Meme

I've been tagged by Calistro to do this meme, so here goes!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I had just finished my A levels and was counting down the days until my first legal drink.

Five things on your to-do list for today:

1. Work out where the wedding I'm going to tomorrow is.
2. Find out what time it starts, and what time I need to be there for a rehearsal beforehand.
3. Learn the music I'll be singing at the wedding.
4. Buy a wedding present (can you detect a theme?).
5. Finish the vocabulary analysis I've been doing at work.

What are three of your bad habits?

1. I go to sleep whenever I'm a passenger - cars, buses, trains, planes - nothing is safe from my slumber.
2. I secretly think it's a waste if I'm not reading while I eat. I'm not sure why, but I think words make the food taste better.
3. I am EXCEEDINGLY messy, and if I try to tidy up, chances are I'll find a book after 2 minutes and accidentally start reading it while trying to put it on the shelf (or, more likely, one of my many piles of books 'hidden' in the corners of my flat, which my lovely husband kindly ignores).

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Move to Italy and take lots of courses, but also travel wherever and whenever the mood took me.

What are some snacks you enjoy?

Prawn crackers
Carrot sticks
Green and Black's dark chocolate with ginger
Stem ginger without the chocolate
Fishfinger sandwiches

What were the last five books you read?

1. Shakespeare - Bill Bryson
2. The Secret of Lost Things - Sheridan Hay
3. The Woman in the Fifth - Douglas Kennedy
4. The Cairo Diary - Maxim Chattam
5. The Dante Trap - Arnaud Delalande (I haven't quite finished this but am on the last chapter...)

What are five jobs you have had?

1. Nursing auxiliary in a nursing home
2. Telephone fundraiser for my university
3. Fundraising researcher, also for my university
4. Editorial assistant at a medical communications agency
5. Medical writer

Five places that you have lived?

1. Uckfield, Sussex
2. Horam, Sussex
3. London
4. Paris
5. Manchester

I feel a bit guilty about not tagging people, but I know this one has been doing the rounds for ages, so I think almost everyone on the planet has done it already!

Think before you quaff...

Ribena were giving away mini-cups of their new juices at Manchester Piccadilly this morning, and as a sucker for anything free, I gratefully accepted one. I headed to my train and took a big swig, which was immediately followed by the thought, 'Yeah, this doesn't really go with toothpaste... urgh.'

I'm sure it's nice to drink before cleaning your teeth though...

Excuses, excuses

While I have been doing a little writing over the last week or so, I've taken on a rather ambitious project - translating a novel from Italian. This is really only for my own benefit, as I'll be studying it for my A level next year, and want to get a head-start, but it has sapped some of my creativity and writing time. I think it will balance out once I get into the swing of things, and will probably be good for my writing, as I'm having to delve much deeper into the text that I normally do when reading a book. Fingers crossed, anyway...

Training...

As part of our preparation for the Ribbon Walk, we walked 11 miles over the hills yesterday. Having checked the BBC weather forecast on Friday at work (black cloud, rain-drops), obviously Sunday was the most glorious day we've had so far this year. And I am now slightly stripy in the shoulder area and my feet are polka-dotted with blisters. Nice.

I want your money!

I have rather foolishly signed up for the 20 mile 'Ribbon Walk' in aid of Breast Cancer Care on Saturday 21st June, and would be very grateful for sponsorship! If you would like to sponsor me, please go to http://www.justgiving.com/eleanorsteele

Thank you!

Courtesy of Popbitch

'A customs test at Japan's Narita airport last week placed a quarter of a pound of cannabis in a randomly chosen suitcase on its way to the baggage hold.
'Sniffer dogs failed to detect the cannabis and the officer could not remember which bag he had put it in. Anyone finding the package has been asked to contact customs officials.'

This once happened to me, albeit with a much smaller amount - in a sealed box of Smarties from a Brighton newsagent...

Sex and the City

I went to see the new 'Sex and the City' film with about 4 million other people last night (and that was just in the same cinema - they were showing it on 2 screens every hour!). Beforehand, I was excited, but also worried about whether it would live up to the expectations of everyone who had loved the show. Could it be as good? Could it translate to film? Would I secretly find Carrie exceedingly self-absorbed and sometimes want to give her a good shake (just like when watching it on TV)? Luckily the answer was 'Yes' to all these questions.

We all laughed, cried, and felt that the time had gone by in a flash, and I came out of the cinema with a smile (and a bit of smudged mascara) on my face. Even though some of the characters, especially Charlotte, lost some of their personality and became almost caricatures, it was still captivating. And best of all, along with the film I enjoyed a fair number of dolly mixtures as a retro treat. Yum!