Happy Bob-Kat

Welcome to my 100th Post! I'm a happy Bob-Kat today for a number of reasons. Firstly, I finished my essay (yay!). I sent it in with 30 minutes to spare so that is a weight off my mind. It also means I can kick back and relax a bit. Thanks to all those who popped by to offer me support. You don't know how much it was appreciated.

Secondly this is my 100th post and that is a milestone worth celebrating. During my time blogging I have made the acquaintance of some great folk who have great things to share. Blogging, for me is a great way to share things with other people and to share in their lives too.

Lastly (but certainly not least), I have been nominated for a blog award! I'm chuffed to bits! Sarch has payed me the honour of awarding me the 'Thinking Blogger' award. I'm greatly honoured that someone enjoys coming and visiting my blog and reading my eclectic mix of stuff from my mind and my life. Thank you! I don't even have a speech ready!

Sarch is a biker in Alabama in the US. I love visiting his blog and reading all about his trips on his bike and the wonderful days out he has with his family. He has a very warm style of writing, full of laid back enthusiasm and love of life, which immediately makes you feel like you have known him for ages. His blog is the epitomy of Southern hospitality!

Part of the award is also having the honour of bestowing the award to five blogs of my choosing. Now this is NOT an easy choice. There are so many fantastic blogs out there that make me think, that to narrow it down to just five has taken some thought. Happily one or two people I visit have already received the award so I have decided to give it to five others. So without further ado I'll open my virtual gold envelope and tell you who I have given this award to.

Here in the Hills
If you haven't come accross Old Old Lady of the Hills then you are missing out. This fantastically talented lady writes with great animation about her wonderful life in the Hollywood Hills and her time in Showbiz. She is also a talented artist and the photographs on her blog are a visual feast. She writes about her wonderful garden, about the Hills, about nature, her experiences in showbusiness, her friends and her life in general. Her posts are often full of insight and wisdom. She is a joy to visit and I am happy and honoured to call her a true blog friend.

Just a Mother of Two
PS is far more than a mother of two. She is a talented artist in India who often posts about her work which has a wonderful free style. Her writing is beautiful and often asks the reader to ponder things about life, living and the world that surrounds us. She has a way of seeing to the heart of things that is truly touching.

Melange
SRP is a talented photographer in Virginia in the US. I know that every time I visit her blog I will find something that will delight me in her pictures, and they are invariably accompanied by a verse which makes the reader pause for thought. She writes intelligently on a range of subjects including her feline companions and anything that appeals to her and is quite the poet herself.

Utenzi Blog
Utenzi is a scientific researcher in North Carolina. he writes intelligently and thoughfully about science but does so in a way that makes it accessible and enjoyable to read. His blog is a mixed bag though and he also writes about aspects of his life including photography and his cooking which always sounds and looks delicious. He also has one of the nicest looking headers to his blog.

In a Big Way
Katherine is from Virginia and her blog is inevitably a hoot. She blogs with vigour about things that have caught her eye and applies her sharp wit to it. The thing is, despite the ranting and the fun, she does make you think "What on earth are these people on?" This blog is a natural showcase for the living version of the Darwin Awards... and I mean that as a great compliment!

So, that is my five. To tell you the truth I would like to award a couple more blogs that are just as deserving but I am confident that it will not be long before they are awarded by someone else. I would like to give special mention though to CrazieQueen who is a dear friend of mine and one of the nicest bloggers you'll meet. She is currently raising money by participating in the 'Race for Life' in support of Cancer Research so drop by and support her. Meanwhile I'm still jumping for joy. No more essay and an award in time for my 100th post! Not too shabby! :0)


The participation rules of the award are simple:

1) If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think

2) Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3) Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Ticking...

Just like the clock in the crocodile from Peter Pan I can hear ticking as the deadline for my essay approaches. Once this is out of the way it's a quick breather and then down to studying for an exam towards the end of April. Deadlines are like buses it seems, there is always another coming along!

Another event is approaching also. This is my 99th post so I will try and post something special for my next one. Not sure what yet! Still, it won't be until after the essay deadline at the end of this week. I am hoping for good weather this weekend so that I can get out and about with my camera. It would be so nice to get out in the fresh air and just go somewhere. Kinda like a reward for my hard work.

Until this weekend then I am lying low. I may stop by and say hello to break the work up, but you know where I'll be...sat in front of my computer, listening to the ticking getting louder!

Update: Bob is asleep on the windowsill next to my desk and snoring, so I guess I'll be listening to that too!

