Amateur Night

So it took me longer to finish than I anticipated but at least the ninth story is done...just one more story to go.

Christmas was great, too great, as I completely overdid it in the food and wine department and have had nasty stomach cramps ever since. This never used to happen when I was in my twenties. I could eat and drink my own body weight, have a sleep in, and then repeat. My body can't keep up but sadly my mind still thinks it can.

I'm feeling better today though, just in time for New Year's Eve. Am I the only one who is left a little cold by it? I think it was Hugh Hefner who said it was amateurs’ night, and by God that man knows a thing or two about having a good time. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) The entrance fee charged by every pub is insult enough, but the scrum of bodies is enough to turn this five-foot-nothing short-arse into a nervous wreck. It's like restaurants on Valentine's day - which come to think of it is amateur night for couples.

When I was in my twenties I wouldn't have thought twice of paying for the privilege of drinking in a furniture-less, sticky-floored, BO-humming pub on New Year's eve, and then limping home for ten miles in my heels in the freezing cold because no taxis could be had. Nope, my friends and I will be safely holed up in a pub ten minutes walk from our flat. Actually fifteen minutes with a stop at the local chippers. Ah, the wisdom of old age.

Merry Christmas

The presents are wrapped and under the tree. The Christmas food and wine is chilling in the fridge. Tomorrow The Ours and I will be packing it all into a suitcase to spend Christmas at poorly Paddington's house, but now we're reclining on the sofa and watching Elf.

Merry Christmas everyone, whatever you're up to!

Mush

I arrived home from work at half past five. I had a committee meeting (yep, I'm a control freak) at seven o'clock. I'll just do a few hundred words, I thought. It's better than nothing.

By a quarter to six I did a word count and was amazed. 1800 words rewritten! I am now only a few hundred words away from finishing my ninth story. (I didn't finish it as I'm still not 100% sure how it should end - a night's sleep should sort that out.) It's just the momentum of finishing a story - there's always a point where it all falls into place.

The meeting finished off my already mushy brain so I'm only good for watching tv. Hope you are all enjoying the festive season.

Relax

I shouted: "Fuck!" as my alarm clock winked 10:00.

The Ours reminded me that it was Saturday. I folded back into bed as the three day hangover hit.

On Wednesday my parents sent me flowers and champagne at work, an early birthday present. At home I arranged the flowers and drained the champagne bottle.

On Thursday The Ours took me to The Cellar restaurant for my birthday. With the delicious dinner came wine...

Last night was at my work Christmas party. I'll just stop there.

I don't think I'm going to finish my novel by the end of the year. I'm a little disappointed, but I had forgotten that December is such a crazy month. I'm happy with the amount of writing I'm doing when I get to it though, usually 800-1000 words a night, but that's not every night. When I was at home all I could think about was writing. Now there are so many things competing for my attention.

I'm writing this as I watch Saturday Kitchen from my bed. The Ours made me a breakfast roll and I'm sipping Barry's tea. It's the first day in ages where I haven't felt like I have a million things to do. I still have them in mind but I don't care. It was a topic of discussion last night; how we all feel guilty for spending a day doing nothing, even though sometimes it's necessary after a long week of work, Christmas shopping and the million other things on the never-ending to do list.

Therefore I wish all of you a day of relaxation and rest. Even if you're frantic, stop for five minutes and have a cup of tea/coffee/wine on me. You deserve it.

Homepages

I'm very chuffed today - a (very!) short story I wrote has been published in Homepages, the proceeds of which are going to a worthy charity. Here's what the organiser, editor, proofreader and all-round Superwoman Catherine Brodigan has to say about it:

Homepages is a unique collection of stories and photographs, the first of its kind in Ireland. The nation's best bloggers hold forth on the theme of "home", covering everything from pets and expat life to parenting and the Kellogg's Variety Pack. By turns hilarious, heartbreaking and thought-provoking, it promises a captivating read and showcases some of Ireland's best undiscovered writing talent. All proceeds from the sale of each book, compiled on an entirely voluntary basis, go directly to Focus Ireland, who provide services and support for people who are homeless across Ireland.

The book is now on sale for €14 via Lulu on a print-on-demand basis. You can order your copy here.

In other news I haven't been blogging because I'm trying to finish my novel by the end of the year - easier said than done, but I'm determined to get it done and dusted as soon as I can.