Top 5: Things I Loved About NYC

Okay so since my last post I have been on Holiday. Celebrated my birthday. Celebrated my mum and dad's 30th wedding anniversary and had my first official Ofsted grading inspection. That's a hell of alot of things. Hence my busy schedual. But I am back. So my first post back what better way to kick off a Friday than a Top 5 on Friday post.

No 1.) Rockerfeller
I loved Top of the Rock soooo much. I loved the whole atmospthere there. I personally think the views from Top of the Rock were better than Empire State Building. But thats just me. Here's a picture of me at Rockerfeller.

No 2.) Statue of Liberty
We did Statue of Liberty, 9/11 memorial, Battery Park and Wall St all on our first full day in New York. Statue of Liberty was well worth the 2 hour walk from our hotel opposite Madison Sq Garden down. It was also celebrating it's 125 birthday that week.

No 3.) Central Park
First of all central park in massive. Second of all it is soo beautiful.

No 4.) Time Sq/Broadway
At night Time Sq was super busy but if you go during the day the foot traffic feels like its almost half the size. Time Sq was litterally 5 minutes from our hotel.

No 5.) Elmo
Call me sad but having my picture took with Elmo was one of my highlights of the day. (It was also the day we went to Natural History Museum.)

Hope everyone is having a good Friday.

B U S Y

Busy is a word I have used wayyy too many times over the last few weeks. Tomorrow marks the official start to my holiday. Having had one day off since September when all the kids went back to school I have been working 7 day weeks. But it's all worth it. Monday morning I will be flying out of Manchester, UK and spending the next six days in NYC :)

I've had one free evening last Tuesday when I saw Wakey!Wakey! who have just finished touring the UK. They were ammmaaazing and they introduced me to Casey Shea who was openning for them so I now have some new music on my i-pod. You should definatly check these guys out!!

Anyway bye for now and I'll put pics up from my holiday when I return :) :)
-x-x-

In The Summertime...

Seven weeks today I'll be flying to New York. A girls week with my mum. A holiday we've only been planning for about 8 YEARS and that has changed destination around a dozen times. I still can't quite believe it. And I don't think I will till I'm stood there.

Until then enjoy some of my pictures of my holiday at the start of the summer when I went to Wales with mum, dad and gran.

2nd day of the holiday at Caldey Island.

Me being brave swimming in the sea.



Me and my mum on the last day.

Hope you've had a fun, relaxing summer.

Old So Soon?

I'm sorry I've not updated my blog just over a month. But the school summer holidays have been super busy. Working, spending time with my brother while he's home and working some more.

I've come to a conclusion. I'm working too hard and not playing hard at all. I came across this conclusion this past weekend. When you haven't seen a friend, a really good friend I might add, for months and not weeks. You know that you have to do something about.

I love both of my jobs. I really do. I just have to put as much effort into making time for my friends as I do my work. After all your only young once. And I really don't want to be that person who keeps letting her friends down. That's just not me at all.

I also need a non work related hobby. So I've started knitting again. I know, I know I'm starting to sound like an old lady. I'll tell you what though its actually very therapeutic and relaxing.

A Hindsight Letter!

Having spent the last week in South Wales where they apparently have no internet connection, I was unable to spred the following news.

A couple of months ago I decided to take part in 'The Hindsight Letters'. Where people write a letter to themselfs by there teenage self. Here was my letter that went online last Monday!

http://thehindsightletters.com/2011/07/25/guest-submission-letter-61-you-will-get-through-everything/

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. I'll blog all about my holiday next week including a story involving some hot lifeguards!

The Holiday Shop!

In just under 2 weeks I'll be spending a week in South Wales with the family. Over the last 2 years it has become a new thing we do at the start of the summer holidays. Last year we had such a great time so we decided to do it again. This time we are letting my Gran tag along.

One of the best things about going on holiday though is the holiday shop. This weekend I bought two lovely new dresses.

I'm also doing a bigger holiday shop tomorrow :)

Channel Flicking & Teen Pregnancy!!

Every so often I like to channel flick. Mainly on a rainy day. Today though I was just board :). Sure I had over a dozen things saved on my sky+ box that I could have (should have) watched. But oh no I decided to annoy the hell out of myself and channel flick. The result on this (rather boring) Saturday afternoon was a series of really terrible 'reality television'.

