The one with the series of unfortunate events

We are cursed, if you’ve been following previous posts you know how much bad luck we’ve had over the past year, but this week’s been a bumper pack of punches in the face. We have no money, so we planned a budget holiday (it’s our first wedding anniversary, Raine’s been made to take time off work (she’s only taken about 5 days holiday all year), it’s her birthday, and we feel like we deserve some sort of break). It was to start with a local festival, a few friends and a lot of beer, followed by a camping roadtrip to Bristol (to see the Banksy exhibition), Brighton for our anniversary/Raine's birthday, and Newquay to surf. Sounds good...

Thursday I went to pick up Chris, and on the way back to Lancaster the car died – great start to a roadtrip. We managed to get it to a garage, where we were told that the starter motor had gone but, for a large amount of money we don't have, they could have it fixed by the next day. Chris and I unpacked all our stuff, and waited in Blackpool until I could take my dad’s car back to Lancaster.

My dad's car full of people and camping stuff we arrived at the festival on Friday morning, to find that it had been cancelled – apparently the site was waterlogged. We thought it was a joke, some man with a can of Strongbow and a rollie quite jollily told us it was cancelled, we didn’t believe him, but then a slightly more official man (he was scruffy, but he had a clipboard and no alcohol about his person) told us the same thing. We looked it up on the Internet, and it had indeed been cancelled. We talk to the man with the clipboard about a refund, apparently he “couldn’t think about giving us our money back” at that moment...cheers...

We decide to cut our losses, go out in Blackpool that night, and then head off on our roadtrip a couple of days early. We go out, have an ok night, but I slip on some rubbish in the road, I’m in pain, and the next morning it looks like I have an egg stuffed down my sock - add a sprained ankle to the list of unfortunate events.

I hobble about and help Raine pack up the car. We get in the car and we're off on the roadtrip - the car doesn’t start, again. We call the AA out, they say we have indeed got a new starter motor, but won't actually start the car. It’s Bank Holiday weekend, so no garages are open. Say goodbye to the Banksy exhibition because it finishes on Monday and we can only afford to camp in Bristol - so we need a car.

We retreat to Raine’s mum’s house firmly believing that we are cursed, but that we have to do *something* to stop ourselves jumping off Blackpool Tower. We start to investigate non-car reliant budget holiday options.

Now, here is the plan (and it’s quite good considering the time we took to come up with it, the lack of money, and the despair we were feeling). Tomorrow we take the coach to London – it’s absolutely amazing how cheap coaches are, yes they take *forever* to get anywhere, but they are cheaper than petrol and you can read while someone else does the driving (look at me looking on the bright side – eh!?!). We’re staying in a hostel that costs £30 a night for both of us, and that we’ve been to before, so we know it’s not flea infested. We’ve got free tickets to watch the Big Brother eviction tomorrow night – so, so, so sad, but free, and it will be entertaining. We get another coach to Brighton for the day on Wednesday, and hire some surf equipment, ankle permitting – it’s not Newquay, but it has surf, most of the time. Saturday we’re sitting in the Gods to watch an England friendly at Wembley – cheap because we will need binoculars to see the pitch (and we’re probably sat behind a pillar). Then there are the free museums and galleries, if I go ahead with some spray paint I can tell Raine that Banksy has been to those galleries...

The one with the swine flu

I’ve had swine flu for the best of two weeks. I’m slowly getting over the horrible thing. I’ve been so incredibly bored, and I blame daytime TV for my slow recovery. For the first couple of days I didn’t think it was too bad, just like a bad cold; it seemed so mild I thought it couldn’t be swine flu, just some virus I could shake off quickly, but it was just warming up - settling in to its new home. At my worst I’ve been ridiculously short of breath and tired, I had to take breath in the middle of even the shortest sentences, and even now I’m out of breath climbing a flight of stairs. I can understand why people are being made seriously ill by this thing, it’s nasty, and if you have breathing problems before you get this I think you’re going to be in trouble – once there’s a vaccine out, if you have underlying health problems, go and get it, asap. I’ll be glad to get over it, knowing that I can’t catch it again, especially considering the predictions that it might get worse come winter. Raine’s had a very mild version of it - because of her super-human immune system, she’s back at work and seems to be getting over it now.

