OK, it's not my birthday anymore, really about time i updated this!! I've moved house - yes, again! - well and truly had enough moving for a good while now! I've moved in with the other half (TOH)(he hasn't run away yet!) and this has involved many box forts, but is now starting to come together and with the advantage of having found an unfurnished place, we've been lucky enough to be able to pull things together with the help on very good friends and family.
Tonight TOH is up in Edinburgh with his uncle for some time-out and i have made a batch of blueberry muffins to keep myself occupied!

My 27th birthday was today - well now yesterday by some minutes, but still!

A nice relaxed one really. Although i was found at quarter to seven opening all the cards and pressies i'd had through the post and wasn't able to touch until then :) (Thank you!!)

I spent most of the day with my family and then was lucky enough to be surrounded by many friends in Swansea. Any minute now, I will be heading back home on the M4 so that I can be in Gloucester for the morning to be surrounded by some more lovely friends, as well as my other half, whilst we congregate with the idea of a BBQ and try and avoid the forecasted weather! Should be good.

I'm quite happy that I've not hit a freak out age yet. (I say yet, i'm not going to jinx myself, i'm sure i will someday). I am younger than lots of my friends, I am older than lots of my friends..that'll probably continue to be the case - they're all pretty random or mad or merry in some way or other, but I wouldn't have them any other way! (..let's face it, they'd probably not be around me for too long if they weren't. Monty Python quotes just drift into casual conversation, as do those from Hitch Hikers, The Goon Show, Hancock's half hour, Red Dwarf, Blackadder and many more. More than anything, I think I will always like birthdays as an excuse to spend time with people.

I came across a word i didn't know today, so i'm sharing. Anyone else heard this in use much?

Brickbat
n.
1. A piece, especially of brick, used as a weapon or missile.
2. An unfavorable remark; a criticism.

This is me tidying my room.. or doing the usual, getting halfway through the housework and reaching that stage of having to sit down and ignore the surrounding chaos!
Today has been the first day i've managed to do loads of washing and then put them all out to dry on the line. I really should do my washing in increments, but it never seems to happen, it all gets stocked up and then all done at once on Sundays whilst i do washing up, cleaning of the kitchen, bathroom and eventually my room, with a trip to Asda half way through. I could worry about my predictability here, but I think that having some regularity on things isn't actually all that bad. I've even managed to tend to my plants! (They may have needed tending a while ago, but that's not the point!)

- also known as The Professor in Futurama, characterised by his catchphrase.. which is the real reason for this post..
His catchphrase is, of course, "Good news everyone...." - this is normally followed by some very bad news or a semi-suicidal mission.

So, before i go any further, let me explain. I had my ritual rheumatologist (Rheumy) appointment on Monday. Hurrah! Those who've read this blog for a while can probably speak of my love of the event. Even better: new rheumy. I'm good at being filled with dread for these occasions. Not because they're not lovely, but because of their knack of forgetting to transfer my notes before my appointment, meaning i have to give a full history and somehow know details of my last blood tests. Anyway, so as not to disappoint the new rheumy had no details of any of my history. (I mean i've only had the notification of appointment myself for 2 months, so really, how would it make it all the way from Swansea in that time?? Times like this i think about ordering my complete history so that i can keep the file and bring it with me. (Does anyone know anything about this? I get the impression it might not be as cheap as i might like..?)
Thankfully my other half had volunteered to come with me for the first time. This is both really nice and really scary at the same time. On the plus side for the new rheumy, this meant that he was there to stop me from doing anything bad to either man or machine. He then accompanied me through nearly three hours of waiting rooms, vampires and bone piccies (blood tests and xrays). In another couple of months, they'll have the results from those to talk to me about, even if not my file.
Oh yes...and the rheumy said he couldn't see why it was arthritis.. which is what every new rheumy i've ever had has said...until they haven't. So if anyone asks? I'm still going to call this thing arthur, because after 13 years of wandering the hospital corridors, I'm so fed up of them arguing over what it could be, that at least if i can give it a name, we can go from that!
It was these two things that made me think of Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth of Futurama and his quote.
The actual good news, is that having the other half along with did actually help my stress levels through it. It's difficult to be fuming with someone sitting beside you silently miming bopping someone with a spoon. :)

New toy :) How i love to occasionally be the geek that i really am! Phone negotiation time is always fun for me. I love saving money and i love debating. Doom. So i have a lovely new phone with a nice camera, plus a brilliant, non-expensive deal involving a stupid amount of minutes, internet and infinite texts that i really shouldn't ever exceed!! It feels very strange having gone for the most basic of phones for my last few years of phone contracts to suddenly get one with lots of gadgets. I'm looking forward to playing with GPS. I have no satnav to play with (not that that's caused me any problems really, but hey, toy!) so this will be a new thing to look at.
I've been doing my ritual room attack and have moved around half of the furniture (it's only half because i'm actually being good and letting the other half help me at the weekend though...) Paperwork is halfway through and washing should be nearly done now..
All this is to distract from the fact that I feel like i'm hours past my bedtime right now. Arthur has been having a little bit of a field day with the changing weather and so, although daytime stuff has been unaffected through management techniques, the fatigue has been out to get me and early nights have been the order of the last few weeks.
Today I decided stuff it and attacked the room, filing, washing, sorting and all outstanding things on the list and stayed up after half 8! Tomorrow i'm on a trip over to Bristol to see a lovely rainbow girl, and the weekend will bring the return to attacking, as well as some well earned rest.
Right i'm going to finish off hanging up the washing and then go to bed. Later bedtimes is not yet normal late bedtimes!

On a separate note, I also came across this and thought i'd share it in case this is true for anyone....

If you have a new style driving license be aware that the photo is only valid for 10 years. Late renewals come with a penalty of £1000.
The new style licenses were introduced in 1998 and if you changed your address after this date you will have one.
The expiry date is in section 4b on the front of the license.
DVLA should send you a renewal application pack two months before. If not, you can get a D1 application form from a Post Office or DVLA.

Poking around the net comes up with weird and wonderful things, today it was this, Masdar, the world’s first city that relies entirely on solar and other renewable energy sources. (Wiki's entry)

I think that's quite impressive, if a bit random. Okay, I'm not 100% convinced that it's fully in the spirit, but it's possibly a flagship that people can then pick and choose from for what might work for their towns? Worth a shot to prove that it can be done...

On a separate note, but vaguely connected note, I went to see

Continuing the theme of just posting the random emails that i get..

WOMAN'S LOVE POEM

Before I lay me down to sleep,
I pray for a man, who's not a creep,
One who's handsome, smart and strong.
One who loves to listen long,
One who thinks before he speaks,
One who'll call, not wait for weeks.
I pray he's gainfully employed,
When I spend his cash, he won't be annoyed.
Pulls out my chair and opens my door,
Massages my back and begs to do more.
Oh! Send me a man who'll make love to my mind, Knows what to answer to
'how big is my behind?'
I pray that this man will love me to no end, and always be my very best
friend.

MAN'S LOVE POEM

I pray for a deaf-mute nymphomaniac with huge boobs who owns a bar on a
golf course, and loves to send me fishing and hunting. This doesn't
rhyme and I don't give a sh*t.