Further Update: It's now Friday and deadline day. I still have quite a bit to do but am confident that I will deliver the goods. I will be so glad once this one is finished it has been a tough one for a number of reasons. Wish me luck and have a great Friday!

Doo doo do do doo...

See... this is what happens when you confine a person to her study with only a computer for company and a small black and white cat! She goes a little nuts and surfs the web and finds the clip below which makes her beam like an idiot because a) she's gone a little nuts and b) she remembers the clip from her childhood and remembers her and her brother driving their poor mother mad singing it non-stop for days. We always used to sit down together as a family and watch the Muppets when I was growing up and it always made us laugh. We all had our fave Muppet (mine was Animal) so who was yours?

Incidentally Bob the cat has been very little help with my essay writing. I have found him doing various 'helpful' things over the last few days including:

• Napping on my notes and refusing to move. Not even when I tried to pull them from under him. I even tried doing the table cloth trick and all I got was a cheesed off looking cat.
  
• Trying to help by walking across the keyboard and typing "xdfsfdcurtm". I looked it up and it is NOT a word, no matter what Bob says.
  
• Deciding to come and sleep in front of me so that I had to reach over him to type. I thus looked like some mad muppet pianist! Take it from me this is not a desirous look and it is not comfortable.
• Drinking from my glass of water when I left the study for two minutes. I came back to find him stood on the desk, lapping away. I walked into the study and exclaimed and he looked at me as if to say "What?". Honestly, I don't drink from his bowl!
  

Still, he usually comes and sits on the windowsill next to my desk when I am working and it is quite nice to have him there, where I can occasionally reach over and stroke him. Anyway, back to the books for me! Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon as my deadline is at the end of this week so I won't be around much in blogland until after then. Hope you enjoyed the clip! :-)

Zoom zoom zoom...

You Should Drive a DeLorean

You don't take yourself too seriously, and you prefer a fun, unusual car... like this Back to the Future gem!

What Sports Car Should You Drive?

I GOT MY CAR BACK!

Yay! I suddenly got a phone call saying my car was ready for delivery and could they bring it round immediately. It's sad I know, but I was so pleased to see my little red road racer, especially after the insurance company tried to write it off! All the locks are changed and they fitted a new immobiliser. What I don't quite get though is why they didn't use the hole left in the dashboard by the old immobilser rather than drilling a new hole? Nothing it seems is simple these days. In case you were wondering, I am the extremely proud owner of a Mazda MX5 or Miata as they are known in the US. I LOVE this car. It isn't the fastest on the road but it accelerates and corners well and with the top down on a sunny day it is pure fun! In celebration of getting my car back I took the little quiz above (hey, I know how to live!). I quite like the answer, it definitely sums me up, and 'Back to the Future' is a film I remember fondly.

Anyway, I am still up to my ears in study as work has been demanding lately too. It's gonna be a loooong weekend people. As before, I will drop by and visit when I can (after all a girl needs a break from the fun essay writing sometimes!). Thanks for all your good thoughts and please keep them coming, I'm not out of the woods yet and your kind comments put a smile on my face :-)

While I'm Busy...

Picture this:

A small study with natural light filtering through the blinds in the window. The light picks up particles in the air and makes them shimmer while a black and white cat sits on the window sill and regards the scene before him sardonically. Around the desk, books are piled up like a New York skyline. Some of them are face down and open marking an important page. Many pieces of paper with scribbled notes are scattered about the desk and around a laptop computer where fingers tappity tappity out something which hopefully makes sense. The only other noise is the occasional muttering coming from a blonde frazzled woman sitting in front of the laptop who is attached to the fingers. Her blonde hair is in a pony tail and she is wearing a black jumper and tracksuit bottoms with fluffy purple slippers. Tappity tap...delete delete delete...mutter...check notes...tappity tappity tap...

Yep, you guessed it, this is my worls at the moment! While I am engrossed in this ritual of study I thought you might enjoy watching the following clip. It's a 'Best of' of the penguins from the movie 'Madagascar'. I loved this film, it amused me alot. My favourite bit is when the penguins arrive in Antartica which had me laughing like a drain when I first saw it. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for stopping by! :-)

Inside the room of my soul... apparently

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are quite expressive and thoughtful. You see the world in a way that others are blind to. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is likely to be filled with great successes and accomplishments. You just need to figure out how to get there. For you, falling in love is all about the adventure and uncertainty. You can only fall in love with someone who keeps you guessing.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

I found this quick quiz on blog things as I didn't know what to post about. It is not a bad summation of aspects of me actually :-) A grounded dreamer - that's me! The questions were all about walking into a room and what was in it - symbols of aspects of the soul I suspect which is interesting. I am tempted to go back and play just to work out what the rest of the symbolism means. Alternatively how about sharing your insights with me if you take the quiz?