I’ve not written a blog for ages, so I’ll add in some highlights of the past couple of months. We went to Rome at the end of June, for my 26th birthday. Very cool, very romantic, and very sunny:-) All in all: amazing! We were very impressed with how much we managed to pack into our two days there, I think we saw every major site – Vatican/Sistine Chapel, check; St Peter’s, check; the Pantheon, check; the Trevi Fountain, check; the Coliseum, check – you get the idea! Our pictures are up on Facebook, if you’re interested. It was amazing – all of it, I don’t think anywhere let me down. If I had to pick the highlight, though, St Peter’s was just awe inspiring – I was not prepared for the magnitude, and the splendour. We stayed in a wonderful hostel, right in the middle of Rome, it was reasonably priced and we got our own room – big bonus when it comes to hostels. On my birthday the hostel threw a pasta and wine party (for 2 Euros a person) on the hostel roof, the roof is several flights up, and it overlooks the whole of Rome – in short, it was an absolutely beautiful setting, and the food was excellent. There were big jugs of red wine, and it was really good wine – better than any house wine I’ve had in the UK. Generally the food in Rome was so good – we were on a budget, but it really didn’t matter, the cheap pasta and pizzas were so much better than anything I’ve ever had at an ‘Italian’ restaurant.

I got a temping job at Raine’s work. Unfortunately the flu has gotten in the way, and I don’t know if I’ll be going back – I have to wait for a temp space to come back up. I’m applying for other jobs at the moment, there are some I’m really enthusiastic about, but they’re very ambitious, so we’ll see.

Next month is a big month – Raine’s birthday, our wedding anniversary, and our fourth anniversary...actually it’s more of a big day, since they all fall on September 4th. Raine has a week off, we go to a local festival the weekend after next (it’s called Tommyfest, it’s a charity rock festival, and if you’re in the Blackpool/Lancaster area you should come and join our camp!). We’ll be camping there for three days. Then we’re planning to head off with our tent wherever we feel like heading to. I’m hoping we’ll get some surfing in. We’d both like to see the Banksy exhibition in Bristol – but the enormous queues are putting us off the idea.

Finally, on the weight loss front – I should hit the 2 stone lost mark very soon:-) At which point I’ll be half a stone away from my target weight. I’ve lost quite a lot while I’ve been ill, but I miss the gym – I’m a gym junkie...

Welcome Home

I’m excited about a few things this week.

First: I’ve lost a Stone:-D Little victories. It feels really good but I didn’t think the consequences through – my clothes are falling off of me, and my wedding ring is getting increasingly slack. Since I have at least another stone and a half to lose there’s no way I’m going to get away with keeping the clothes and the wedding ring. The ring will be lost – it’s already slipping down to my knuckle; I went into the shop we got the rings from, it can’t be shrunk but they still make the rings so I should be able to get a replacement. As for the clothes - at best I’ll look like a child waiting to grow into my clothes, at worst I’ll lose my trousers regularly - they’re already starting to make embarrassing bids for freedom.

Second: Nanci’s (Nanci Griffith) new album rocks. I’d strongly recommend it. Of course I’m probably the most biased person in the world when it comes to Nanci Griffith, but if it helps it’s been getting rave reviews from more evenly balanced music journalists and bloggers. For the Nanci educated it’s a real return to her folky routes, so much so that she bought the engineer from ‘Last of The True Believers’ in - she wanted it to have that album’s vibe (this is exciting, ‘Last of the True Believers’ is a masterpiece). She’s really got something going with this one, sound and writing wise. The sound is tight and organic – a small group of acoustic musicians just jamming, but really working together – they pull of some really lush stuff. Lyric wise I really like a new approach she seems to have taken, most of the songs are lyrically sparse, leading you to places but not taking you all the way. I’m only just listening to it second time through, but man it’s making me happy:-D

Third: we’re in the house! We got the keys yesterday. I had to wait six hours longer than Raine to get in there. I had my intensive Bible and Culture class, which goes on for five and a half hours. It was worth the wait, though. It’s such a great house. It’s really beautiful. Loads of character, the soul hasn’t been ripped out, leaving a homogenous shell that hopes to match every other house in the world. It’s creaky and colourful, old and new. We’re slowly moving ourselves in; we’re only using our car at the moment. We kind of like moving in slowly, it gives us time to unpack without feeling overloaded with boxes; it lets us think of what we really want to bring next. It’s a good process, we love the house so much, it’s somewhere we’re growing into and that’s growing around us, I think that’s going to be an ongoing process...I feel really positive here! We’re having a house warming a week on Saturday, it should be a lot of fun; I really hope the weather holds out because we’re planning a BBQ.

We’ve seen a few films lately. If, like us, you really want to go to the cinema but the only thing that seems passable is ‘Terminator: Salvation’, let me tell you – find something, anything, else to do. A truly, truly awful film. ‘Star Trek’ was better - it fulfilled its role as an action film. On the other hand, ‘Milk’ is a truly, truly excellent film – go see! We finally saw ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, it was ok, but I think it was way too long, and the short story’s a million times better, the film cuts the soul out of the short story.

Good News

Y’all know that I don’t really do moaning blogs – glass is half full and all that jazz...but this is a blog of pure good news.

