Just for Sprezzatoura...
Jul. 15th, 2009 | 02:33 pm
mood:
amused

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Lavatory action
Jul. 10th, 2009 | 10:12 pm
And on other matters, this week's Torchwood was, frankly, outstanding... I might have to rethink my anti-RTD leanings.
Oh and hooooorah! It is a lovely lovely Friday night. I be happy :-)
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The C word... again
Jul. 8th, 2009 | 12:21 pm
mood:
hungry
For years I've stuck with a favoured recipe that makes wonderful, simple, alcoholic truffles. (I shared it here some time ago, for the good of mankind... http://the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com/1
But now I feel like branching out a little... I want to try some more sophisticated flavours and techniques. Subtle touches of chilli, nutmeg, cinnamon, herbs and essential oils. And even branch out more with the simple truffle flavours, like using Fra Angelico or bison vodka. And for yonks I have been meaning to make some mint thins, the ones with tiny fragments of cripsy mint pieces in them. Hell, I might even get my never-used chocolate moulds out and see if I can make some properly tempered, glossy 'shells' for my fillings.
If anyone has the faintest idea how to make salted caramels... tell me now!
And furthermore, if any of you lovely fiends fancy getting together sometime for a day of artisan chocolaterie, then let me know! (It is like teaching a man to fish - once you know how to make them, you will never want for good truffles ever again)
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Oh Hallowed Halls of Telly Goodness!
Jul. 6th, 2009 | 07:57 pm
mood:
happy
Uni C is back... tonight! 8pm, BBC2!
Hoorah! Mondays are once again complete.
:-)
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Saturday silliness
Jul. 4th, 2009 | 03:43 pm
mood:
amused

(I still haven't got over the fact that the ONLY money I have made from Amazon Associates in two years has been from someone who clicked on a book link on my art blog... and then went on to purchase the Cliff Richard 2009 calendar.)
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I can has customers?
Jun. 29th, 2009 | 12:41 am
mood:
tired
Good evening fiends, I hope you've all had lovely weekends.
I have been a busy bee and really ought to be in bed, but... (drum roll) I have just cut the ribbon on my shiny, virgin Etsy shop!
Do you wanna look? http://www.susief.com
So far I've listed a few flower corsages and some sterling silver stitch markers. I guess now I just have to suck it and see...
To any kindly f'listers out there, please don't feel the urge to buy something just to be nice. I'd hate for you to do it out of politeness and in fact I'd like to see what the genuine demand is like... or if it even exists. It could be a useful learning curve if nobody buys anything.
However, please feel free to spam others at will with my shop url :-p (assuming you know anyone who might be in need of posh knitterly tat!) The prices are in dollars but it's all using paypal so easy to pay in any currency.
So far it's not looking likely to be a very profitable enterprise... (once I subtract the cost of materials, it works out waaaay below the minimum wage). This is a regular lament of knitters, but I'm not complaining really... it is a truth universally acknowledged that a craftsperson in possession of high profit expectations must be in need of a psychotherapist.
For now, as long as it is fun and exciting that will do... and if it helps to contribute towards my filthy yarn habit then all the better!
I have heard on the grapevine that you need to keep listing new things, otherwise you drop way down in the search rankings, so I've held back quite a few items in order to list them gradually over the next few weeks. I may list a few more tomorrow night... and when it gets cold I plan to list my spiral cashmere scarf and a couple of neckwarmers.
Yeek! Fingers crossed!
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If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life...
Jun. 24th, 2009 | 06:08 pm
mood:
aggravated
So here is a silly poll for all of you deviants. This is about sexual attractions that are just plain wrong (you know you are guilty).
For example, on a few rare occasions I have found myself slightly fancying men with a big 'tache... especially if they are foreign and a bit Staliny (which somehow increases their ability to get away with it).
So now I want to know your dark secrets...
