Nellyphant

men in suits. an eye candy special

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:59:16 GMT

previous eye candy posts have featured some of my favourite men in sharp suits. I don't know what it is, but they do make my knees go a big jiggly one.

First, a few examples of previous suited-up manly men.

Some fine specimens there, I feel...

Now, my obsession with TV isn't new, but my obsession with Mad Men really is. The fantabulously glamorous setting is part of the reason. The fantastically scandalous clandestine meetings is another part. And the men, the men are a major part.

All of those who've even seen but a glimpse of the show realises the allure of Don Draper (Jon Hamm)...

yum yum, eh?

but the show is chock full of handsome men in very nice suits.

... and a bit of my special attention is paid to silver fox John Slattery (who is 46).

do you have a list?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:15:30 GMT

for those of you not in relationships, do you have a list? traits you're looking for in potential partners? things you prefer over other things?

do tell.

Why I love autumn

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:01:13 GMT

Most people favour summer over the other three seasons, and I do understand. I, too, see the allure of umbrella drinks under a parasol on the beach, or lazying in the garden with a good book.

But I've never been much for heat. I enjoy it in small doses, and only if there is a source of cool readily available. But I hate sweating. Being constantly red-cheeked and sweaty with a throbbing headache is my idea of hell.

Autumn. Now there is a perfect season. I'm not talking about the wet, icy cold, barren pre-winter most people think of when faced with the concept of autumn. I'm talkin about the kind of autumn where the leaves are starting to change, where the air is crisp and fresh and full of life and energy. The kind of energy which fills me with a mix of melancholy and bliss.

A perfect day is cool, allowing for an opportunity to don ones hand knitted hats, mittens and scarves (and socks, if you are so inclined). The perfect day is clear, dry, full of birdsong and mindblowingly beautifully coloured leaves.

We're having a bit of an indian summer here, but the chill is creeping into the evening air. I love it. One of the only perks of not having cats anymore is that I can leave the balcony door open to let the wonderful air in.

I could go on for a lot longer, but I think I've gotten my point across. :) Enjoy the autumn, before The Wet arrives.

new find

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:41:54 GMT

I'm loving my new musical find. Just "discovered" him this afternoon and I'm already hooked.

Meet Jay Brannan.

he's a singer-songwriter from texas. gorgeous and talented. and unabashed. I respect anyone who can post something like this video below.

he's got a very very good voice, too.

catch him on last.fm: here
and be sure to have a listen on spotify: here.

go forth. enjoy.

sigh

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:22:33 GMT

Why do I do this to myself?

Exciting Autumn!

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:37:29 GMT

My spring is looking very exciting. :) I'm making an effort to fill my time with fun things to do in order to keep from being lonely and sad.

August 23 brings a very exciting event indeed. Front row tickets to see Stephen Lynch! It'll be the third tim I see him since April last year, and I've no doubt it'll be nothing short of amazing. :)

September 5, the day before my birthday, I'm having a birthday do. I'm very excited about that, too. There'll be drinking, there'll be music, there'll be video games... All very good stuff. :)

Then October is a bit of a gap-month. Nothing really planned, unless we decide to go see another show. :) Else I'll just put my head down and get to work.

November 13 means another trip to the UK - London this time. MUSE - live at the O2 arena. How cool is that? :D I'm also going to try and get down to Brighton to go dancing with my good pal chris. :) Blip-blop music at its best. :D

Then on December 4, I'm taking a trip down memoryh lane with two of my friends from way back when. :) We're goin to see the Backstreet Boys! Maybe a bit too excited about that one. :D It's going to be friggin' amazing.

And last but not least, just after the end of the autumn term, on December 19 - I have fourth row tickets to see EDDIE IZZARD! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! So unbelievably excited. Tell me you're jealous? ;)

Squee!

books!

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:41:35 GMT

I'm swimming in them! Today I bought three more, just because I could. :D

Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Crash by JG Ballard and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

.. as you can see, I'm determined to read a few Poirot novels. :) I do love the shows with David Suchet, and I trust the books to be good. :)

Going home tomorrow! How exciting - can't wait to sleep in my own bed. :)

new obsession?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:46:52 GMT

Clanadonia! :D

pretty god darned awesome. including the times I've come back to see them twice in a day, I've managed to see them live six times now. They're doing the whole festival, too, so I'm going to try and catch them with mum next weekend when we're over. :D

Today me and Rosie caught them again today, and they gave us a wee wink and a nod of recognition. Good times.