(Image: www.mtv.co.uk )

Now then I have never been a huge 'Big Brother' fan. And I personally cannot stand 'Jersey Shore'. But what is really bad is the fact that these are not the worse ones out there. As anyone who has endured the c**p that is '16 and Pregnant' or 'Teen Mom' then you will understand what I have just put myself through. But this really got me thinking that who are these people who think that being on these type of programmes is acceptable and responsible behaviour. I remember a time when a teen pregnancy was seen as taboo and now it just seems more 'normal' and I think that is the wrong message being sent out to people. But who is really at fault here. Is it the people who appear and produce these programmes or is it 'us' the viewing audience. I mean if we didn't tune in to watch this c**p then they'd stop making them.

Anyway rant over!

Top 5: Wakey!Wakey! Songs

First off, I love music. Secondly I go through music obsessions. Thirdly at the moment I am obsessed with Wakey!Wakey! I was first introduced to them on 'One Tree Hill'. Michael Grubbs singer/songwriter and amazing piano playing just has a way of drawing you in. So here are my top 5 songs at the moment.

No 5.) 1876 The Brooklyn Theatre Fire.

No 4.) Almost Everything.

No 3.) Dance So Good.

No 2.) Brooklyn

No 1.) War Sweater

Happy Friday :)

Inspections Oh my!

I've spent the best part of the weekend head down going through paperwork with a fine tooth-comb. Why? You ask because yesterday I had my dreaded Ofsted inspection. I passed with flying colours (not that I expected not too) but I was still nervous. Anyway now that, that is behind me I can blog back to normal.

So look out for my next post on Friday. I have a Top 5... post all ready :)

Out & About

Was out for a walk with mum and the kids today and saw these three funny looking tree stumps. Thought I'd share them with you :)

Royal Wedding, Broken Glasses Oh yeah and my holiday is booked :)

Let me just start this blog post in wishing you a very belated Happy Easter, but a Happy Easter non the less.

whats left of my easter egg!

Our long weekend is almost over (even though I was back in work yesterday) but I'm back to looking after those kids on Tuesday. What would a blog post be without a mention of the Royal Wedding.

I've never been a big fan of the Royal family. But I've never hated them either. But I must say that over the last week I was getting a little excited about how the wedding was going to be. I wasn't even a twinkle in my mum and dads eye the last time we had a major royal wedding ('cos lets be honest nobody really cares about the others). Like every girl across the world I was wondering what the dress was going to look like. I was not surprised at how great she looked.

After all the excitement of the Royal Wedding it was time to head down to the pub with a few girls from work. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Now then before I carry on with this let me just say, I was not drunk! I was not drunk! While we may have been merry I was still able to walk in a straight line. But from walking from the pub to my house (which is about 15 minutes) I managed to brake my glasses. My glasses that I've had for two years, that have been sat on, and leaned on. Its when I drop them on the floor that I manage to brake to damn things. How the hell does that happen. Oh yeah and may I add they were in my glasses case. The thing that's supposed to protect the damn things.

Now to the best part about the last two weeks. I've finally booked my holiday. A holiday that has been about six years in the making. Has seen the destination change (twice). But me and my mum are going to New York for five nights. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this so come the 24^th October me and my lovely mum will be boarding a plane to NYC. I'm sure you are going to hear a lot about this until then.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend.

I'm Back

I've been an absent blogger recently. I'd love to say it was because I've been too busy. Which would be partly true, but it's not. The truth is I've been suffering from major blog block. Everything I've attempted to write has sound more than a little rubbish. So rather than update my blog for a couple of weeks with rubbish I decided to just take a brake. And save you guys from taking a few moments out of your time on blog posts that would have sent you to sleep.

So what makes me think this blog post is so great. I don't. I spent this afternoon watching '(500) Days of Summer'. If you have not watched this film. You are missing out. Taking a new look at the rom-com genre. As the film warns you from the beginning this is not going to be your typical love story. Yet it is still a story about love. It's my favourite type of storytelling. A story about the characters. Characters you care about. Characters that you are rooting for the whole way through the film. It also has a killer soundtrack.

Zooey Deschanel is great in this film. She turns a character you don't think your going to like and makes her likeable. This is one star definitely to keep an eye out for.

This not a lovey dovey film by any means. But if you have ever truly loved someone you will definitely be able to understand the film. So what are you waiting for. Go out and rent/buy this dvd right now!

