Now that the Ten Times to Be Happy challenge is in the past, it’s time to look to the future…and what a future awaits! Over the next twenty-five days I will be stunning you with my incredibly eclectic musical taste with a 25 Songs, 25 Days challenge that is bound to get your toes tapping and your butts a wiggling.
So sit back, crank the volume up to eleven and enjoy! :)
Well, the journey has come to an end. Today marks the final installment of the Ten Times to Be Happy challenge and, truth be told, I’m a little sad. I’ve enjoyed sharing my happiness over the last ten days, and hope that you’ve enjoyed joining me on my journey. Today is all about things that cheer us up, as I share ten things guaranteed to brighten my mood on even the darkest day.
My first memory of being on this earth was walking to the library alone. My parents, in their infinite awesomeness, would watch from the front door of our house as I walked the two hundred yards to the local library. Once there, I would fill my satchel with books and then rush home to begin devouring them.
In the intervening years I have developed a passionate love of both libraries and the books contained within them. I cherish good literature above all else. It fills me with joy. Reinforces my hope for a better, more kinder world. And fills me with happiness like nothing else can.
“She would have liked to sit upon a rock and listen to words, not of any man, but detached, mysterious, poetic words that she alone would interpret through some sense inherited from sleep.”
~ Patrick White, Voss ~
With a tremendous vocal range, intelligent lyrics and a knack for getting the best out of the guitar, how could you not fall for this Canadian singer-songwriter? Her music has been the source of tremendous solace throughout my life, scoring several pertinent moments (e.g. my breakdown, my homelessness) and filling me with joy on even the darkest, most brutal of days.
Would you mind if I pretended we were somewhere else
Doin’ something we wanted to?
‘Cause all this livin’ makes me wanna do
Is die ’cause I can’t live with you
And you don’t even care.Would you mind if I pretended I was someone else
With courage in love and war?
I used to think that’s what I was
But now this lyin’ hurts too much
And I don’t know what for.I’m weak in the knees for you
But I’ll stand if you want me to
My legs are strong and I move on
But honey I’m weak in the knees…Would you mind if I walked over and I kissed your face
In front of all of your friends?
Would you mind if I got drunk and said
I wanna take you home to bed
Oh, would you change your mind?~ from ‘Weak in the Knees’ ~
The heart stopping landscape of the Isle of Skye.
When I was a child, growing up in the small village of Portlethen, on the eastern coast of Scotland, I was more concerned with being a brattish schoolboy – playing practical jokes on my family and getting into as much mischief as I could – than being aware of the country I was living in. But all that changed when my parents took us on a day trip to Loch Ness, a couple of hundred miles west, in the heart of the Highlands. I can vividly remember gazing through the car window at the luscious landscape all around me, feeling a pull on my heartstrings that indicated all was well in my world.
After moving to Wales when I was eleven, I felt like a part of my soul was being ripped out. I missed Scotland with an intense passion, and couldn’t wait to return. Several years and one hypomanic episode later, I did, returning to my childhood love of the Highlands with a twenty-six mile hike down the shores of Loch Ness. From there I went to Fort William, where I experienced the grandeur of Glen Nevis and breathtaking Glenfinnan, on the shores of Loch Shiel.
Every day I spent in Scotland made me feel complete. The country fills me with a passion unlike anything else on this earth. I feel connected to Scotland. I experience physical pain when I am away from it. It is, without question, my home on this earth. Living in Australia, being so far from my home, fills me with sadness. But I have made my home a shrine to this magical, mysterious country. Maps of Skye, of Loch Ness, of Torridon adorn my walls. Photographs of the Highlands, of the islands, of the cities, decorate every nook and cranny.
Scotland, its people, its culture, its folklore, fills me with a happiness unlike anything else on this world. It soothes my soul. It completes me.
