Some non-work things to look forward to over the next busy month:

• Jan-jan's (the mother creature) bday weekend
  
• The Jeremy Deller exhibition at the De La Warr Pavillion
• Armando Iannucci's new tv show Time Trumpet
• A floatation centre visit (still debating with my self about the colonic irrigation visit!)
  
• Avenue Q
• A free personal creative coaching session
  

Saturday was spent in Shoeburyness - didn't spend long there but it was a lovely train journey there and back along the Essex coast. I left my swimming costume at work with under used gym kit, so couldn't jump into the sea but enjoyed watching kids jumping off rusting framework and the windsurfers. I did fulfill some seaside requirements and received an odd sunburn on leg due to placement of shells and stones and ate fish and chips and ice cream.

I do love a day trip.

Yesterday was spent working in the production office on a Sikh festival out in Hounslow, it went well I think...certainly a learning curve of a day!

A busy week ahead...no, a busy couple of weeks...actually a busy month. Once August is over I'll have a little time to breathe until it starts again with meetings and arranging fireworks.

Bloody funny!

Lovebox - we braved the on/off rain to see strippers, insect circus museums, Coldcut - who rocked as always but we had to evacuate from the tent midway as it had become a roasting hot sauna, various DJ's (I have no idea who!), fine burgers, hugs from random pill'd up strangers, bumping into boyfs New Zealander relatives, teepee tents (unfortunately occupied by Secret Sundaze - good music but why oh why do all the fashionable wankers end up there?)

Sunday was spent chilling out, playing with the new pocket PC (oooohhhhhing and arrrhhhing at every new thing it does!), walking in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and generally being dismayed at my current lack of available friends to play with...

I finish working most weekends by September by which time most of them will be away getting married, moving, planning their around the world trips...the last 6/7 months have been strange. I moved out from living with my 3 best mates, then my dad died and it's been difficult to reconnect with those and other friends. Not to say that they weren't amazing and supportive but that I didn't and couldn't have the same priorities as them while I was 'healing myself'. I assumed that once I was 'better', I would go back to being the same 'me' but the whole process has changed 'me' dramatically - perhaps not on the outside but certainly on the inside. I suppose it's all part of the process of growing up (and as a certain person in my life keeps saying "Boudicca, you are almost 30").

Note to self: must plan well in advance more outings and visits with friends.

In the last 24hrs I have:

Taken an hour to travel from Paddington to Marble Arch (damn TFL and emergency tube closures)

Bought a HP iPAQ rx 1950 series (Wi-fi, one of the joys of the modern age!)

Laid in bed and been bathed with ice cubes by a drunk boyf
Moved bedding to front room with its large open windows to try and escape the heat (no such luck)
Been locked out my office for 2hrs (cue sunburnt cleavage)

London isn't made for weather this hot; all are rude and impatient including me...

This evening will be spent under a cold shower and tomorrow will be spent getting horribly drunk at Lovebox

I've just bought an unazukin and I've become so obsessed with her that I've:

• taken to reading through my work to do list and seeing what she says I should do and shouldn't do...
• put her by my speakers to find out what radio station I should be listening to (she likes 6 Music by the way)
• allowed her to control my food intake all day - she says a diet of biscuits and I follow like a fool...
  

Yesterday evening I went to see Fuerzabruta at the Roundhouse (after pre-theatre catch up, drinkies and snacks with the Fairy Uncle - thank you!). Umm, well I went expecting a spectacle and that's what I got but for all the exciting, beautiful, striking images within the show; I was still left slightly disappointed by it. The more I think about it the more parts of it I felt didn't work. I wanted more...I'd liken it to a ghost train. Ghost trains are exciting and funny while you're in there but the minute you come out nothing remains with you apart from "oooh, I liked that bit when the cobweb fell on my face"...and another thing, using African chats within upbeat (did I really just say upbeat???) ravey music doesn't work. On anything. Especially women in their pants throwing themselves through water above the audiences’ heads.

Yet another amazing gig from James Dean Bradfield at ULU last night. Beautiful,

Boyf got chatting to David Quantick (only of course after I'd said don't talk to David Quantick!) . He bought us pints and we chatted about the Manics and their solo careers. The consensus was "thoroughly nice bloke" - even took the time to take the piss out of the cure t-shirt on one of our party...

Quote of the night:

"I'd turn up to see the Manic Street Preachers shit" David Quantick

Nicky Wire - pink suited, middle-aged parent teachers evening ranter, poet, shambollix
James Dean Bradfield - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, when someone uses a guitar to take you to another place, it literally leaves me breathless...also having a parent that has recently died, Ocean Spray meant more to me than anything last night - thank you (I try hard to refrain from bursting into Thank you for the music by ABBA!)
Sean Moore - what's the next step? Industrial hardcore? Freeform jazz? Electro soundscape? Come Mooro pull it out the bag boy!

'Zid Vicious' - what a marvellous headline!

Much better than the 'wash me' variety!

During the last 7 days

Bad Things:
Work, work, work...bloody work
This bloody weather - veering from blood-boiling hot to thunder storm central!
Slipping back into caffine drinking (naughty Boo)

Good Things:
Visits to Winchester to see Bollywood Steps
Horniman's Museum for stunning music and dance from Yemen with traditional instruments and full Sanaani costume.
Drunken weekends with brother and mates - too much vodka!

Things to look forward to next week:
James Dean Bradfield at ULU
Fuerzabruta at The Roundhouse
The Now Show at Greenwich Theatre

So I didn't get to see Nicky Wire but after a day in the heatwave sunshine at Europride and then watching the football and eating ice creams and drinking beer, I could barely move from Carla's bed let alone pull myself together to go to a gig! There'll be another time I'm sure.

Yesterday was great fun - we got down to Hyde Park Calling made all the more better by the fact that my brother and mates weren't working so we all proceeded to get horribly drunk and stoned and lie in the sun all day. I'm feeling a little delicate today...



*vomits in lap*