Do have a listen, they are pretty awesome - and even more so live. :)

quick 101 update

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:32:36 GMT

19. Read, on average, one novel every two months

I've finished The Dice Man, which was great. Read the fourth Dexter book, Dexter by Design, which was disappointing and I've started We Need to Talk About Kevin which is good. Not the best book I've ever read, but it's pretty interesting. Bought quite a lot of books here in Scotland, though... *blush* List: Dead Until Dark (The "True Blood" novel) by Charlaine Harris, Mr Toppit by Charles Elton, Doors Open (a Non-Rebus novel) by Ian Rankin, 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith, Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk, The Perfect Murders (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder onthe Orient Express, Murder in the Mews and Hercule Poirot's Christmas) by Agatha Christie, A Clocwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and two Scottish books - one on history and the other on myths and legends.

... yes... I've bought a lot of books. *shifty eyes*

59. Get a tattoo

Got it! And not only did I get it, it's fabulous.

became

82. Make one new friend

My activity monitor Rosie is a wee bairn of 20, but she definitely counts. :) We've had a great summer. :)

Edinburgh!

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:17:20 GMT

I'm here, and I feel right at home again. Love this place. ♥

off to see the wizard

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:09:41 GMT

today is saturday. on monday morning I leave for Edinburgh - finally! I've wanted to go back ever since I left two summers ago. I'm taking a bus from here (my mum's) on monday morning - 5.35 BAH - and the flight leaves at 19.20. finally at half eight local time I step off the plane in the land of the scottish accent. :D I can't tell you how much of a relief that'll be. Even though I'm going to work, it feels like I'm taking a break from everything - finally getting away to be myself and enjoy myself in a city I love. Yay!

I have acommodation from monday night, and I have a week to get everything sorted out before the students arrive. a mini-invasion of Italians, an exhausting month to look forward to. :D

I hope I'll be able to spend a lot of time with lovely people. I've made plans with a few, but knowing the job, I know that it might be difficult to spend any proper time socialising. Then again, I've got a different kind of job this time around and maybe it'll allow for a bit more "me-time". :)

In other news, I've started reading The Dice Man, which is on the 101-list, and I really like it so far. I should update the list properly, and I'll try to get to it asap. :)

listy stuff

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:11:18 GMT

I've updated the list. :) cba to write a whole entry about it. :D

A bit of a winge

Thu, 28 May 2009 21:46:11 GMT

I haven't posted in ages, and this is not a very cheery one to resume blogging with. Oh, that sounded dreadfully ominous... It's not that bad.

Maybe I should start the entry off by saying that, generally speaking, things are pretty good. I'm not having second thoughts about the breakup, me and P are on good terms, work is super busy and slightly overwhelming but kind of enjoyable all the same. My sis and the family are moving back and I'm very excited to see them over midsummer, and I'm super excited about going to work in Edinburgh and even though I'm currently oblivious as to what august holds as far as finances go - I'm actually feeling quite positive. :) now, with that out of the way, I'm going to have a bit of a winge.

I'm not good with silence. I have music or tv on all. the. time. The last time the flat was properly quiet, I had a panic attack that nearly made me pass out from lack of oxygen. That was two months ago, and I haven't been stupid enough to risk a similar situation since. Tonight was an odd evening. I worked very hard all day, stayed late an stresse myself silly. Not in a stupid way, but still. Got home, had dinner, spent half an hour talking to nobody on the computer, then about two more hours watching tv. On my own, in - aside from the tv - complete silence. Nobody called, I called nobody. Got no texts, sent no texts. No visits, went nowhere... Now, I know that none of this is particularily noteworthy. In fact, it's pretty normal for a single person. But tonight it made me a bit gloomy.

So, while listening to my audiobook (another avoidance of silence), I'm going to try sleep now. :) I appreciate suggestions on how you spend time when you're alone. How do you cope with being alone without feeling too lonely?

Hugs! [::]

#67, Have my hair cut shorter than I think I'm comfortable with

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:56:17 GMT

#67, check!

two months?

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:00:03 GMT

seriously, has it really been two months since I started my 101 things? time really does fly. I realise that this, technically, means I should strike #101 already. But since I decided that revising the points (Caroline is my witness - I made that choice before posting the list. :P), I'm editing it to say "Update this blog about the list at least 33 times". That means I'll still average once a month, even if I can't get around to blogging regularily.

Anyway, here's an update on the list (here's the updated list in its entirety).