Poll #1420567
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
Which of the following wrong things have you ever found yourself secretly fancying? (tick all that apply)
A man with a big 'tache![]()
![]()
3 (30.0%)
Anyone with a mullet![]()
![]()
2 (20.0%)
Somebody orange![]()
![]()
2 (20.0%)
Someone who looks like your mum/dad![]()
![]()
0 (0.0%)
A man wearing winklepickers![]()
![]()
1 (10.0%)
Anyone with their bum crack/g-string on show![]()
![]()
2 (20.0%)
Anyone wearing a tracksuit![]()
![]()
4 (40.0%)
Someone young enough to be jail bait![]()
![]()
6 (60.0%)
Someone old enough to be your grandparent![]()
![]()
8 (80.0%)
Something non-human (please specify)![]()
![]()
3 (30.0%)
Something else (please specify)![]()
![]()
3 (30.0%)
Details please...
Which famous person(s) do you have the slight hots for even though you know you shouldn't?
What feature or attribute is enough to make you fancy someone against all reasonable odds?
What attribute of wrongness could you NEVER fancy, even on an otherwise perfect hottie?
Oh god, I've just remembered that I once found myself freakishly attracted to a man standing next to me in the supermarket who had a mullett AND was wearing a tracksuit. I can only assume I must have been on heat that day, cos really there can be no other reasonable explanation...
Mmmm, speaking of supermarkets, I am super hungry and need to go forage. Hope tomorrow is a less aggravating day...
* my new collective noun for colleages of unsavoury virtue (ref Steer's post... steer.livejournal.com/316556.html#cutid1)
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What is Starbuck's favourite cheese?
Jun. 22nd, 2009 | 11:09 am
mood:
impressed
Oh, but it's all over... last night G and I watched the big finale of Battlestar Galactica.
What can I say, except that it was reeeeeally reeeeeaalllly good? Like, reeeaaalllly. (I won't say any more than that cos this is a spoiler-free zone.)
So what the frak am I gonna watch now?
What can fill the chasm with telly goodness? Do tell...
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Studley Man Porn!
Jun. 20th, 2009 | 11:26 am
mood:
bouncy
Here's a little bit of Saturday fluff for you... courtesy of
Prizes for best captions...
( You know you want it... )
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Going to go postal...
Jun. 15th, 2009 | 04:21 pm
mood:
cranky
Today I spent hours doing some monotonous setup in one of our systems and he watched my screen the whole time.
When he's not doing that he is huffing and puffing and sighing as loudly as possible and trying to catch my eye.
I can tell it's not meant in a creepy way... he seems to have nothing to do and is wanting chats. But I have nothing to chat to him about and lots to do. Why can't he see that I am a grumpy misanthrope? It's not personal...
I have resorted to monosyllabic grunts and hiding behind headphones all day. But I can STILL hear him puffing away!
Make it stop...
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Sunday blues and Slytherin greens
Jun. 14th, 2009 | 10:43 pm
mood:
melancholy
I have had a lovely weekend but am suddenly feeling bluer than a twenty tonne vat of ultramarine... perhaps it's just Sunday night badness... I shall pull myself together.
Yesterday I had lots of fun and gave myself blisters doing a knitting themed treasure hunt around London. (More about that + pics here... http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/)
At the end of the treasure hunt I brought home the results of my team's competitive knitting... a truly monstrous scarf, assembled from three sections of mis-matched acrylic nastiness. It's verging on radioactive. While wondering what to do with this horror, it occurred to me that the green section, knitted by my friend Charlotte, is actually the colour of Slytherin House. So... if anybody on my F'list would like me to recycle this into a small Slytherin-themed item (such as a knitted Slytherin bookscarf)... then let me know.
In other news, a local group of yummy mummies in St Margarets have just annouced that they are opening a yarn shop in September.... just round the corner from my house. WIN! Perhaps I will give up IT and go work there...
Anyway you lot are too quiet, what's going on? Tell me your news, amuse me, show me things. I want stuff...
Oh and before I forget, must add a thank you to
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He just smiled and gave me a foie gras sandwich
Jun. 11th, 2009 | 05:50 pm
mood:
amused
Sadly they were not on mute, and gave themselves away by conducting all conversations as loudly as possible across the train carriage, in the not-yet-dented belief that the whole world finds them special and interesting.