My insurance wrangle goes on. I have yet to sort out the house key side of things but I have been awarded some compensation from my car insurance (home and car are with the same company).

Meanwhile I am up to my ears in study. I have a 4000 word essay to get done by the end of the month on top of work etc. I am still in the throes of making notes after the thieves took my books, laptop and back-up memory stick. So... please understand if I don't visit you as much as I would like to. I will post when I can so do pop by as I would love to hear from you and need all the positive thoughts you can spare! I am panicking people - however the quiz says that my near future is filled with great accomplishments (phew), I just have to figure how to get there (darn). Surely a pop quiz can't be clairvoyant...can it???

Once the deadline has passed I can hopefully get a little back to normal (insurance pending) and hopefully get out and about again with my camera which I miss. Then I will have some pics to share at last :-)

Computer says no...

So... my insurance wrangle goes on! After phoning them this week only to be told that there was nothing on my claim and that a quote had not been received and the work had not been approved my patience finally ran out. After navigating the voice system and being transferred the conversation went something like this:

Me (polite): Hello. I was wondering if you could let me know how my claim is doing. You see, I would like my car back as soon as possible and it's been over a week already.
Them (In voice of Little Britian Character "Carol Beer"): There's nothing on your file. We haven't received a quote from the garage doing the repairs yet.
Me: I'm sorry but you have. I was told you received it last week.
Them: No...
Me: I was told by yourselves it would be £1400 after you tried to write my car off.
Them: No...
Me (exasperated somewhat): What do you mean no?
Them: There's nothing on the computer...
Me: I was told the claim had been authorised and the repair would go ahead.
Them: No...
Me: So can you tell me what is going on?
Them: There's nothing on the computer. We're wating for a quote.
Me (Sounding like John Cleese a la Dead Parrot Sketch by now): But I was told that was all taken care of! What happens now?
Them: We need a quote from the garage.
Me: OK. So can you chase that then please?
Them: Yes...
Me: OK. Can you let me know as soon as possible when you know?
Them: Yes....

I kid you not. This is practically verbatum. This conversation did not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling and sure enough after 3 hours I wasn't rung back. Again. This time I had had enough so I rang and made a formal complaint. They asked me to go through all my problems. I was on the phone for a looooong time!

It turns out that the computer crashed when I first registered my claim. As a result I had two claims running when someone tried to correct the problem and I only had one number. Why the company reps I talked to previously couldn't spot this is beyond me. I now have the actual claim number with the information attached to it! The upshot is that I got an apology and they are assessing my complaint for compensation. Fact is I would much rather they got things right in the first place! It has been hard work and stressful so I have earnt any compensation they pay me quite frankly. I am hoping it will at least cover my excess but I doubt it somehow.

I rang the garage myself by the way. Turns out I will have to wait three weeks for them to get the new locks for my car. They have to come from Japan. Surely it doesn't take three weeks??

For those of you who have never seen Little Britain, the following clip should illuminate who "Carol Beer" is. Ladies and gentlemen, it would appear that I took out that insurance policy!

What flavour are you?

You Are Vanilla Ice Cream

Your personality is anything but "vanilla" You're a risk taker, who's up for anything new. You go well with anyone and fit into any situation. You are most compatible with rocky road ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Not much news on my insurance saga front. Basically I haven't rung them. It's a kind of therapy i.e. if I have nothing to do with them then maybe my day will be less stressful! Still I need to ring them tomorrow to find out what is going on. Oh boy.

Anyhoo... I love ice-ceam so I was drawn to this fun bit of nonensense - a quiz that decides what flavour ice-cream you are. I was a bit disappointed when it told me I was vanilla. I like vanilla but my favourites are the rich chocolate, caramel, praline type ones. Oh, and it absolutely has to be the good stuff, not the cheap stuff with ice crystals in it. So vanilla seemed the safe and boring choice but apparently this is not so! The words actually fit me quite well, I can get along with just about anyone but obviously I like some 'flavours' better than others!

Anyway, this got me to thinking, I bet all of you are a different flavour - there is such a variety of folk out there in blog land. If you take the quiz, let me know. So which one of you is rocky road? :-)

My Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I found this fun widget on Kenju's blog. It basically asks you to choose a visual cue in the form of a picture to answer questions about subjects such as your favourite drink, your vice, what love means to you etc.