#1, Lose 30kg

I've lost four kg's in two months. A lot of that, I think, is down to lent. But seeing how I have to lose, on average, one kg per month in these 1001 days - I'd say 4kg isn't too bad. I've got plans to keep the weight off and to keep dropping. :)

#5, Complete Lent 2009

Yep, I did. I cheated twice, but even then I did better than I thought I would. I'm looking forward to Ramadan next year. I might even do it this year even though that's not on the list. :)

#17, Go for a 30 minute walk once a week

Even though it doesn't sound like much of a challenge, I haven't gotten around to building this into my routine. I have been a few times, but obviously not nearly enough. I'm going to ponder how to revise this point to work for me from here on out. :)

#21, Read five books in 30 days

Epic fail on this one. But revisal means the chance to restart it, so I will when I feel up to it again.

#33, Hoover the whole flat once a week, every week I am home

This has actually worked pretty well, bar this past week. Been a bad week.

#34, Learn to crochet

I've started with this. I can do chains, singles, doubles and trebles, and I've started on a little granny-square blanket using really cheap acrylic yarn. It's wobbly and.. plastic.. but it's crochet. I won't call this item completed yet, though, as I can't quite read a pattern yet.

#42, Live and work in the UK for at least six months in total

I've got a job this summer. I'll be in Edinburgh all of July, and somewhere else - probably somewhere in the south of England - for the better part of August. :) Part of the way there!

#50, See The Edinburgh Tattoo with my mum

The tickets are here! Saturday, August 15th. :)

#58, Finish a pair of socks

I've finished two pair, actually. Both for my sister's kids. Didn't go too badly, actually, and I plan on making lots more. :)

#67, Have my hair cut shorter than I think I'm comfortable with

I have a sneeking suspicion this will happen tonight...

#71, Private item #2 / have

Done.

#77, Listen to 100 new songs on the recommendation of others

I need to start writing them down. But I've listened to quite a few on YouTube, and even bought (!) a couple of albums on iTunes. I've been conservative and written down six, but promise to keep better tabs from now on. New finds I like the best, though, are Elbow and Kings of Leon. :)

#79, Call one friend a week, just to chat

Harder than it seems - at least for me. Gotten more difficult now that one of my closest friends won't answer the phone when I call.. But I'm trying. :)

#83, See Harry and Freya at least every three months (dependant on them moving back to Sweden)

They are moving back to Sweden! They're coming back for midsummer (somewhere around June 20th), and are home permanently. :) Looking forward to it so much.

#85, Invite a friend over for dinner at least 20 times

Three times, so far. Good times.

#93, Don't buy any plastic carrier bags

I forget, sometimes, when I buy clothes or 'stuff'. But in the supermarket I haven't bought a single carrier bag. :)

that's about it for now! :) I should get back into blogging.. it does me good to put my thoughts to 'paper'. :)

be well. ♥

Long time, no update...

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:41:38 GMT

My life hasn't been void of either action, thoughts or feelings since last month - but for some reason I haven't been able to bring myself to blog. I've planned a big 1001 things-update in the next couple of days, and there are things to update you on there too.

Lent is going alright. I cheated twice - once by mistake and once on purpose, but as a result I've extended lent by two days. I miss crisps! I can do without them, but I miss the emotional pseudo-crutch they provide. Oh well.

As productive as ever with my knitting. If not more, really, simce the sister and her family are coming back home permanently in time for midsummer. I've been über-busy knitting socks (!), mittens, scarves and other pretty things. I've even taken pictures of all the stuff I've made, but it just doesn't make it onto here.

Getting back my sense of normality, which (paradoxically) is a bit disturbing. Finding new and interesting ways of staying busy and happy isn't always ao easy. But I manage. So far, anyway.

Well, that'll have to conclude my first ever iPhone blog post, and I'll leave you with a promise to blog more. If you'll have me. :)

hums

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:34:29 GMT

♫ Come as you are sweetheart, come as you are.
You know you've got nothing to prove
I'll put you to bed you can let it all go
You've been playing too rough lately

You burn too bright
You live too fast
This can't go on too long
You're a tragedy starting to happen
Just as you are. Perfect just as your are
I'll give you the time you deserve.
Don't make those promises
Don't tell me again.
That dust is gonna settle your nerves. ♫

101 things to do in 1001 days

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:31:10 GMT

Hello, blog! It's been a while - a whole month, in fact. A lot has happened, but I have found other ways of venting (thank you, my wonderful friends *smooch*), and haven't felt a real need to blog.

But yesterday I stumbled upon this awesome website. It's called Day Zero - The Home of 101 Things To Do in 1001 Days Project. I've decided to take on this challenge, for my own sake.