The chief topic of this morning's conversation was disbelief that there are people in France who don't speak English...
"Ya, I know! Well... I usually just talk in, like, really basic English? Like... 'Me go out now' or 'Me buy this?' Y'know, to help them understand... "
Ah, long live Les Anglais!
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The Big Tissue
Jun. 9th, 2009 | 08:28 pm
mood:
thirsty
On a similarly lighthearted note, I have installed a stat counter on my new craft blog and was amused to see that its sole visitor yesterday morning had found it by typing "free interracial porn" into google. (He must have been v. disappointed...)
And finally, here is a question that bothers me... WHY is 'The Big Issue' so determinedly and relentlessly dull? I wonder who they are targeting... I confess I only buy it sporadically, but each time I do I am overwhelmed by the tedious, worthy mundanity of its content. Even the front covers are dull. It's like an anti-advert for finding out what's inside. If the main point of it is to sell lots of copies to make money for the homeless, why don't they just fill each issue with a month's worth of crytic crosswords and sudoku? (I reckon that would sell like hot cakes... to all of those commuters who wouldn't dream of buying the big issue in its current form.)
Pah! What do I know anyway...
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A secret message for FT Deadman
Jun. 5th, 2009 | 10:40 pm
mood:
melancholy
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Magical sock of wonders...
Jun. 4th, 2009 | 07:54 pm
mood:
relaxed
Hello fiends, how are you all doing on this fine, yet chilly, June evening?
So... um, do you wanna see my socks?
What? No? Oh come, on...
Tear yourselves away from voting for 5 mins and come look at my socks. You know you want to really. They're special magic socks... with yarn that does freakishly clever patterny things all by itself. And so soft! And plush on my feet...
Unfortunately I can hear
sara_lou's voice echoing in my ears from last time at Rosa's saying "why on earth would you want to make socks?" And, well, the answer is "nnnnnuugh-nnnnngh" (pronounced in the style of a teenager saying "I dunno" when asked anything at all by a parent.)
Oh, but I do love them though... pics here: http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/
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I have a new blog!
Jun. 3rd, 2009 | 10:28 pm
mood:
hopeful
http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/
My plan for now is to continue using LJ for general, all-round, personal blogging. Hopefully you won't notice much difference on that score. But I will be using the new blog from now on to post my more creative stuff, with some cross-posting on here when I want to share things with you.
Any suggestions welcome...
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Pics! (and a big bloggy dither-fest)
Jun. 2nd, 2009 | 05:46 pm
mood:
contemplative
Hello fiends, how are you doing? Longish time no post, n'est ce pas? (Sorry if I have failed to read or comment on any fab posts...)
Much to my dismay, I have returned from belle Paris and am back at horrid old work, which is a v. poor state of affairs. G remains in lovely Paris until 8th June, the lucky boy. But I shall stop moaning because I did have an utterly delightful little escape. I posted a few pics on FB and flickr (but they're both f'locked so here are a few for anyone who missed them...)
On other matters, I'm having a bit of a dither / rethink regarding my blogosphere presence. Any opinions would be v. welcome...
I'm debating whether to switch to Blogger for my creative posts (e.g. posts about knitting, art and other crafty things) and keep LJ just for private ramblings and other random ephemera.
From what I can see, Blogger is the leading home for 'special interest' blogs, with a strong creative/craft community and a nice, professional-looking sheen for arty blogs. LJ, on the other hand, seems to be geared up for real friendships, fun and idle banter... like a cross between a blog and facebook. (I'm not sure how many people in the outside world ever visit LJ blogs.)
I'm undecided though, for the following reasons:
- Creating things IS a huge part of my private life so why try to separate it from my personal blog?
- A lot of my posts are likely to be 'borderline' (could get messy deciding where to post things)
- It might make more sense to move the whole lot to Blogger rather than flit between places
- But if I moved I would miss all you lovely LJ'ers...
- Blogger is a grrr-inducing bastard when it comes to laying out image-heavy posts
- Is it possible to make LJ look more shiny and feature-rich like Blogger?
- Why not just post a link to my Blogger posts when I want to share something crafty with LJ friends?