For each of the headings on the widget it gives you a description: My answers say that I am adventurous, which is true. I love to travel and explore and curiosity has gotten me into trouble as a kid. I like natural beauty. This is bang on as I love the natural tones and feel of things like wood and stone. I think it is very hard for man to improve on natures beauty. My taste is definitely cool and contemporary - you should see my home. Lots of cream and muted tones, classic, clean and modern. I do like things to have their place. M thinks I am like Monica off 'Friends', huh, but if I'm honest there is a similarity but I am no way that anal! The freedom aspect is also spot on. I chose this over the passport simply because a passport signifies exploration to me while there is nothing like an open road in a beautiful country to make you feel free is there?

As ever, it's not exactly hard science but as the answers come from me there is certainly truth in them, though I have never thought of myself as a 'junkie monkey'! What do you think? :-) If you want to have a go, it only takes a moment. Let me know if you do and I will come and take a look! :-)

The Cog

My insurance saga goes on. I am too stressed and angry to write about it though. It seems that between them, the insurers and the motor company contracted by them to change my locks cannot get anything right. I'm swimming in treacle folks. I will certainly be making a formal complaint and I will be looking for other quotes when the policy needs to be renewed.

Anyway, I need to get on with my studies as I have soooo much to get done so I thought I would leave you with a car advert. It is called 'The Cog' and was made for Honda. No computer graphics are involved and it took 606 shots to get it just right and quite some time to set it up. I think it is very clever and considering what is going on in my world at the moment, I just love the irony of the last line of the ad!

Still smiling

I am trying to put the horrible experience that has been this past week behind me. Today I had to chase my insurance company (again) as I had no courtesy car and they were meant to provide one. This is when they tell me that my car will be written off so I don't get a coutesy car. I look into it and the maths don't stack up so I get back in touch. They say that they will ring me back. I end up having to chase them again. They tell me that they have lost my claim (again). I say some bad words. They find my claim and go talk to the engineer when I tell them how much it should cost and how much my car is worth (I think the repair company are inflating the price somewhat). They call back and say the locks will be changed after all but now it is too late to get me a courtesy car today.

It is not all sorted yet but hell, life is too short, I am fed up with this saga and needed a smile. I thought you might like these male/female definitions that I was sent as well :0)

You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off, it takes a while to warm them up again. They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong buttons.
TYRES: Tyres are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.
HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their arse.
SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.
WEB PAGES: Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.
TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.
EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.
HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they've hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.
THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying!

I've still got my sense of humour folks!

I just want to scream!

My mum always said things were sent to try us... and they do! I am going to rant a bit about my experience over the last few days since my things were stolen as I need to get a few things off my chest. Kenju, suggested that I write about how I felt as if I was addressing the thieves but I do not want to poison my blog with that and inflict it on you. It would not be nice. I have been vociferous about things to those close to me though!

Trust me when I say that the actual theft has probably been the least stressful part of this whole sorry business. The clean up operation afterwards has been a nightmare.

Phoning everyone and their dog in order to tell them my cards had been stolen was bad enough. The conversation went something like this:

"Good day. Can I help you?"
"Yes hello. I would like to report my card as stolen and request a replacement please".
"Certainly. Can you tell me the number on the card please?"
"Um, no. It's been stolen".
"Oh!"

Honestly, I kid you not. Every. single. Time. At first I thought it was funny but I get fed up after the umpteenth time. If this wasn't bad enough, some company's thought it an ideal time to sell me extra services or products. On about preying on the vulnerable!

The insurance companies, as you can gather have been a hoot. My home insurance will not cover my things as they were not in my house. My friend's insurance will not cover them because they were not his. Of course they could not tell us this until after we had been given the third degree. I am pretty upset about this. (Yes, I know about personal possession insurance - it's a long story but my insurance got messed up during renewal it seems, as my ex-husband cancelled my insurance even though I was continuing it. No good crying over spilt milk). So, the upshot is that I have to wear the cost of replacing my things which adds up to several hundred pounds that I don't have [sigh].

Anyway, my car has literally just been picked up and taken to a garage. This was also a trial as the insurance company lost my claim details and nothing was being done until I rang today to see what was going on. Now, I have to wait apparently and see what will be done. I am not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about this people. Not at all. I am told photo's need to be taken and sent away, then the insurance company have to assess the claim, then things can be ordered and work can be done. I am to get a courtesy car but not for a day or so and then for a limited amount of time.