Caledonia
by James HoggCaledonia! thou land of the mountain and rock,
Of the ocean, the mist, and the wind-
Thou land of the torrent, the pine, and the oak,
Of the roebuck, the hart, and the hind;
Though bare are thy cliffs, and though barren thy glens,
Though bleak thy dun islands appear,
Yet kind are the hearts, and undaunted the clans,
That roam on these mountains so drear!A foe from abroad, or a tyrant at home,
Could never thy ardour restrain;
The marshall’d array of imperial Rome
Essay’d thy proud spirit in vain!
Firm seat of religion, of valour, of truth,
Of genius unshackled and free,
The muses have left all the vales of the south,
My loved Caledonia, for thee!Sweet land of the bay and wild-winding deeps
Where loveliness slumbers at even,
While far in the depth of the blue water sleeps
A calm little motionless heaven!
Thou land of the valley, the moor, and the hill,
Of the storm and the proud rolling wave-
Yes, thou art the land of fair liberty still,
And the land of my forefathers’ grave!
Even owls like Doctor Who! :)
My favourite television series – bar none! It has been part of my life since 1988, cheering me up and filling me with confidence for over twenty-five years. The good Doctor never fails to lift my spirits and his confidence in the face of danger pushes me to victory against whatever demon has decided to raise its ugly head.
My top five NuWho stories that never fail to cheer me up:
1. Utopia
2. Vincent and the Doctor
3. Partners in Crime
4. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
5. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
“I am and always will be the optimist.
The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams”
~Eleventh Doctor~
My top five Classic Who stories that never fail to cheer me up:
1. Remembrance of the Daleks
2. City of Death
3. Doctor Who and the Silurians
4. Inferno
5. The Evil of the Daleks
It’s funny how such a simple thing can fill me with happiness and perk me up on overcast, depression filled days. Just the sight of that orange notification button causes my heart to flutter. I hover the cursor upon it, overflowing with curiosity for what post has inspired some beautiful soul to share their thoughts with me. And then smile sweetly as their words stoke my heart, filling me with joy and contentment.
“In the midst of feeling completely desperate and totally compelled to hurt myself, I came across a picture of your safe box then followed the link to your blog. Just reading the facts about you has calmed me down enough to not. Thank you.”
~ from Anna, on About Me ~
Rolling your own cigarette. One of the most gloriously relaxing pastimes imaginable! :)
I don’t know whether it’s because it’s on my mind at the moment, given we’re in day two of my quit smoking campaign, but smoking a cigarette is one of life’s only joys. I don’t know whether it was simply the inhalation of relaxing chemicals or the glorious routine of making the cigarette, but smoking never failed to lift my spirits and put a smile on my face. But that’s all in the past now. I’m not allowed to smoke again. I’m determined this time!
“After some time he felt for his pipe. It was not broken, and that was something. Then he felt for his pouch, and there was some tobacco in it, and that was something more. Then he felt for matches and he could not find any at all, and that shattered his hopes completely.”
~ J.R.R Tolkien, The Hobbit ~
Binge watching 24 is one of my favourite, most cherished pastimes!
I’ve been doing this long before it was fashionable to do so. Back in the day I used to binge watch Alias, 24 and all manner of British dramas and situation comedies. On my days off work I would settle in with whatever show had taken my fancy and, for several hours, immerse myself in the fictional world. But now everyone does it, and they think they invented it. But they didn’t. I did! :p
“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!”
~ Mae West ~
I first discovered Runrig when I purchased the album The Stamping Ground. It was one of those on-a-whim purchases that we all make from time to time. I don’t know what drew me to the CD. Perhaps the colourful artwork. Perhaps the fact it was filed in Scottish Folk/Rock. Perhaps it was just a moment of destiny; one of those instances of happenstance that change your world. From the very first listen of the CD I was hooked. The music spoke to me like no other musician had ever done. It touched my heart, filled me with hope and soothed my troubled soul.
Runrig are my favourite musicians. They have been producing heartfelt folk/rock music for over forty years. Their music features heavily on the soundtrack to my life and it never fails to lift my mood during moments of darkness and depression.