- What exactly am I trying to achieve? (this links to some scary life questions that I strive to ignore)
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Writing frightening verse to a bucktoothed girl in luxembourg
May. 24th, 2009 | 11:50 am
mood:
creative
It's one of those miraculous bank holiday weekends where you feel positively guilty if you're not doing outdoor activities... I believe it's technically the LAW to expose one's sorry, pale, English skin tones to the sunshine. So... I guess I might pop out for a bit later, if I must. (I'd go for a bike ride if only my bike tyres had air.)
The thing is, right now I'm feeling very happy and peaceful all alone at home. Just me and the cat, my ever-faithful companion. We have all of the windows open and there is a soft breeze blowing over my embryonic new projects which are spread out around me. I'm all zingy with creative juices - I love it!
( What I am up to (knitting-related) )
So... enough about that. What are you all up to? Are you all being thoroughly al fresco and happy like good little weekenders?
I am pondering what to have for lunch. I have a tin of glorified cat food (mackerel fillets in tomato sauce)... what can I do to make them interesting?
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You've come a long way baby...
May. 21st, 2009 | 06:56 pm
mood:
amused
By a hairy chested man with sideburns...
Preferably wearing a polo neck jumper or a brown suit...
You know you want it.
And as for you men, lets just say you can thank me later when you're "surrounded by the lushness of her interior appointments"


(Images shamelessly thieved from this stock photography blog... http://www.crestock.com/)
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Feeling hot hot hot...
May. 18th, 2009 | 10:21 pm
mood:
silly
Dear fiends, a helpful point to remember...
When a Thai menu has a picture of 2 chillis next to something, what it means is that there will be two whole, seed-filled, red-hot chillis in your personal portion... whooo hooo hooo. That took some recovery. But all in all a delicious meal was just had by moi.
S'funny how Thai menus call salads "Yum".... (Have
sara_lou and
rosamicula been writing their menus?)
Gosh it's quiet on LJ this week, what are you all up to?
And on other matters, how long must I wait for a scenario in the workplace where someone says "do you know... XXX?" cos I really want a chance to say "Know? Of course I know! I am Doctor Fucking No!"
(Ok, back in my box....)
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Fake birthdays and nerdylicious nonsense
May. 17th, 2009 | 05:19 pm
mood:
geeky
Hello peeps, hope you are all having lovely Sundays.
I'm feeling less grumpy today... in fact it is G's fake birthday. (It's really tomorrow but nobody wants to do birthdays on a Monday). So he opened his pressies at lunchtime and is now playing with his new netbook and wireless headphones. I was rather miffed to have bought him The Wire Series 2 on DVD only to find that it is now being shown on flipping telly... grrr!
We had a good day yesterday.... met up briefly with
steer for some gallery mooching and drinks, and then went for a total yumfest at Zaika. (We chose their delicious 6-course tasting menus with wine and then had to roll ourselves back home like a pair of over-stuffed gout-ridden Victorian gents).
There's a fabulous room in the Tate Modern filled with Soviet propaganda posters (helpful snapshot here http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitfisch/3
Anyhoo, in the spirit of improved cheer, I thought I would post about something completely unrelated that has been making me smile of late. Namely, the ever-growing link that I am noticing between crafty people and all-round, shocking levels of geekery. What IS that about? There must be a reason for the seemingly endless profusion of uber-nerdy knitted fangirl items popping up on ravelry, not to mention the thriving websites dedicated purely to geeky crafts.
So I decided it was high time to share a choice selection of such fripperous nerdy nonsense here...
God bless the interwebs!
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Just because you wear a uniform, a smelly uniform...
May. 13th, 2009 | 09:52 pm
mood:
chipper
This evening, courtesy of my friend Madeline, I went to a talk at the National Gallery, by Picasso's granddaughter. It was about his love/hate relationship with the old masters but with a pleasing sprinkling of personal anecdotes. There were also several Picasso bods there (art slebs!) including Pablo's daughter who was sitting a few seats down from me.
What was NOT remotely pleasing was the rude and officious behaviour of the security guards on the door...