What I've been writing lately

Things have been a little crazy over the last couple of weeks. Things are really coming together, quickly, at work. More importantly though I'm just happier. (Probably because I'm financially more secure than I was this time last year.) But one of the things I'm happy about is that I've managed to get some different types of writing done.


Over the last fortnight I've managed to get my first guest post done. I'll tell you more about that later. (Its not being posted till July.) What I can say for now though is once I knew what I was going to do it became easy to write.


I've also been writing a private diary. Something I've not done for many years. Took me right back to feeling like a teenager again. (Without the moods :) and homework though.)


I've also been able to find my love again for blogging. At the end of last year and start of this year I was really starting to fall out of love with my baby, my blog. But I've been enjoying it a lot lately and I think I think it shows.


Hope everyone is having a happy Wednesday. I'd love to know what you guys have been writing lately.

Top 5: Things I value in a friendship

All of my friends know I love them a lot. They know that I will be there for them any time, anywhere. This Friday's Top 5... blog post is what I value in a friendship.

(In no particular order.)



No 1.) Trust
I'm not the most trusting of people. But the people I do have, I trust a lot. What type of relationship can you have with anyone if you don't have trust.


No 2.) Someone who is there for you.
Every friend you have in your life should be someone you share your joy with, or can go to when you NEED that shoulder to cry on. Friends, true friends, will be there for you through the good, the bad and everything in between.


No 3.) Someone who will listen.
If you have something on your mind a good friend will sit and listen. All night if they have to.


No 4.) Honesty.
A real friend will tell you the truth and be honest with you. They will call you out on your shit. They will tell you the truth about things, especially when they know you don't want to hear it.


No 5.) Someone who accept you for who you are.
Your friends should accept you for you are. They don't try and change you. They push you to be better but still let you be true to yourself. Even though you might not have everything in common with your friends, you still love them for who they are.


Hope everybody has a good Friday and a great weekend!

Do you prefer blogging or writing stories?

It's Wednesday. 'Writing Wednesday'. I'm having a pretty good week so far.


This weeks question would probably have had a different answer 12 months ago. But here we go. This week's 'Writing Wednesday' is blogging or writing, which do I prefer.


My true answer to this weeks question is they are both very different. I get something very different from both 'experiences'. I have come to really like blogging. Much more so over the last 12 months. At first I found blogging a little awkward. I wasn't sure what to do. I had really found 'my voice'. But as I have gotten into it more I have really come to enjoy it. Dare I say love it. I also like the sense of community you can find through blogging (like joining 20 Something Blogger). I think I also like blogging because in college I always fancied going into journalism. One of the best two weeks of my life was getting the opportunity to spend two weeks with the lovely people at the Manchester Evening News.

When writing my stories, however, I love thinking of a story and characters and bringing it all to life on the paper/screen in front of me. Unfortunately my 'writing' has taken a bit of back burner of late. With working (and blogging), I've not really been able to invest my free time in my stories.


I definitely prefer blogging at the moment though.


Happy Wednesday!

X-Factor Tour Pics :)

Yesterday I spent a lovly afternoon with my mum at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester, watching the X-Factor tour. Here are some of my pics :)

Top 5: Things I find attractive in a man

Every Friday is 'Top 5' Friday. So here are five things I find attractive in a man. Anyone who was knows me well will not be surprised by this list.




No 5.) Older Men
So all my friends know that I find guys so much more attractive if they are older me. (Not too old though :) it's not like I find guys on there death bed attractive ha ha.) Some women do prefer guys younger than them. I have never been one of those people. Guys my own age and younger are so much more annoying. It's like they haven't grown up yet.

No 4.) Sensitivity
I don't think being too sensitive is a turn on either. But a guy who has a heart and can be a real shoulder to lean on when you need/want it.

No 3.) A Job!
Okay so I know the job market is bad at the moment. There is nothing attractive about a guy who is jobless. This is a must. It puts a strain on a relationship when only one of you is in employment. Trust me.

No 2.) Confidence
There is nothing less attractive than a man who is not comfortable in his own skin. I'm talking about people are over confident 'cos that is not attractive at all. There is difference. But if a guy is happy in his own skin, then he's going to be more confident.(The same really applies to women as well.)

No 1.) A sense of humour
This is an absolute must. I'm prone to doing some rather daft things in my time. Anyone who knows me well knows that in a week I will have done any number of 'silly' things. But anyone who can make me laugh (or find the funny in me) is a huge turn on.