There’s thunder clouds
Round the hometown bay
As I walk out in the rain
Through the sepia showers
And the photoflood daysI caught a fleeting glimpse of life
And though the water’s black as night
The colours of Scotland
Leave you young insideThere must be a place
Under the sun
Where hearts of olden glory
Grow youngThere’s a vision coming soon
Through the faith that cleans your wound
Hearts of olden glory
Will be renewedDown the glens where the headlands stand
I feel a healing through this land
A cross for a people
Like wind through your handsThere must be a place
Under the sun
Where hearts of olden glory
Grow young~ from ‘Hearts of Olden Glory’ ~
I miss my friends. I miss spending my afternoon sharing a jug of beer with Grace. I miss playing pool with Kathy, hiking the Canadian wilderness with Annie and indulging in kinky, slightly perverted, acts with Samantha. I miss how my friends made me feel; happy, contented, invincible. Being alone is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Not even giving up cigarettes comes close to the pain and distress one feels when they know they are spending their life alone; unloved, uncared for, forgotten.
Although I have several online friendships, all of which I am thankful for, it isn’t the same as having people you can spend time with in real life. There isn’t the camaraderie, the instantaneous gratification or sharing of wit that is part and parcel of real life conversation.
If I had three wishes granted to me, my first wish would be to have friends. Not many. Just one or two. That would make me happy. It always did.
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”
~ Elbert Hubbard ~
and
A picture Meadhbh (and I) drew. It apparently depicts us being soundly spanked! :p
Hey! Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. A good spanking has the power to lift anyone out of the deepest, darkest quagmire. Don’t believe me? Then toddle off to your significant other (or BFF or bestest, most nonjudgmental friend) and request they put you over their knee for a sound spanking. Done? Your bottom’s all nice and toasty now? See. Your spirits have lifted, haven’t they? Told you they would! :p
“Of course it hurts, it’s a spanking. How else would it work?”
~ Breanna Hayse ~
Today’s installment of the Ten Times to Be Happy challenge is all about photographs. Photographs that fill us with joy. Photographs that render us speechless. Photographs that have our minds buzzing with all sorts of happy chemicals. As is my prerogative, I’ve decided to split today’s challenge into two parts. The first part being ten photographs that I have taken:
and the second part being ten photographs from established professionals:
When I first started smoking, way back in 1999, I was a naive twenty year old who wanted to stop self harming. I was tired of the cutting, tired of the burning, beating and bashing, so, in one of my finest ever decisions, I decided to swap self harm for cigarettes. It kinda suited me at the time. I was living in a backpacker hostel, surrounded by people who smoked, people who socialized whilst they were smoking. Having a cigarette in the smoking lounge meant having someone to talk to. And at a juncture in my life when I was also trying to stave off the social anxiety, it suited me to have an ‘excuse’ to be social. And by the time you can say ‘big stinking idiot’, I was addicted.
I no longer smoke to be social. I smoke because I am hugely (and annoyingly) addicted to cigarettes. Nicotine has me in its grasp. Cigarettes fill me with joy, with happiness, with frustration. I hate bowing down to the commands of such a cruel mistress, but with boredom and depression eased by my filthy, disgusting habit, who am I to argue? Smoking gives me something to do. Smoking fills the time and stops me from going insane. Smoking is something that 32% of people with a mental illness do, so there must be something in it. It must soothe the demons somehow.
But smoking is doing its own unique brand of damage. It’s infecting my lungs with cancerous chemicals and slowly eating me from within. It’s draining my bank account and forcing me to choose between food and clothing. It’s making me smell like an overflowing ashtray and staining my skin a grotesque shade of yellow. All things that, until recently, I have just accepted as side effects of my chosen vice. But not any more.