I've been invited to this memorial lecture for three years running, and the usual deal is that you mill around in the Sainsbury Wing drinking splish before presenting your ticket on the way into the lecture theatre. So having arranged to meet Madeline inside, I was surprised to be faced with two over-the-top security guards at the door. (What IS it with the uniform effect?)
My exchange went something like this...
Me: Hi, um... can I come in?
Guard: why do you want to come in?
Me: I'm here for the event
Guard: (raising a sceptical eyebrow) And what event would that be?
Me: The talk...
Guard: Have you got a ticket?
Me: Yes, but my friend has them, I was supposed to meet her inside
Guard: Well then you can't come in.
Me: But she's already in there...
Guard: Then she'll have to come out again won't she
And then they watched me standing outside in the rain for 15 minutes, failing to get through to Madeline and leaving voice mails.
Until finally - hoorah! Madeline came like a knight in armour and unleashed her special brand of scary fury on both security guards. It was total "Respect mah authoritah!" A pair of naughty schoolboys being scolded into submission. Tee hee. (I stood by gleefully going "yeah! What she said!) Uncouth as I am, it was all I could do not to mime wanking at them as I breezed past...
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Quelle Horreur!!
May. 12th, 2009 | 09:23 pm
mood:
shocked
My work has just announced the shock news that there is a "feasibilty study" underway to decide whether to relocate the people in my building from the main campus in South Kensington to some ex-BBC premises in Wood Lane.
Er.... can somebody please tell them no? Good grief, I don't want to go to skanky old White City every day... it's a soulless wasteland devoid of all things attractive and interesting. I belong in Kensington, darlings, land of museums, cafes, shops, big green parks and direct trains to where I live.
Somebody tell them...
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Despondency on the streets of Kensington
May. 11th, 2009 | 06:03 pm
mood:
disappointed
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General geekery (and scary facial developments)
May. 10th, 2009 | 12:33 pm
mood:
indescribable
First of all... aarrggghh!!! Please can someone recommend an anti-wrinkle treatment for around the eyes that actually works? Please? I seem to have woken up 20 years older than when I went to bed.
And double-arrggghh! How can it be that I have the worst spot ever on the same day as a dire need for anti-wrinkle cream? What kind of warped, evil deity would think that this is a reasonable thing to happen to people in their 30s?
Oh well, I shall distract myself by moving onto matters of general geekery...
Starting with something for knitting geeks and/or elephant fans...
I am pleased to announce that Elijah #2 is *finally* finished and all ready to be packaged up for
ms_siobhan's mum. He's virtually indistinguishable from Elijah #1 (except he has a slightly longer trunk and had to have various body parts ripped out and re-knitted from scratch, due to me not paying proper attention!)
( Pics here... )
Secondly, for yarn geeks (this is even more nerdy than knitting)...
Yesterday I mentioned that I had a new nostepinne... but no idea how to use it. Well thanks to the lovely interweb and the power of youtube, I have worked it out.
Finally, something for traditional geeks...
I want to make a comment about the Star Trek movie...
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A jumped up pantry boy (every home needs one)
May. 9th, 2009 | 10:09 am
mood:
cheerful
As for me, BE AFRAID. I have a nostepinne ...and I don't know how to use it.
( picture for the unafraid... )
Last night I had a tame evening in and watched a recording of 'Kirsty's Homemade Home'. Has anyone seen it? Kirsty was her usual, slightly-out-of-breath self (like a naughty head girl caught in the act of doing something lewd with a hockey stick.) The premise is that she's doing up a palatial, derelict house, where everything in the house will either be second hand or home made, and "spending as little money as possible". Except it took about twenty minutes for me to notice that what she actually does is drive around the countryside in an enormous 4x4, visiting a multitude of skilled crafts people and pretending to learn the craft for five minutes, before paying them to create lavish bespoke items for her house. Cheap, n'est ce pas? Still, I can't help liking her in the same way I like LLB.... am sorry I missed last week's episode cos it had knitting in it.