Hope everyone is having a good Friday.  What do you find attractive in the oposite sex?

What is the hardest thing you have wrote?

Every Wednesday is 'Writing Wednesday'. This week's blog post, just like its title, was one of the hardest blog post's I've wrote. It's personal. I almost chickened out on writing it. So much so that I have shown this to one person before posting it. As I've mentioned in the last few weeks. Writing is personal. Sometimes it can help you. Sometimes it might help someone else.







So here we go.






Over the years I have got upset over killing off characters I have cared a lot about. You grow attached to these 'people' you have have created. But that was nothing compared to the story I wrote a few years ago. A story I wrote to get me through the worse time of my life. If it wasn't for an amazing support system and writing I'm can safely say I wouldn't be here today. As a way to cope with the crazy and nightmarish time, I was advised by a psychologist at the time to write it out. Express my feelings. Getting it out be it in spoken words or the power of the written word. Because writing has always been my passion. It was so therapeutic. Only one person has ever read it. I have never read it since I wrote it. And have no plans on doing so. Its the only story I've wrote that is not crumpled at the corners. Its also the story I am most proud of. Knowing I was able to get through it has made me a better person but it has also made me a better writer.






Anyone who has ever had to get through a bad situation be it a bad break-up, death whatever it is, write it out. Get your feelings out. If there is nobody for you to talk to write it.

Top 5: Oscar Winning Movies (not all Best Picture winners)

So last Sunday was Oscar Sunday. So here are five of my faveroute films. Some won for the film itself and some for the level of acting.

No 5.) The Blind Side

No 4.) Million Dollar Baby

No 3.) Jerry Maguire

No 2.) A Beautiful Mind

No 1.) Titanic

There is a wide range of films on this list. Each one I love for different reasons.

Hope your all having a happy Friday. What are some of your faveroute films that have won an Oscar.

When did you know you loved writing?

Every Wednesday here on my blog is Writing Wednesday. Over the years my family and friends have asked me questions about my writing. Every Wednesday I answer one of these questions.

So. When did I first realise that I loved writing? That is a hard question. Mainly because I'm not too sure. Looking back at old Primary school work (that mum and dad still have in the garage) I can see early on I was interested in the art of storytelling. As a child I could play for hours alone and make up stories with my dolls and teddy's. As I got older and it was no longer 'cool' to play with these toys I was introduced to writing. It was here I found my love of writing and the written word. This love is present now (if not more so). I would say my art of writing though definitely became something I needed to do after the age of 15. And not something I had to do because I needed to do it. It was something I wanted to do. And still love doing now.

Writing was my first true love. It has been loyal (if not always present). It has been an outlet for me when I have needed to get things off my chest. It has never strayed or disappointed me.

So when did you know you know you loved writing and the art of storytelling? Is it something you've always loved or is it something that came to you later, as you got older?

Top 5: Books By 5 Family/Friends

When I came up with the idea for this Fridays blog post a week and a half ago I had a feeling there was going to be a wide range of different books. I'm glad to see my friends and family did not disappoint. Some of these books may be unheard of to you. Some of you may have the same favourite book as one of my family/friends.

(Photo Credit: fotosearch.com)

So where to start.






No 5.) Under the Dome – Stephen King


“My favourite book is the fairly recent " Under the Dome " by Stephen King. Gripping from the first page ~ a classic " I'll read just one more chapter " book.
Taking 25 yrs to create, at 870+ pages, this is King's best epic novel.
It explores many modern topics, including ~ ecological, political & fascism.
King's use of characters leaves you feeling their experiences first hand.”


Recommended by Steve Billington






No 4.) A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini


“Absolutely love it. It is by no means a happy book but I really enjoyed it. If that makes sense! About a girls life growing up in Afghanistan, marriage etc. It is the only book that I can think of that ever brought a tear to my eye. The complex relationships especially between the female characters is brought out so well and you really do empathise and sincerely care about what happens to the characters. Highly recommend it.”


Recommended by Jen Bland














No 3.) Past Reason Hated – Peter Robinson


“Its all about Caroline Haryley but everything people know and think she is but she's not. She is found brutally murdered lying on the couch and its down to CI Alan Banks to search for the truth and there is more secrets in her life which keeps you waiting to find out if his has found out the end to all the secrecy and who would of killed her.”