Tomorrow – the 15th July 2015, coincidentally my brother’s birthday – I have decided to quit cigarettes. From the moment I awake in the morning I will not be reaching for the cancer sticks to kick-start my morning. I will not be turning to them throughout the morning to stave off boredom and I will not be smoking my way through them during the long, bleak afternoon of nothingness. I’m tired of being a slave to addiction. I’m tired of the damage that I’m doing to myself. I’m tired of having no money because it all gets spent on tobacco.
It’s going to be hard – I’ve given up in the past – but in time it will get better. After a few days, once the toxins have left my system, it will get easier. Or at least, that’s what I’m choosing to tell myself. I know that for the next couple of weeks I’m going to be the crankiest bastard on the face of the planet. I’ll be snippy, short-tempered and a pain in the arse to be around. But it is for the greater good. It is for my health, my wealth and my sanity.
Just go easy on me. Please. :)
And we’re back. After running out of internet credit two days ago there’s been a slight pause in the Ten Times to Be Happy challenge, but I’m stocked up on GB again and raring to go with day eight: ten of my favourite foods.
Now, I’m not a very adventurous eater, nor am I a person who considers food to be something magical and delightful. Food, for me, is a necessity. It is something I must eat to stay alive. But saying that there are things I prefer eating above others…
The best breakfast in the world. Ever. Nothing beats the poached egg on sourdough toast. Not even bacon.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons white vinegar
4 eggs, at room temperature
Bread, toasted, buttered, to serve
Step 1: Pour cold water into a large saucepan until 8cm deep. Add vinegar. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low (water should still be simmering around the edge).
Step 2: Crack 1 egg into a shallow bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir water to create a whirlpool. Tip egg into water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes for a soft yolk or 3 to 4 minutes for firm. Using a slotted spoon, remove egg from water.
Step 3: Skim foam from water. Poach remaining eggs. Serve eggs on toast.
~ from Taste.com.au
My idea of comfort food. I’m a huge fan of the humble potato. Especially when cheese is melted atop it!
Ingredients
Sebago potatoes
Cheese (to taste)
Butter (to taste)
Step 1: Preheat oven to 200°C. Scrub potatoes with a brush. Pat dry with paper towels.
Step 2: Using a fork, pierce potatoes in about 6 places. Place directly on oven rack in the centre of oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender when a skewer is inserted into the centre.
Step 3: Cut a deep cross in top of each potato. Using a clean tea towel to hold potato, squeeze base gently to open up top. Add your choice of topping and serve.
~ from Taste.com.au
Simple. Easy to make. A refreshing, delectable meal.
Ingredients
375g dried linguine pasta
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Shaved parmesan cheese, to serve
Step 1: Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions until tender. Drain. Return to pan.
Step 2: Meanwhile, process basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan, scraping down sides occasionally, until almost smooth.
Step 3: With motor running, add oil in a slow, steady stream. Process to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Add pesto to pasta. Toss to combine. Serve.
~ from Taste.com.au
Is there anything better than rice? Of course there is. Rice that tastes of coconut!
Ingredients
2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice
2 cups good-quality coconut milk
1 3/4 cups water
2 heaping Tbsp. dry shredded unsweetened coconut (baking type)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coconut oil, OR vegetable oil
Step 1: Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot. You will also need a tight-fitting lid.
Step 2: Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Step 3: Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low (just above minimum). Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. To check, pull rice aside with a fork. If most of the coconut milk-water is gone, go on to the next step.
Step 4: Replace the lid and turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat.
~ from Thaifood.about.com
Ever wanted to pretend you were a loveable cartoon cat?
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1kg beef mince
160ml (2/3 cup) red wine
2 x 700ml btls passata (tomato pasta sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 x 250g pkt dried lasagne sheets
Besciamella (bechamel sauce)
125g butter, chopped
115g (3/4 cup) plain flour
1.5L (6 cups) milk, warmed
40g (1/2 cup) coarsely grated cheddar
55g (1/2 cup) coarsely grated mozzarella
40g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add the mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 4-5 minutes or until the mince changes colour.