In other news, I'm delighted to have finally fed
Thanks to a stirling suggestion by
Moving on to next week... I am looking forward to Monday. Yes, I am feeling ok. It's because I'm off to see The Gruffalo at the Albert Hall (or in other words, lovely Morrissey, undisputed king of curmudgeons). I have never been to the Albert Hall before, and I am hoping that it might bring out the overblown lounge-room singer in him.
I suspect the Star Trek movie might feature in the week's plans somewhere too (I wonder if I will be able to get past seeing Sylar with silly ears every time I look at Spock?) From the magazine pics I've seen of the chap playing Kirk, he seems to have that soft-around-the-edges Shatner-ish look about him. According to most reviews I've read it is going to make Star Trek cool again...
EDIT: as it turns out, we went to see Trek this afternoon... and I liked it! I had no expectation, having never been a Trek fan, and most of the in-jokes went over my head. But despite all of that I thought it was jolly good fun and managed to forget about Sylar remarkably quickly. (In any case, I would probably go for Spock over Kirk...)
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So Macho
Apr. 29th, 2009 | 09:24 pm
mood:
distressed
This morning was bad enough when I had to do the bins (everyone knows bins are not women's work.)
And then this evening, just as I am settling down with a glass of splish for some sacred Apprentice-watching time, my downstairs neighbour appears and tells me that we are leaking into her flat... which means MOVING the ten tonne washing machine and finding torches and other impossible things like that. I had to enlist an emergency man to be heroic in my kitchen... the shame!
(Feministas, stop looking at me like that...)
After ten mins I rushed into the living room and pressed emegency record on T'Apprentice so I'm going to watch it an hour late and hide from the internet until it's over.
I suppose I'd better get used to doing man's work cos G seems to have become an international man of mystery and will be flouncing back to Paris for 3 weeks in late May. This means I will have to do all my own cooking... pah!
But then who knows... maybe I will become self-sufficient and start liking it?
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Minor shopping porn moment
Apr. 27th, 2009 | 08:27 pm
mood:
artistic
But they are quite expensive, so help me out people...
Poll #1390844 Temptation
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
Faced with such frivolous, frilly, un-credit-crunch-friendly, spatty temptation, what's a girl to do?
Buy them, fool!![]()
![]()
0 (0.0%)
No... buy the even nicer ones mentioned below*![]()
![]()
1 (11.1%)
Get knitting an original pair for yourself out of that obscene yarn mountain you call a 'stash'![]()
![]()
7 (77.8%)
er, what the frak are you on? They're hideous!![]()
![]()
1 (11.1%)
Something else...![]()
![]()
0 (0.0%)
Any superfluous suggestions welcome here...
* Potentially even nicer ones here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?lis
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Creme de la creme
Apr. 26th, 2009 | 01:36 pm
mood:
amused
"Ah, chrysanthemums. Such serviceable flowers"
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Would you like to marry me? And if you like you can buy the ring...
Apr. 19th, 2009 | 10:40 am
mood:
optimistic
Today I have a quick question about bodily function (apologies) but it is very profound and potentially useful. (If it works, I could sell it on the internet as a get-thin-quick secret for £9.99 a go).
Ok here we go... I think most people would agree that if you have a coffee or a cigarette first thing in the mornng, it kick-starts your metabolism pretty quickly and makes you want to go to the loo. Right?
The thing is, I find that I get the same effect when I start to smell the coffee being made... or even just *think* about the coffee i.e several minutes before I have had my first sip. I might have been up and about for ages, but it is the expectation of coffee that will suddenly make my metabolism do a little flip and wake up for the day.
So here's the plan. Theoretically... if I were to envisage imaginary coffees, cigarettes and amphetamines all day long, could I make my metabolism run a bit faster and therefore be thinner with no real physical effort required?
On a similar note, I believe that basic brain usage burns up some calories. After all, just staying alive burns up calories. BUT... does the brain use up more calories if you think harder? (Like, if I spent the day doing very hard cryptic crosswords or impossible maths, would that burn up more calories than if I loafed around reading Heat mag?)
You can see where I'm going with this. Suggestions welcome, especially from anyone who actually knows what they're on about.
