrote all day long, apart from when I was rudely interrupted by people making me go to school! Not so different from my life nowadays, except for the fact that I didn’t obsessively log all my writing online and I had non-internet ways of listening to said music, many of which I’ve had to rediscover in the last few days.)

Anyway, today I’ve found various non-internet things to do such as going for a long run, organising all the ’80s episodes of Top of the Pops that are stored on my digibox, and playing ukulele. Back to writing tomorrow.

OOTD 29th July 2019
OOTD: it’s still muggy out there! T-shirt eBay/Fruit Of The Loom (2018), trousers Christian Siriano Runway Style (2018), shoes Primark (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Avicii and Aloe Blacc – SOS
Crash Test Dummies – Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
Duran Duran – Come Undone
Duran Duran – Sound Of Thunder
Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game
Dire Straits – Romeo And Juliet
Duran Duran – Electric Barbarella
Duran Duran – All You Need Is Now
Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson – I Know Him So Well
Freddie & The Dreamers – I’m Telling You Now
Nik Kershaw – I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me

A more traditional summer day

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I was out most of today watching bands play in a large outdoor space, which is the number one thing I used to associate with summer. I’ve deliberately not done much of it this year because it’s also the number one thing I used to associate with drinking. However, today went really well. I did occasionally feel uncomfortable due to drunk people in my vicinity, but on the whole it was a really nice day out and a good gig – and I will actually remember the whole thing! Review to come later this week.

Internet is still being problematic, but it looks like we will have our new router either tomorrow or Tuesday, so fingers crossed the remaining disruption will be minimal.

OOTD 28th July 2019
OOTD: gotta wear a Duran shirt for an ’80s-related gig! (Unless it’s Spandau Ballet of course.) Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), t-shirt Amplified (2018), jeans H&M (thrifted from Steff 2016).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Katy Perry – Never Really Over
Duran Duran – Burning The Ground
Janet Jackson – Whoops Now
Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game
Ultravox – Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Nick Heyward – Take That Situation

Connection disruption

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After I got back from my hospital appointment this morning, I was annoyed to find that our router had seemingly given out. It meant I couldn’t do any of my planned activities for the afternoon. I did catch up with a lot of reading though! Geth called BT to try and fix the problem, and it was ascertained that the router is working (to an extent) but not transmitting a wi-fi signal. As a result, we now have ethernet cables trailing everywhere and the internet connection constantly cutting in and out, like it’s the ’90s or something. I may have been driven mad by the time they send us a new router.

Geth and I are going to an outdoor gig tomorrow, so hopefully I will have a less frustrating day.

OOTD 27th July 2019
OOTD: too wet and grey for an outdoor picture, but I’m really pleased with my new Rio vest top! Vest top Redbubble (2019), leggings Primark (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Martin Garrix, Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days
Sigala and Becky Hill – Wish You Well
Duran Duran – Pressure Off
Manic Street Preachers – A Design For Life
Ylvis – The Fox
Gunship – The Mountain

A muggy Friday

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Yesterday did not end as well as it began. The UK railway chaos caused by the heat meant that Geth and I were unable to get from Newcastle to Durham for our race, so I had to DNS a race I’d entered for the first time since 2016 (when I couldn’t take up my place at the EMF 10k due to my brother getting married in Toronto the same weekend). Really annoyed about the whole thing! Next time I have to go anywhere during a heatwave I’ll be taking the car – the trains are just too unreliable.

I then had a bad night’s sleep due to the heat, so I’ve not really felt on top form today and haven’t got as much writing done as I would have liked. It’s been a long, muggy day – there was a heavy rain storm earlier this evening that’s made the air a little cooler, but it still feels pretty uncomfortable.

I may or may not be at parkrun tomorrow depending on the weather, but I will be in town either way as I’ve got a hospital appointment that I only found out about today.