Step 2: Add the wine. Cook for 4 minutes or until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the passata, tomato paste, oregano and thyme. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Meanwhile, to make the besciamella, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Remove from heat. Stir in the flour. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Place the milk mixture over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add half the cheddar, half the mozzarella and half the parmesan. Stir until well combined. Stir in the nutmeg.
Step 4: Spread about 2 cups of the mince mixture over the base of a 3L (12-cup) capacity, 5cm-deep, 21 x 32cm (base measurement) ovenproof dish. Arrange 3 lasagne sheets on top. Spread with 2 cups of mince mixture. Pour over 21/2 cups of besciamella. Top with 3 lasagne sheets. Continue layering with remaining mince mixture, lasagne sheets and besciamella.
Step 5: Bake for 30 minutes. Combine remaining cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle over the lasagne. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender and golden. Set aside for 15 minutes to stand. Serve.
~ from Taste.com.au
Second only to the jacket potato in the comfort food stakes.
Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease
1 x 300ml ctn thin cream
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
1.25kg sebago (brushed) potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
2 large brown onions, halved, thinly sliced
100g thinly sliced prosciutto
60g (3/4 cup) finely shredded parmesan
Step 1: Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a 2.5L (10-cup) capacity ovenproof dish with melted butter to lightly grease. Combine the cream and milk in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Step 2: Arrange half the potato slices over the base of the prepared dish. Sprinkle with half the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over half the cream mixture. Continue layering with the remaining potato slices, onion, salt and pepper and cream mixture.
Step 3: Cover with foil and place on a baking tray. Bake in oven for 1 hour or until potato is tender. Scatter prosciutto over the potato bake and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for a further 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and the potato is very tender.
Step 4: Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Serve.
~ from Taste.com.au
You may overdose on carbohydrate, but at least you’ll die happy!
Ingredients
Dough
4 ½ cups organic plain four
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ cups ice water
oil for brushing
Potato and Rosemary Topping
½ cup mozzarella, grated
¼ cup parmesan, grated
4 kipfler or dutch creams, peeled, boiled whole and sliced
1 sprig rosemary
sea salt + pepper
sprinkle of nutmeg
Step 1: Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl with a wooden spoon. Mix oil and water into the flour till all flour is incorporated. Continue mixing until the dough is of a slightly sticky consistency and sticks a little to the bottom of the bowl, but not to the sides. If dough IS sticking to the sides of the bowl, more flour is required. If it is not sticking to the very bottom, a little water (one to two teaspoons) should be added but make sure you add a little at a time. You can mix by hand or machine.
Step 2: Flour the bench surface before turning dough onto it and then shape into a rectangle and slice into six pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, flouring hands to stop sticking, then coat the surface with oil and wrap each ball in food grade plastic wrap. These will keep in the fridge for a maximum of three days and about 30 days in the freezer.
Step 3: Stretch dough to two centimetre thick and ten centimetres in diameter circles, or stretch to fit the pizza pan. The best way is to stretch to a smaller circle and then toss in the air, but a rolling pin will do the job, if not as well! If the dough is very elastic and keeps springing back to its original form, let it rest for a further 10 to 20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
Step 4: Scatter the cheeses over the pizza and place in the oven at 230°C until the cheese has just melted. Take the pizza out of the oven and add the sliced, par cooked potato, rosemary leaves, and a little more cheese. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg and replace in the oven until the dough is cooked.
~ from Poh’s Kitchen
The most adventurous food on my menu. But with something so delicious, how can you resist?