A few weeks ago, I formulated my new life principles, which intend to try and bring to life in this list. Those principes are simple, and as follows: (1: be more frank, 2: appreciate your friends more, 3: try new things).

So, anyway. Behind the cuts you will find my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I encourage you to join me. Please comment if you do. I'm also creating a tag for this, for easy search-age: 101things.

101 things to do in 1001 days

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

~~Stricken~~ text means a failed list entry (followed by date, comment and link to relevant blog entry if one exists)
Bold text means a completed entry (ditto)
Underlined text means the entry is in process.

Health and Lifestyle

Lose 30kg (4/30 ~ update each month)
Lose at least 20cm total, from total waist+thigh+arm girth (0/20 ~ update each month)
Work out three days a week for four months straight
Achieve first dan in iaido
Complete Lent 2009 (Begins February 24th, ends April 14th)
Complete Ramadan 2010 (Begins August 11th, ends September 9th)
Learn how to bake bread
Try two new sports at least twice (0/2, 0/2)
Have moles removed
Find 20 new recipes I like enough to put in my recipe book (0/20)
No ready-meals or take-out for two months
Cut carbs from my diet for two weeks, twice, and note the results in mood and weightloss (0/2)
Be able to run for 20 minutes without stopping
Go ice-skating
Buy a dress or a pair of jeans that are too small, and work towards fitting into them
Wear high heeled shoes for a whole week
Go for a 30 minute walk once a week (3/143)

Mental Wellbeing and Education

Finish my degree (Religious Studies - check. English credits? not so much.)
Read, on average, one novel every two months (audiobooks don't count) (0/16)
At least five of those 16 novels should be from The 50 Best Cult Books list (here) (0/5)
(suggestions: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart (started reading this one), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov)
Read five books in 30 days(~~begun on Feb 20, 2009 - end date March 22, 2009~~) will be retried
Read the (annotated) Qu'ran
Revive my German (in connection with #52)
Sign up for and do the Cambridge Proficiency in English exam
Feel genuinely pretty, at least once
Blog every day for a month
Go to a dance class
Read Shakespeare's plays (2/38)
Go on a rollercoaster that scares the crap out of me
Spend an entire weekend in my own company
Do all dishes immediately after use for a month, twice (0/2)
Take an English-course at university (preferably literature or grammar)
Hoover the whole flat once a week, every week I am home (7/8)

Creativity

Learn to crochet
Design a knitted item
Sell three digital portraits (1/3)
Finish already started digital portrait
Take a self-portrait every day for 60 days
Buy clay and 'play around' with it
Card, dye and spin my own yarn and knit something with it (This has to count as started, my mum's bought me a spinning wheel)
Take photographs of friends and activities and make two photo-albums (not scrapbooked) (0/2)

Career and Life Choices

Live and work in the UK for at least six months in total
Go on a real date
Update CV
Decide where to live long-term
Go out alone

Travel

Travel to the north of Sweden or Norway to see the northern lights with friends
Go on a "sun-and-sand" holiday with a friend
Go hiking in Scotland
See The Edinburgh Tattoo with my mum
Visit Roslin Chapel
Spend a week on my own somewhere in Germany
Do ten "touristy" things locally (0/10)
Bring a friend to mum's house
Hike to Balesviken
Visit Stonehenge (preferably at midsummer)

Pleasure

Knit myself a cardigan (Just about halfway there. Started the second sleeve as of June 2009)
Finish a pair of socks
Get a tattoo
Have a manicure
Sing karaoke
Go clubbing at least five times (0/5)
Go to five gigs (club-gigs don't count) (0/5)
See a musical
Swim in the ocean
Have my hair and make-up done professionally to go out
Have my hair cut shorter than I think I'm comfortable with Done April 19, 2009 - blog entry
Try kayaking
Try snowboarding
Private item #1 / buy
Private item #2 / have
Private item #3 / first
Buy English Scrabble-tiles
Find chess-pieces that match my chessboard
Buy 50 DVDs of films or TV-series I like
Begin collecting Rörstrand china
Listen to 100 new songs on the recommendation of others (6/100)
See Ricky Gervais live

Family and Friends

Call one friend a week, just to chat. (5/143)
Send christmas cards to at least 20 people (0/20 x 0/2)
Write at least ten real letters to friends, just because. (0/10)
Make one new friend
See Harry and Freya at least every three months
Visit my dad
Invite a friend over for dinner at least 20 times (4/20)
Get, and keep, in touch with my other two siblings

Teaching

Correct everything that is handed in by students within two days for two months straight
Help a coworker without being asked
Update all relevant paperwork for grading by end of Feb 2009
Teach three people how to knit (0/3)
Correct the entire back-catalogue

The Bigger Picture

Buy, set up, and use proper recycling bins
Don't buy any plastic carrier bags
Get the bike fixed and ride it to work every day it isn't raining
Have Hedwig spayed
Use only cash for one month
Pay off debts
Don't withdraw any of the money mum sends
Exchange all lightbulbs with energy-saving ones/LED
Buy rechargeable batteries

And Finally...