Recommended by Kelly Glennon










No 2.) Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert


“It normally takes me a while to read a book but this was an exception. In under a week I read this book. What I liked about this book was the way she described things in such detail it was easy to visualise in your mind. What I found interesting was the different religions and way people live that described in the book.”


Recommended by Christine Miller (mum)










No 1.) Great Expectations – Charles Dickens


“Deciding which is my favourite book is rather difficult, but if I had to decide which one, it would probably be 'Great Expectations' by the one and only Charles Dickens.


I like the novel for its ambitious elements, as Philip Pirrip or 'Pip' terminates his apprenticeship as a blacksmith in order to be a 'Gentleman' in the high society of London.
Dickens allows us to speculate the rise and fall of a protagonist in his pursuit of love, wealth, power and freedom to escape from his poor background, only to return to his normal way of living at the end of the novel. The way that the novel has a complex plot highlights how great this book is; that weaves together various interconnected stories with each character having a pivotal role in Pip's life; young and old.
I love how ambiguous the conclusion of the story is when Pip meets Estella at Satis House; does he remain to be an honest friend of Estella? or does finally win her heart and marry her?
But most interestingly enough, the novel is a social critique of High Society of London, exposing the devious elements of greed, power and the feeling of superiority.
Dickens suggested that a person cannot escape from his/ her past or from themselves, which is the lesson that Pip learns at the end of the story. The author also exposes the common belief that a gentleman can be made by money alone, however poor and unprivileged characters like Joe Gargery and Magwitch appear to have moral qualities and appear to be more moral than the characters who are privileged and well educated, showing a high level of irony.
I strongly recommend anyone to read this book - 'Great romance, great thrills, great suspense, great adventure... Great Expectations!!”


This book was recommended by Mark Miller (my youngest brother).



I'd love to hear what some of your favourite books are and if you have read any on this list. I hope everyone is having a good Friday so far and hope everyone has a good weekend.

As a writer how do you prefer to do it?

Over the years my family and friends have often wondered why I need music on while I'm writing. The simple answer to this simple question is because it just helps. Music can really help you mentally get your head into a certain mood. That's why when I'm writing a certain part of my stories the mood that is called for, I will listen to the type of music that will help me write it.




I can't think of anything worse than writing in complete and utter silence. Even my blog I have to write with music or the tv on. 'Cos really there is nothing worse than struggling with what to write and being in silence. That just makes matters so much worse.



I need noise around me even if its simply people talking around me, music playing or some random advert on the tv.



So how do you guys like to write? Does music help? Hope everyone is having a happy Wednesday :)

Top 5: Books I still have to read on my bookshelf!

Its Friday so that means one thing. Its Top 5... Friday. So here are 5 books on my bookshelf I still have to read.




5.) Breakfast At Tiffanys



4.) Yes Man – Danny Wallace



3.) A Married Man – Catherine Alliott



2.) The Beach House – James Patterson



1.)Club Dead – Chalaine Harris



Do any of you guys have a pile of books you have still not got to reading?



Hope everyone is having a good Friday. Sorry for the short post but been super busy :) I do have a special Top 5... blog post with a little help from my friends :)

Do you tell people you have wrote/blogged about them?

(Photo credit: photosearch)

Carrying on from last week. 'Writing Wednesday' is here again and how quickly a week comes round. I was thinking this week (I know a dangerous thought) about how to answer this weeks question. It came down to how much did I want to reveal. About my friends and family. But more importantly myself. I came to the conclusion that the whole point of this blog is for me to be truthful. Like 100% so otherwise what's the point.

 

I have been writing stories (mainly for myself) for the best part of 17 years (and that fact has just shocked the hell out of me). I still have every story I have ever wrote since I was at school (though not for school). Needless to say that in my earlier writing the characters I was writing were on the whole from my imagination. It was as I got older that people I met and events around me started to have an influence both good and bad. There are certain people who have had a huge influence on my life and will always have a special place there. I feel that by putting a characteristic of there's in one of my characters is my own little shout-out to them. (Even if they don't know it.) With some friends and family it can be a tiny and probably unrecognisable characteristic. With some it's a hell of a lot more obvious. As a rule I don't like telling friends and family that I have based someone on them. I've had some friends who have asked and I have lied. Mainly because I don't want them to get person x and themselves mixed up. They are not the same entire person. Sometime it might just be a name I use.