Ingredients
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch shallots (spring onions), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1.2kg baby spinach or silverbeet
2 tablespoons chopped dill
250g feta cheese, crumbled
150g full-fat ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons grated kefalotyri or parmesan cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
12 sheets filo pastry
120g butter, melted
Step 1: Heat oil in a frypan, then add onion, shallots and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until softened, then add spinach and half the dill. (If using silverbeet, remove leaves, and chop before adding; discard stalks). Cook, stirring, over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until spinach has wilted. Drain in a colander and cool, then combine with cheeses, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 2 1/2-litre baking dish with butter. Lay one sheet of filo on base and sides and brush with butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets. Spread cheese mixture over top. Cover with remaining filo, brushing each sheet with butter. Trim excess pastry with kitchen scissors and tuck edges into sides of dish. Brush top with butter and score in diamond patterns.
Step 3: Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Rest for 10 minutes. Warm remaining butter, add remaining dill and, when serving, pour over sliced spanakopita.
~ from Taste.com.au
Chicken. The only way it can be improved is to slather it in herbalicious breadcrumbs!
Ingredients
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup plain flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
550g chicken breast schnitzel (uncrumbed)
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
Step 1: Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, lemon rind, parsley and garlic powder on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Place flour on a plate. Whisk egg and milk together in a shallow bowl.
Step 2: Coat 1 piece of chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture. Coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, flour, egg mixture and breadcrumb mixture.
Step 3: Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Serve.
~ from Taste.com.au
and
Because we all need something sweet in our life. And with this delicious dessert, there is nothing sweeter!
Ingredients
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter, melted
Filling
400g can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
60g butter, melted
Topping
60g copha, chopped
125g cooking chocolate, chopped
Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 3cm deep, 28 x 18cm (base) lamington pan.
Step 2: Combine all base ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Press into prepared lamington pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light golden. Remove from oven. Cool.
Step 3: Make filling: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking, for 8 minutes or until golden. Pour over cooked base. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm. Cool completely. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, or until set.
Step 4: Make topping: Place copha and chocolate into a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted. Pour over caramel. Refrigerate to set. Cut into squares to serve.
~ from Taste.com.au
It’s Sunday, and I’m running low on internet credit, but I’m not going to let that stop me partaking in another round of Sunday Stealing. Today’s meme is gleefully swiped from Surveysurveysurvey. So buckle up and settle down for another whirl through the randomness that is my mind!
1. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
I’m not sure I would like to be famous. I like my privacy. I like walking down the street without people flocking to me for autographs, selfies (and the occasional belfie). But if I were to be famous, if I were to end up being universally loved and adored, I would like it to be for something that mattered. Not because my arse repeatedly tried to break the internet or I was the star of an atrocious, galling, reality show. Perhaps for being an advocate-supreme of mental health matters, or that I’d published a book which had resonated with readers and changed their lives in subtle ways. I think I’d like to be famous for something like that.
2. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
Always. I abhor using the telephone. It is an object of great anxiety and stress. I hate it when my phone rings because I have no idea who’s calling (my phone always displays ‘unknown’, even if the number of the person who’s calling is programmed in or not!) or what they want me to do (invariably when people phone me they want me to do something!) So on the rare occasions that I phone people (and it really is a rare occurrence) I plan for hours, if not days, beforehand what I’m going to say and every permutation of what the recipient may say in response. I am nothing if not prepared! :)
3. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
Waking up after a deep, nightmare free sleep, to squeeze my significant other’s posterior (What? You said ‘perfect’ day. And in my perfect day I am in a happy, loving and mutual relationship with a woman who respects my lust for her excellent bottom!) and wish them a beautiful, glorious day. I would then prepare a round of poached eggs on sourdough toast for us both before we stayed in bed to read the newspaper and have occasional bouts of glorious sexual intercourse until the clock clicked round to midday.
We would be then forced to rouse from our snuggleathon, else we would consider ourselves lazy, for a bracing hike through the Scottish wilderness (What? In my ‘perfect’ day I live in Scotland, okay?) Upon returning from our constitutional we would have more bouts of glorious sexual intercourse, most likely in the kitchen, before snuggling up on the couch to watch a movie.
