The Here & Now.

It smells like the future

I'm weirdly obsessed with ordering food on a website to be delivered to my house. Not like groceries, but like takeaway. I don't why, but it's Jetsons magic that I can fill in some form and food arrives.

The driver still gets lost, but I suppose he doesn't have the Google map chip implanted yet.

Slightly larger than life

So I finally saw the Bourne movie - and holy mackerel the tube station at the work end of my commute is right there! Not only Waterloo station but the vaguely secret entrance that me and several hundred (as opposed to endless thousands) commuters use every day. And just today I dodged people across that concourse to get my prawn salad - good thing I wasn't a security reporter for the Guardian incapable of listening to my super spy source.

Whew.

But I admit I couldn't stop giggling because it felt like I was watching my own lunch hour, but on a big screen. And with Matt Damon in it.

You know, in case you've somehow never experienced this

Passive agressive notes left by flatmates, neighbours, officemates, etc... it's even funnier when you're not involved.

Almost there

I thought summer was over already.

I admit I hold the incredibly unpopular opinion of not liking summer much. Autumn is my very favourite time of year, I love opaque tights and jumpers and roast chicken and pumpkins and the smell of decomposing leaves.

I know, summer has to happen for me to truly enjoy autumn, but as the end of summer comes I get a bit impatient.

So I roasted some carrots and chicken pieces tonight in preparation for my favourite time of year.

Further education

In the I-have-so-much-time-on-my-hands department, I've decided to start the MA programme in Music through Open University.

Not performance mind you, but interesting sounding social history of music type things. Which is my favourite part of my job.

So. It's part-time and distance, which essentially means I will truly have no free time. But I'm not really into unstructured free time - it only gives my OCD time to flourish and decide something different is bad, which is not what I need.

I don't start until January. That gives me approximately four months to freak out.

Backgrounder

Strawberries and coffee. Perfect afternoon snack.

I'm just going to keep eating strawberries until they're not in season anymore. I've been really good lately eating things that are in season and grown locally. Though apparently in our obsession with food miles we're quickly bankrupting all those farms far away who are based on cash crop farming. Hmm. I don't know the answer.

Anyway.

Yesterday I was sitting in Paddington station waiting to meet Christopher, and there aren't many places to sit there without buying something. So I sat on the plinth of the Paddington Bear statue. In the 20 minutes I sat waiting (his train was delayed) I think I appeared in approximately 6 tourist's photographs of Paddington. That plinth is a really popular perching spot, so I can't imagine there are many photos of him without random commuters sitting there drinking a coffee.

One woman took out the Paddington Bear doll she bought at Harrods and spent a good three minutes arranging him in front of the statue. And then took a photo.

Random.

Cake should fix everything, but it doesn't always

I'm feeling like a bit of a basketcase lately and I don't know why. I'm knocking over everything and feeling freaked out. Lots of nameless dread floating around. I think I just hate August.

Here's a photo of my partially eaten birthday cake to cheer everyone up:

Just silly.

It's the ultimate Sunday. I go back to work tomorrow and my mum flies back to Canada. I woke up feeling ill and stressed by the concept of going back to the office, which is silly.

Oh blah. I'm going to take the dog to the park.

4 step buttonholing!

I'm going to buy a sewing machine tomorrow! How thrilling!

This means I'm getting old doesn't it?

Onwards

As expected, turning 30 wasn't really the big fooferall it's made out to be. Doing loads of big things, like moving to a new continent, getting married and finding a job you like, takes the edge off. There's just the feeling broody bit now.

My mum has been visiting for a month, and we're into the last week of her visit. I've had a long holiday from work, and the Sunday night oogie feeling is starting to impinge on my evenings. Everything will be fine and by Wednesday next week it will be like I've never had time off, I know. With my holiday timing this year it feels strangely like going back to school.

Autumn is my all time favourite season and I can't wait for it to start. I'm finished with this pseudo monsoon season, with the half-hearted summer we've had. My allergies have been horrible and the sooner all the plants die the better. Bring on scarves and gloves and coats!