OOTD 26th July 2019
OOTD: this outfit was highly appropriate when I put it on this morning, before the rain made it all grey and overcast! Sunglasses Ray-Ban (2019), dress Paradise (2013), shoes BHS (2016).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Martin Garrix, Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days
Daniel Bedingfield – If You’re Not The One
Arcadia – Say The Word
Cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show – Time Warp
Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So Lucky
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
George Ezra – Paradise

And a bonus track that Geth was humming earlier:

Haim Saban and Shuki Levy – The Mysterious Cities Of Gold Main Theme

The hottest day of the year…I hope

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Geth woke me with great excitement this morning because he’s had a paper accepted (it’s been a few years due to various things getting in the way of his research), and I was still on a high from giving a well-received performance at poetry night yesterday evening, so it was a good start to the day. Well, it was until I read all the newspaper headlines screaming ‘ARE YOU READY FOR THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR?’. Firstly, no I’m not, because I have to run 10k this evening and cooler temperatures would be preferable (the forecast is now saying thunderstorms – this could be interesting) and secondly, you don’t actually know that it’s the hottest day of the year until the year comes to an end, newspaper people.

Other than the uncomfortable heat, though, our good vibes have continued as Geth and I both had losses at Slimming World. Just hoping that the weather won’t make tonight’s race too miserable!

OOTD 25th July 2019
OOTD: shadows are not on my side when it’s this sunny. Sunglasses Ray-Ban (2019), vest top Primark (2018), skirt unknown brand (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair (2017), trainers Reebok (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Oasis – Champagne Supernova
Gunship – When You Grow Up Your Heart Dies
Duran Duran – All She Wants Is
George Michael – Careless Whisper
Cole Porter – Too Darn Hot
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee – Despacito
Martin Garrix, Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days

Me and my keyboard

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I’m getting a lot of writing done this year, which is great.

I’m also putting a lot of it out into the world, which is…anxiety-inducing, to say the least. I’m sending out the novel I’ve been working on since 2011 to another batch of agents at the moment. This is sort of its final chance – if I don’t have any success with it this time, I’ll be putting it on the back burner for a couple of years while I focus on pitching my more recent projects.

I’m also going out to perform poetry again tonight. I was really hoping that it would get easier but I still find I’m horribly nervous beforehand!

There’s also a lot of interesting writing competitions with autumn deadlines that I’m excited about, so I’m going to be fairly busy with writing over the next few months. I don’t mind, though, ’cause it’s the only kind of busy I like.

Today I’ve finished yet another draft of my 1970s-set rock star novel and written half the prologue for a competition story, so it’s been a productive day. Tomorrow, on the other hand, will be fairly light on writing as Geth and I have Slimming World in the morning and then a 10k in the evening!

OOTD 24th July 2019
OOTD: still too warm on this uncomfortably muggy day. Top David Emanuel (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2018), leggings Primark (2018), trainers Reebok (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Tyler Lyle – Lost And Found [The Midnight Remix]
Bucks Fizz – If You Can’t Stand The Heat
Duran Duran – Big Thing
Kygo and Whitney Houston – Higher Love
Green Day – Wake Me Up When September Ends
The Midnight – Days Of Thunder

Summer heat

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The one annual week of summer heat has arrived in the UK with a vengeance. I am not about it in the slightest so I have spent today indoors with the windows open, ignoring the news and getting lots of writing done.

Looking forward to a quiet evening with music and reading, and then another day of writing tomorrow.

OOTD 23rd July 2019
OOTD: this is the lightest dress I own but it’s still too warm for a day like today. Dress Primark (2018), trainers Nike (2018).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Gunship – The Mountain
Lil’ Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road
Andy Taylor – I Might Lie
Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf
Trevor Something – All Night
Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat
Bowling For Soup – 1985
The Midnight and Nikki Flores – Jason
Colony 5 – Black
Duran Duran – All You Need Is Now
Duran Duran – A View To A Kill
Bucks Fizz – If You Can’t Stand The Heat
Martin Garrix, Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days