Update this blog about the list at least 33 times (2/33)

My 1001th day is on Friday, 18 November 2011

whoa

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:47:15 GMT

Why does it always have to be chaos?
Why does it always have to be wanderlust?

creepy. ♫ Rufus Wainwright - Do I Disappoint You ♫

music, glorious music

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:15:03 GMT

I wanna do bad things with you.

When you came in the air went out.
And every shadow filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.

I'm the kind to sit up in his room.
Heart sick an' eyes filled up with blue.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.

When you came in the air went out.
And all those shadows there filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.
Ow, ooh.

I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.

Fabulous, isn't it? Om nom nom.

Eye Candy SPECIAL EDITION! ~ #20

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:24:36 GMT

Hey guys - avid followers and fans of Eye Candy ~~Friday~~. :D I know it's been AWOL for quite a while, but I haven't forgotten.

But instead of picking someone new in honour of its return, I've decided to do a special edition, featuring all my 19 eye candy picks so far - in the shape of a desktop wallpaper. A yummy desktop wallpaper.

Download and enjoy, just click the preview (sized 1,280 x 1,024 pixels) !

[::] is a hug

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:31:58 GMT

if you didn't know, now you do.

Join [::] is a hug now!

videoings

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:19:40 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5l-GSDo72c

A turning tide
Lovers at a great divide
why d'you laugh
When I know that you hurt inside?

And why d'you say
It's just another day, nothing in my way
I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay
So there's nothing left to say?
And why d'you lie
When you wanna die, when you hurt inside
Don't know what you lie for anyway
Now there's nothing left to say

A tell-tale sign
You don't know where to draw the line

And why d'you say
It's just another day, nothing in my way
I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay
So there's nothing left to say
And why d'you lie
When you wanna die, when you hurt inside
Don't know what you lie for anyway
Now there's nothing left to say

Well for a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time
For a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time
For a lonely soul, it seems to me that you're having such a nice time
You're having such a nice time

For a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time
For a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time
For a lonely soul, it seems to me that you're having such a nice time
You're having such a nice time

long way round

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:02:53 GMT

I just watched the whole series in one sitting.

*thumbs up*

have to work tomorrow. *le sigh*

my friends

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:36:00 GMT

anton - next time I'm over, take me somewhere and let me sing.

chris - next time I'm over, take me somewhere and let me dance.

Nellyphant

men in suits. an eye candy special

do you have a list?

Why I love autumn

new find

*sigh*

Exciting Autumn!

books!

new obsession?

quick 101 update

19. Read, on average, one novel every two months

59. Get a tattoo

82. Make one new friend

Edinburgh!

off to see the wizard

listy stuff

A bit of a winge

#67, Have my hair cut shorter than I think I'm comfortable with

two months?

#1, Lose 30kg

#5, Complete Lent 2009

#17, Go for a 30 minute walk once a week

#21, Read five books in 30 days

#33, Hoover the whole flat once a week, every week I am home

#34, Learn to crochet

#42, Live and work in the UK for at least six months in total

#50, See The Edinburgh Tattoo with my mum

#58, Finish a pair of socks

#67, Have my hair cut shorter than I think I'm comfortable with

#71, Private item #2 / have

#77, Listen to 100 new songs on the recommendation of others

#79, Call one friend a week, just to chat

#83, See Harry and Freya at least every three months (dependant on them moving back to Sweden)

#85, Invite a friend over for dinner at least 20 times

#93, Don't buy any plastic carrier bags

Long time, no update...

*hums*

101 things to do in 1001 days

101 things to do in 1001 days

Health and Lifestyle

Mental Wellbeing and Education

Creativity

Career and Life Choices

Travel

Pleasure

Family and Friends

Teaching

The Bigger Picture

And Finally...

whoa

music, glorious music

Eye Candy SPECIAL EDITION! ~ #20

[::] is a hug

videoings

long way round

my friends

sigh

hums