We would then order a pizza (potato and rosemary) for dinner which we would eat whilst casually chatting about random, bizarre topics. This conversation would last well into the evening, be peppered with belly laughs and cheeky grins, and aided by lashings of dry white wine. Once the clock had ticked over to midnight we would cease our witty conversation, retire to bed, have (you guessed it) even more bouts of glorious sexual intercourse before slipping into a deep, nightmare free sleep.
Heaven.
4. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?
The last time I sung to myself was yesterday afternoon, whilst listening to Runrig. The last time I sung to someone else was eight years ago, when I stunned my girlfriend at the time with a magnificent rendition of the theme from Fame, whilst stripping myself naked. It’s such a fun song to strip to!
5. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
I would much rather have the mind of a 30-year-old. Body’s are overrated, the mind is eternal.
6. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?
I have long believed I will commit suicide. Not a very happy or chirpy death, to be sure, but for as long as I can remember I think it’s where my life is headed. And a myriad of attempts in the past backs this up!
7. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
My passion. Ever since I was a wee bairn I have been brimming with a kinky passion for life, action and adventure. I don’t know where I’d be without this passion. It has seen me through some dark and brutal times. In fact, no matter what mood I’ve found myself in, it’s always been there for me. And for that I’m eternally grateful.
8. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
I wish my sister’s life hadn’t been touched by mental illness. It caused a lot of problems when I was growing up and nearly tore my family apart. If it weren’t for her health problems, my sister and I would have a closer, more ‘normal’ relationship and my parents would have been able to spend more time with me during my formative years. But aside from this I don’t think I’d change anything. My parents loved me, disciplined me when I needed it and generally taught me respect, right from wrong and the best ways to approach life. What more could you ask for?
9. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
Confidence. I am completely devoid of self-esteem and inner belief. I wish I had some, for my lack of it has caused many problems throughout my long, varied life.
10. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
Will I always be alone. No, scratch that, I’d rather not know. It would be too upsetting to find out if it were true.
11. What does friendship mean to you?
Friendship is life. Without good friends, without companionship, without someone to ease the pain and turn our worries to dust, we are nothing.
12. What roles do love and affection play in your life?
My life has been devoid of love and affection for eight years. The closest I have come to either would have been when I was in hospital earlier this year and had a gaggle of nurses sticking me with needles and taking my blood pressure hour after hour. And I’m not sure that counts as love and affection, because stabbing someone with a pointy needle isn’t love, and being paid to do a job isn’t affection. I would love some love and affection to play a role in my life though. I miss it. I miss having someone to wake up to, someone to cuddle, someone to share my life and bizarre, kinky self with. I miss having friends who relish spending time with me, who turn to me for support or just want company on a dark, unforgiving day. Once you are without love and affection, you realise how important and vital it is to have such emotions in your life. I fear that until I have love and affection back in my life I will forever slide toward nothingness, for, as I just said, without friendship, we are nothing.
13. When did you last laugh?
This morning, whilst watching Good Game Spawn Point (a video game show) on iView. I shouldn’t have done as I knew I was running out of internet credit, but the urge to see the presenters cosplay Jeff Goldblum and a T-Rex (she was dressed in a cute dinosaur onesie) was too much for me to resist.
14. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I am very much a night owl. For many years I battled insomnia, still do to this day, so much of my best work and thinking is done during the dark, nighttime hours. Also, owls are cool. Who wouldn’t want to be a groovy, cute little owl?
15. Seen anything weird lately?
Does a TV presenter dressed in a cute dinosaur onesie count? If not, no, I haven’t seen anything weird lately. Unfortunately.
And there we have it. Sunday Stealing is done and dusted for another week. Sorry for the lack of pretty pictures this week but I need to conserve what little internet credit I have left, so can’t go roaming around Google like I usually do. If you don’t hear from me for a while, don’t worry, I’m still alive and kicking, it’s just I have to wait until I get paid next before I can recharge my GB allowance. It’s a pain, and major annoyance, but just another part of living a life in abject poverty! Until next time, stay happy and well! :)
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