4 abreast.

Urgh! I know, it's Thursday and I haven't blogged yet. I know, it's bad, but I've had hell week for many reasons. But I guess that now gives me some stimulus for a well earned rant.

Okay, so the Bank Holiday weekend was great. My highlight being drinking cocktails with L and D for like 8 hours in the comfort of my own home and watching Beauty and the Beast whilst drunk, with the window open, spilling our beautiful harmonies all over Kentish Town. Ha. It was awesome! Though I'm not sure every one else in our block thought so. What I loved, was that L and D could also recite every line of dialogue and lyric of song, like myself and A. So I no longer felt like the only lunatic. Ha ha. good times.

Then Sunday was our first immersion into the Notting Hill Carnival. Thanks V for having us over. I needed the chicken legs. Great hang over preventing food! But I have to say, I was kinda disappointed with the whole carnival parade. It was barely organised chaos, from where I stood. The floats were few and far between and most of them just consisted of hugely overweight men with mahoosive speaker systems, looking particularly creepy or grumpy or drunk. it was very bizarre. And then I was expecting spectacular costumes and bright colours and a lot of live music, but again most if it was booming bass lines and dance beats and ripped t-shirts, revealing a whole host of flesh. thighs, chests, bums. Oh yeah, you get to see a lot. And you also got to see a lot of humping. The vast majority of them needed to get a room and get off the street. Young impressionable minds were wondering around. Ha ha. Am such a prude. I love how British I am sometimes! HA! Now if that was happening in a club or something, I'd be joining in probably, ha, but out on the street, in the daylight, at 2 in the afternoon. Just seems kinda......weird!

And another bug bear of mine, was that the general public could just walk around willy nilly, and thus ended up walking beside floats, behind them and in between them, so it became a procession of drunken, or partially drunken people walking in the street. If I wanted to see that, I'd go to Camden on a Friday night and it would probably have been more entertaining.

Oh, I feel I have been quite unforgiving towards Notting Hill, but I mean, that's not a Carnival to me. Does anyone remember the old Standish carnivals???? They were awesome! Although I'm still gutted because my brother got to be on a float with the Brigade when he was seven and they were pirates, and I wasn't old enough. So I wore my awesome pirate t-shirt and little yellow (pleated?) skirt and bandana, and walked alongside with my mum. And of course, the year that I joined Brigade was the year they stopped doing a float and soon after that it stopped completely. The injustice of it all. Maybe I have carnival hatred because of that? Who knows. But maybe I should stop ranting about that now........V might never invite me back again. Eek.

Then Monday I stayed in all day trying to organise and sort through book stuff. I wanted to get a submission out but man I have a lot of stuff. I was completely surrounded by a defensive moat of papers, files, print outs and pens. And I worked through a few things and reverted back to book one, because I need to get it out there again. I also need three months by myself with no distractions, no people, nothing. Just my head and my thoughts and space and time. But I can also dream and dreaming is what I do best.........

So, I was thinking I'd have a submission by Wednesday, completely forgetting that two of my children were leaving this week and I was about 8 months behind on paperwork. Needless to say, Tuesday night I was up till 2am, back up again at 6.30 to finish off. And Wednesday I was up till 12.30am and was up again at 7 to finish off, as well as using my dinner hour to complete a report. Argh!!!!!! So I have done piss all writing this week, unless you count developmental reports on my children and leaving cards. Bastards. Not my children, just timing and the World in general. Yes this week I'm officially pissed off at the World and pretty much everything and everyone in it. Argh! I think I may need to scream into a pillow at this point.

Anyhoo, my manager leaves today, which is another slap in my well slapped face. I really love my manager and I don't want her to go, but I've been in denial for six weeks since she gave her notice in and now I'm gonna have to accept it. Boo Hoo! Goodbye C. We love you! I bloody hate change! When will people realise that? When?

Oooooo, and another thing that's really got on my tits recently, is when people are walking towards you on the pavement and say there's three or four of them walking abreast, and none of them move, so you're either forced out in the road, or you have to plaster yourself against a wall and then they look at you all weird if you brush against them, or knock into them. I mean, was anyone taught manners after 1994? You fuckers! All you have to do is walk in single file, or at least drop down to two abreast. I think this rule should be in the bloody British citizenship test, cause it's a bloody good one. And because I'm nice and I have manners and consideration and respect for others, then I'm always the one in the road. Why should I be the one in the road. Argh! Again I want to scream into a pillow, but I must refrain as I need to get going and ready for work.

Now, on a more positive note, I am on the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy and Wow! That's all that needs to be said. Though it tends to depress me a little as I realise that my writing will never be that good, but ah well. It is amazing and if you haven't read, please read. It is boy friendly too!!! I promise!
Also, I am heading up north to see my parents and my wonderful friends and I can't wait. I think a bit of northern air and northern love will rejuvenate me and bring me back to slightly less annoyed Helen. Plus there'll be alcohol and it's cheap up north so that means........Vodka!!!!!!!!!! Whoop! Let's just hope my train actually turns up on time, otherwise I may be screaming into my book, in public and once and for all they might cart me off to the crazy house. Although, if they left me alone with my laptop and my book notes, then........that might not be such a bad thing. Ha.

Okay, loads to do and still in Pj's. I'd better skoot off.
Have freaky Friday's and fabulous weekends and I'll be back to rant as soon as I can.

Helen
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