Luckily though, my replacement course books have arrived today which is great. Though I find the task of doing all that work again quite daunting. Also because the stinking thieves took my lap top I have had to change passwords on computer accounts and I keep forgetting the new ones. My pin numbers have changed on cards and I can't remember them either! I feel like a jelly head!

So...some sticky fingered waste of space thinks he can help himself to my belongings and somehow I end up with the cost in terms of money, time and inconvenience. They took my things but left me with a nightmare to deal with and plenty of stress. Honestly, I could scream...!

The police do not think they will catch who did it. I have been informed by a social worker I know that even if they were caught the chances are that they would be fined a fraction of the amount that they make from theft and would be free to re-offend. If it was an adolescent then they would get counselling or something similar. As the victim of crime, myself and my friend have been treated like we have done something wrong and it has cost us dearly in a number of ways. Is it me or do things seem wrong here?

Thank You!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of the lovely people who left supportive and kind comments for me in the last couple of days. I cannot tell you how much they were appreciated. I have been feeling pretty awful this last couple of days - I even turned down chocolate at one point - but your messages of support helped.

Soooo... since yesterday I have been doing battle with insurance companies. It's a long tale but the upshot is many long phone calls and many awful questions (making me feel like the criminal!) and they still feel the need to call back tomorrow to go through the details again so that they can consider my claim. So nothing certain on this front yet.

Anyhoo... they also said that someone would call me about my car locks (seeing as stinking thieves have my keys). This was approximately 10am. By 4.30pm I had heard nothing so I rang them back. Apparently they hadn't even processed my paperwork but they would prioritise it and get someone to call. Do these people actually understand the severity of this situation and the impact it has? Yeah, I know they aren't paid to care...but still... Twenty minutes later I had a confused chap on the phone talking to me about house locks. " But they are being taken care of" I explained, " But the insurance company just told me to ring you" he countered. Huge sigh, it appears that the vacant girl on the phone had mistaken "car" for "house"! Of course the phone lines were closed again when I tried to ring back which is totally in line with their policy of only having a crisis during normal working hours. Sheesh...

I did get more help from the Open University though. I should have more books by the end of the week to replace the ones stolen and they have extended my deadline, thank goodness. I still had many phone calls to make today about my drivers licence, various membership cards and my roadside assistance membership but that is all done now. So just the insurance, my house and car locks to sort out. Then I can start to replace the things stolen and get a new alarm fited to my car (which I will have to foot the bill for unfortunately).

By the way...it doesn't look like I will get anything back :-( and there is going to be about £400 of expenses that I will have to foot. At least. I would really love to confront the thieves and let them know how I feel. Anyway, thank you once again for the all your lovely comments. They really were a soothing antidote to this horrid experience which has left me quite worn out... I am getting there though people!

(picture found on the interweb!)

Aftermath

It's the day after now and I still feel awful. Someone less than reputable out there knows who I am, where I live and what I look like (from my driving licence) and I don't like it. I don't think it helped that I didn't sleep well and this morning I realised that those stinking thieves also have the keys to my beloved MX5 (Miata). Of course I can't lock it safely in the garage as they have the key to my garage also so I went out and bought one of those Disklok thingy's that go over the steering wheel. I hope that will be enough of a deterent if they fancy their chances.

The emergency locksmith came by last night at 10:45pm! Anyway, he changed one of the locks on the front door and one on the back but couldn't do the garage, or other two locks so they are hopefully being ordered for me. He also broke the handle on my back door and then tried to pretend that it was like that before. Er..excuse me I don't think so!

I just hope insurance will pick up the bill for all this! When I phoned them they were less than helpful. Apparently it is all my fault for having a crisis outside of normal office hours! What was I thinking people? Next time I should plan these things better! Apparently the emergency helpline does not have access to any information so ergo is not actually much help so needs renaming. I need to phone a grown up on Monday and then I will see...

My tutor, also, has been about as much help as a chocolate teapot. I finally got hold of him today only to be told that I should contact student services on Monday. He seemed oblivious to the fact that I had no books and needed them NOW! I have to start reading and making notes all over again and that deadline is not getting further away.

My cards are all cancelled, although the lady at the Card Protection place took the opportunity to try and sell me additional cover! I could scarce believe my ears! I have also bought new padlocks for my gates and fitted them so I can do no more util tomorrow. I have worked out that they got away with £800 of MY belongings. I will never be able to replace some of the things that had sentmental value or my MBA essay notes. Of course I would have a busy week at work ahead too wouldn't I? Do you ever get the impression that it never rains but it pours? I figure I am now due a huge karmic payout so I am off to buy a lottery ticket...

