Yesterday

 

 

...was my birthday, and a fine day it was too.

The "best present e-vah" (in the breathless tones of a Strictly Come Dancing Chistmas Special contestant) was that I got my deleted-through-no-fault-of-my-own photos back, thanks to a seemingly simple but rather miraculous piece of software.

S very cleverly convinced me that for my birthday I should buy him a mobile phone as a belated Christmas present, and he is now the proud owner of a Nokia N95 which I get to play with as much as I want, so we're both happy geeks.

And last but certainly not least my dear friend M and her husband are in town, so we had dinner with them and the food was almost as good as the company. Bliss.

Today

...after a decade of financial irresponsibility and general foolishness (but oh what fun it was at the time!) and two and a half years of frugality and saving, I am debt-free.

Except for the mortgage, but I think we can all agree that doesn't count as bad debt.

I'd be tempted to do out and treat myself to something luxurious to mark the occasion (designer handbag? jewelry? cashmere sweater?) and then a huge dinner at a lovely restaurant, washed down with champagne from start to finish, but as it is exactly that sort of behavior that got me into trouble in the first place, I shall refrain.

And so it all feels a bit anti-climactic and dull.

Christmas in England

Christmas pudding - check.
Fish and chips in Brighton, looking out at the sea - check.
Bitter shandy in a proper old (i.e. non-chain) pub - check.
Roast dinner with potatoes, parsnips and Yorkshire pudding - check.
Anglo-Indian curry (miles better than Franco-Indian, it must be said) - check.
A trip to Tesco's to stock up on as much Marmite, Branston, HP sauce, tea, pickled onions, and Hellman's mayo (yes, I know how to make my own, but for most uses I prefer Hellman's) as could possibly be carried back - check.

Missing: full English brekkie. Ah well, next time.

Also missing: 85 photos including some absolutely gorgeous ones of S and I at Beachy Head, overlooking the Downs on one side and the cliff and sea on the other, and of S's family members and friends, due to a fucking arse buggery shite computer-memory card transfer problem. There are worse problems in the world (doh!) but I'm still gutted...

I need a pet.

Or at least some more photogenic houseplants.

Just when I had got used to receiving Christmas cards featuring my friends' children (as in, I look at the photo and think, "my, they've grown since last year!" instead of shrieking "holy shit, we're grown ups! how did that happen?!?") - I get a card with a pic from a childless but doggy-mom friend featuring... her two back Labs.

A Metro Moment

On the way home, standing next to a young guy. Leather jacket, long hair. Scruffily cute. I peer at his mobile phone, because I am thinking of getting a new one for myself. I can read the text he is typing.

U are making me like u more than I should.

I smile and turn back to my book, hoping he didn't notice me noticing.