Away
August 20th, 2010Just on occasion, work can be a good distraction.
I tend to avoid it where possible. But yesterday, what with Mark departing to China for the next 2 and a half weeks and me being in ‘boo-hoo-hoo-I’m-gonna-miss-him-too-much’ mode, doing a bit of work actually helped. Who would have thought?! 
As did a good run today:The first time I’ve mustered more than 8 miles since the marathon. 
Let’s see how much I keep it up in America now; I’m guessing the average portion size perhaps isn’t going to help. 
If I seem a bit unenthusiastic about the whole visiting the U.S thing, it’s only because I’m still pining over the whole Mark’s-not-coming-with-me-and-he’s-on-the-other-side-of-the-world thing. 
But I am looking forward to it really because I’ll be seeing friends I haven’t seen for ages and sights I’ve not ever seen at all. 
From Chicago, via the Rockies and onto San Francisco, it should be a great trip. 
Of course, I’ll be taking some journal articles with me for the journey, on account of the fact that my 7,500 word report is due shortly after my return. They like a trip out. And it’ll distract me from how much I’m missing the boyfriend won’t it?! 
Updates from the other side of the pond might be somewhat sporadic. With all that reading I’ll be doing and all. 
But no doubt there’ll be a lot of stories to tell when I’m back. One of them being how delighted I am to be reunited with Mark. 
I know. I’m a soppy cow. But you’d be worried if I wasn’t wouldn’t you?!
Current Mood: 
We’ve been moody and grumpy and tearful and stressed. We were beginning to wonder if we could cope. With anything. 
A PhD, it turns out, is quite stressful. Especially that statistics stuff. 
In fact, life aged very-nearly-30, it turns out, is quite stressful. 
But because I have this amazing, fannytastic, supportive, angel of a boyfriend, I’ve come out smiling. 
And today I feel like I’m finally on top of my work (for the next 12 hours at least), back on it with the 
On the subject of which, it’s his birthday tomorrow and I’m thinking the man deserves a great one. Maybe I should have bought him a halo eh?! 
Leeds v Wolves at Elland Road (That’s the Leeds ground, to anyone as football-ignorant as me!). And it wasn’t quite as boring/scary/confusing as I’d expected it to be. 
Clearly, because I was there with my lucky shell, Leeds won. So that was good as it meant the boyfriend was able to speak to me for the rest of the day. 
And I was so well behaved that I didn’t even play The Question Game. Much. 
I wouldn’t exactly say I’m converted to the cause. I’d rather spend my money on cocktails and chocolate. And if someone invites me out to do something fun on a Saturday you will not hear me reply ‘No thank you, I’m staying home to check the football scores’. 
But it was lovely to do something with Mark that he loves and I did enjoy myself and would probably go again. If I’m allowed. Being a Southerner and all. I suppose it all depends on what he thought of my Leeds salute… 
I say ‘together’. There was no way I was keeping up with Mark now he’s back 
I was a little bit pleased with mysel
And that was with my iPod croaking on me hence no music and almost fainting/throwing up over the finish line. A bit like being back at Warwick. Just minus the alcohol. 
The way it should be really isn’t it?!
Which is why, by approximately 18:20 on Friday evening, I was on my 2nd cocktail and had well and truly switched off my brain. 
I’ve not switched it back on yet. 
‘Family’ including Mark, of course. Who actually, missed a football match (albeit a friendly and he would only have been able to listen to it online anyway but still) to come with us. Lovely, lovely boyfriend, that man. 
I, on the other hand, was more excited by (and wouldn’t shut up about) the possibility of having a wedding there. Each to their own eh?! Although Wonky informs me that it isn’t possible to bully a boyfriend into wanting to become your husband and has suggested that I rein it in a bit. Weird girl. Clearly she knows nothing, married as she is. Hmmm. 
We finished the day at a very posh restaurant: Fantastic food and amazing company. What more could I want eh? Well, actually, an over-priced champagne cocktail at the end of the night but, as I got that as well, I think it could be classed as a pretty much perfect day. 
Went for a 5 mile run with hangover in tow. Not very fun. Went to Tesco. Tidied up a bit. Thrilling stuff. 
But tonight we’re off to the wedding reception of a friend of Mark’s. Where it’s very possible I might be having a cocktail. And where, surely, wedding talk is acceptable. 
So that’ll be another lovely weekend in the bag then…
Which, credit where it’s due, looks really rather good. So 
And this time I’m not just saying that for a Tiffany ring (I’m saying it for a free sofa 
But I’m even more delighted by the fact that I figured out how to close that 
So long as I have him. Blush blush. 
You see, there I was last night, on the Tiffany website, dropping all manner of 
And when he did give them to me, my little heart melted and 6 of my 7 selves decided that was just as sweet and romantic and tear-jerking as being presented with a Tiffany ring. 
Especially when we read what he’d written on the card. Happy sigh. 
Oh, come on. Every girl needs a Clara Mae silver silk dress in a silk/cotton/organza mix, which makes the perfect contrast to the beautiful and bright appliqued silk flowers at the hemline and has a detachable purple sash that can be fastened front or back. Right?! 
Oh shut up. It matches my beautiful flowers anyway… 
Busy, busy, busy in schools doing my data collection, interspersed with trying to prepare myself for my first presentation of said ‘data’ on Friday. All I saw were blank faces. 
Which was probably all they saw when they started asking me questions. 
And that’s about all I have to say…