As far as my blog goes friends and family can usually tell if it's about them or not. My friends know I have a blog, but I would never ask them if they had read it. If they have liked or not liked something they are more than happy to tell me. But its not something I expect. One ex wasn't happy that I had blogged a rather negative post about him (his name wasn't even mentioned FYI) and the truth is I didn't really care what he said 'cos at the end of the day he was a terrible boyfriend in hindsight. There are one or two men I feel very fond of and protective of and it's rare that you will ever hear me mention them by name. Namely because I respect there right some degree of privacy.






So my question to you guys is would you ever tell a friend or family member you have wrote/blogged about them or would you like to keep it to yourself?






Happy Wednesday everyone :)

February 14th – My Valentines Day Rant

(Photo credit: Photobucket)

I'm so glad valentines day has fallen on a work day. As anyone has read my blog knows I'm a sucker for romance, but even when I've been with someone at valentines I've still hated this day. Its such a money making 'holiday'. Its a day that makes guys feel guilty if they don't do something special for there girlfriend. Companies are able to charge more money for chocolates and wines etc than they would do normally.







I was in work with a male colleague and he made such a valid point. That everything being sold for valentines is aimed at women. All the chocolate hearts, pink wines, candles, stuffed bears are all presents you'd get your special lady friend. Do guys really want any of this shit? I doubt it. You shouldn't need a 'special' day to tell the person you love that you love them.






Any way so rant over. See you Wednesday for my new writers Wednesday post :)

Top 5: Songs I've Listened To This Week

Top 5... Friday's is back this week. This weeks Top 5... blog post is the most played songs on my i-Pod and i-Tunes. 

                  

5.) Dirty – Bodyrockers – Bodyrockers
I lost this album a while ago. It has always been one of my favourites. There are so many great tracks that I love listening to. I love singing along to it and whenever I hear the song I cant help but moving to the beat.

4.) When We Collide – Matt Cardle
The winners song from this years X-Factor. This song couldn't be any more different than the previous song.

3.) Love The Way You Lie – Eminem & Rihanna - Recovery
This song has been one of my favourites since I first heard it. I've never been a huge Rihanna fan but this song I do like.


2.) Rolling In the Deep – Adele – 21
This song is being played everywhere at the moment. Adele has a great voice and this album and song is one of my favourites.

1.) Someone Like You – Adele - 21

This album has been played so many times this week on my i-Pod which is probably why there are two songs from the same album in the top places. This song is so beautiful.



What Inspires you?

Its a new year and some new ideas for my blog. Over the coming weeks etc Wednesday's will become writing Wednesday. So to kick off this weeks writing Wednesday I've been asking myself this very important question. What inspires me?

You can look at this for many different ways. I was inspired for this blog series on a coach trip home from visiting my youngest brother at Uni. As a blogger. Life in general is my biggest inspiration. Things going on in my surroundings.



As a writer (in my stories I like to write) my biggest inspiration is my friends. Not so much for stories as events, but definitely for the characters in my stories. Over the years different parts of many of my friends (an enemies lol) have shared character traits with the people in my stories. Its probably why I get so attached to some of the characters in my stories.



So my question to you is this. Who inspires you? Be it as a creative outlet (blogging, writing, drawing etc) or just life in general. I hope you all have a happy Wednesday. I'm off to the pub soon for my Wednesday night pub quiz with the girls.

Bad Friend/Bad Blogger

Ok so happy belated new year. Since my last blog post Christmas has come and gone. New Year was celebrated with two of my favourite girls. And worse thing ever my laptop had failed on me not once but twice in January. With the help of my lovely friend P I am now a hell of a lot happier.

So in one week two friends both needed me. Normally I am a very good friend and will drop things the minute the people closest to me need my help. I on the other hand this week feel I have let both of my friends down, and even more so, myself. One of my great qualities is my ability to listen to my friends when they need to vent. I was not without my reasons though. The problem with being that person to everyone is that when you need to be the 'venter' as well, is finding that other person to go to. So while the problems I have been going through, for the best part of 2 weeks, are nothing compared to other peoples, these are things that are getting to me.

As if being a bad friend wasn't bad enough. I also feel like I have been a a bad blogger too. When I saw that I have not posted a new blog post since 12 December I was shocked to say the least. I mean that was LAST YEAR. Anyway I am now back, with a fully functioning laptop. I will be back with my (semi-regular) and fave series on Friday. My Top 5... series.

So see you soon! ( Hopefully before Friday :) )