Stolen

I am pretty upset.

I couple of hours ago I had my hand bag and lap top stolen. It's not so much the value of things but the irreplaceable things that are priceless to me.The laptop can be replaced as can the credit cards etc. But there are some things I can't replace and the worst thing is that they have no value to the thieves that took it.

Photos. Luckily I had backed up most of my photos on the laptop but not all so I can never replace those. There were also personal files that I have lost including those for my MBA.

I had my MBA files backed up on a memory stick. Unfortunately today, my memory stick was in my hand bag so they are gone.

My mother bought me my handbag for Christmas. It had sentimental value and now it is probably discarded somewhere. There was also a key ring that had huge sentimental value. Yes, I know it's only a key ring but it was mine.

My housekeys were in my bag with my purse. My drivers licence was in my purse. I am now waiting for an emergency locksmith to come and change my locks otherwise I will be too worried to sleep. The insurance company have been bugger all help and not very re-assuring. I am extremely worried about identity theft.

Cash stolen is a pain. Cancelling credit cards is inconvenient but I'll get over it.

In my laptop bag were my MBA books. I have an essay to submit in two weeks and now all my notes, text books (with annotations) and work have gone. There are no extensions on this deadline but I have contacted my tutor anyway. Fingers crossed.

The police asked me if I would attend court if they caught the thieves. I said if they gave me the book I would chuck it at them personally.

I am trying to be positive. For example, I didn't have my camera with me so that is safe. I had my mobile phone on me and my current account card so that is a big plus. I wasn't hurt, thank goodness, and other than my identity, they are only things after all.

Update: The lock smith has been so my home is secure once more and that is a big worry off my mind!

The items were stolen from my partners place. They broke a window and took my things. The police think they were disturbed by us coming back because my things are all they took. I am very glad we didn't walk in on them and that we were all safe.

Three word meme

I was visiting some of my blog friends recently. As I went from blog to blog it struck me what a diverse bunch you are - kind of like a montage of experiences. I found cartoons and laughed with Kenju, I watched adverts with CrazieQueen, went on a bike trip with Sarch, read poetry with PS, went to the Oscars with OldOldLady of the Hills (Here in the Hills), enjoyed some lovely pics courtesy of SRP, laughed again with Katherine (In a Big Way), and packed boxes with Melody and all from my sofa. How wonderful. You can find all of these interesting and entertaining folk in my links to the left.

When I went to Mar of Maremagnum, I found this great little meme: The rules are simple. Answer each question in three words. No more, no less.

01. Where is your cell phone? In my bag
02. Boyfriend/girlfriend? One new partner
03. Hair? Long and blonde
04. Your mother? Bought me up
05. Your father? Alwasy worked hard
06. Your favorite item(s)? Camera, laptop, sword
07. Your dream last night? Left me disturbed
08. Your favorite drink? Very expensive champagne
09. Your dream guy/girl? Anticipates my needs!!! ;)
10. The room you are in? Is very messy
11. Your fear? Everything will end
12. What do you want to be in 10 years? Happy, healthy , wealthy
13. Who did you hang out with last night? Friend and partner
14. What are you not? Stupid, boring, rude
15. Are you in love? I must be! ;)
16. One of your wish list items? A million pounds
17. What time is it? Approximately lunch time
18. The last thing you did? Eat my lunch
19. What are you wearing? Clothes, jewellery, shoes
20. Your favourite book? Lots of favourites
21. The last thing you ate? A tasty panini
22. Your life? Is a rollercoaster
23. Your mood? Can be changeable
24. Your friends? Are always appreciated
25. What are you thinking about right now? Writing 4000 words...
26. Your car? Red road rocket!
27. What are you doing at this moment? Supplying short answers
28. Your summer? Yet to arrive
29. Your relationship status? Starting over again
30. What is on your TV screen? TV is off.
31. When is the last time you laughed? I laugh alot
32. Last time you cried? Not telling you
33. School? Still being educated!

If you fancy doing this one then let me know and I will come and take a squizz :0)

PS. I am having serious issues with Blogger atm. I have visitied many wonderful blogs recently and taken time and care to construct meaningful and witty comments only for word verification to not work so I haven't been able to post my comment. For some reason it is insisting that I use my crystal ball to guess the letters. I have tried putting random ones in but it just isn't in a sharing mood. Sorry, I'll drop by again when Blogger is feeling more co-operative.