We found a house, and it’s not just a house, it’s Raine and Em-ville...until Raine’s house is built this is the kind of house to which we aspire. It’s a really solid Victorian terrace, near the canal in Lancaster (so I can bike it to Uni once I’ve had a few more lessons – I’d rather not fall in the canal...), it’s tucked down a little back street, but it’s about 3 minutes walk from the City Centre. It’s owned by a Green Party candidate, and all the rooms are in funky earthy colours (non of this all white washing that everyone else is so fond of). There are two reception rooms, and one leads onto a lovely little kitchen - that’ll be our main living room. There’s a little courtyard garden, where we can have BBQs and grow herbs, the landlady’s made a mosaic mural at the bottom of the garden. Upstairs there are two double bedrooms, and a big bathroom, with an old fashioned bath, which she’s put a shelf around and decorated with shells, the room’s all tiled with blue mosaic tiles. In the winter we can snuggle in front of the log fire in the living room. We just can’t believe our luck!! Part of me’s thinking it’s all going to fall through... it’s just so perfect. Plus, in two years she’ll put it on the market (it was on the market, but she had no interest, so she’s decided to rent out), so if we love it as much then, and we’ve settled in Lancaster, we might be able to buy it!

I’ve lost 11lb now, and my ‘motivational pants’ go all the way up my legs and fasten...I think they might be too big by the time I finish. Let me explain ‘motivational pants’...I decided I wanted to get some funky cords or jeans that I didn’t fit into, but that would fit by the end of my diet. First day of searching I found some very cool (and cheap!) jeans in TK Maxx. At that point they went half way up my thighs (beautiful image...), I tried them on this weekend and I could get them up and fasten them. Now I’m not saying I wouldn’t have done myself an internal injury trying to sit down in them, but this is a major achievement. Inspired I went searching the house for some of my old clothes, and they fit perfectly.

Bank holiday rocked. We went with my dad to see Oleanna in Bolton – good stuff, I was really impressed (I’ve never read/seen any David Mamet before). The character progression between the first and second act was stunning. Sunday, Raine and I went to the beach, I had a bike riding lesson – I’m getting pretty good, at going in a straight, flat line - though I can turn gradual corners now-a-days. Raine built a sand crocodile (in the spirit of our famous Newquay sand speed boat, and World War I trench), who we named Cuddles, he may or may not have eaten annoying children and yappy dogs that day. We had our tea at West Coast, and then we listened to some of the early artists playing North-by-Northwest.

Now I’ve got the house to myself, so I’m going to play my guitar to try and get somewhere with a song I’ve been writing.

From Blackpool to Lancaster to Rome

We’re going to Rome:-D It’s all booked now. It’s so exciting! We’ve managed to get a private room in a little hotel right in the centre of the city. You have breakfast on the terrace, which overlooks the Colisseum, they have Spaghetti parties every other night, with Spaghetti and wine for 2 Euros - we can afford that! We went to see ‘Angels and Demons’ (in case you’re interested, it wasn’t good!) the other night, I was trying to figure out all the places I wanted to go out of it!

Watch out Lancaster – we’re coming back! It’s hard being in Blackpool – the commute is a killer for our time together, quality of life and money (petrol’s setting us back at least £250 a month). We’ve had a little talk and we think it makes sense for us to be back in Lancaster. We’ve started looking at properties there and we’ve been struck by our property hoodoo. We found a perfect flat, then we were told it was £200 to apply! We accept that letting agents rip you off, but I thought the £75 Blackpool ones charge was bad. We just don’t have £200 to give away (if you’re denied they keep the money, go figure if it’s in their interest to turn down the first few people who apply on a popular property!), I don’t appreciate being ripped off. Giving up on letting agents we got the local paper, and went to view a ‘spacious’ 1 bedroom cottage in the city centre. It all sounded good, until we got there – spacious!?! I cannot believe a building company would build something that small (and it was modern, not ye olde cottage), Raine said it was a duplex bedsit, and that about explains it – we have a friend who lives in a bedsit and he has at least as much floor space as that place had. The kitchen didn’t have room for a fridge, a freezer and a washing machine. So, if you know of anywhere to let in Lancaster let us know, we’d prefer to have our own place (but we’d share with the right people), two beds would be best but we’d definitely consider a spacious one bed.

It was my mum’s 50th birthday last weekend. We got her tickets to see a stage show of ‘Dinnerladies’ (the Victoria Wood comedy). We also threw her a party. Paul came up for it, I made a meal and then we all went into town – to Gay Pride (at my mother’s request!). She was desperate to buy us a rainbow flag; I compromised with a rainbow friendship bracelet. We managed to catch the end of a free show at ‘Funny Girls’ (a cabaret bar, with men dressed as women doing dancing acts). I’ve never wanted to go there, but the show was really good. It would make me think about going in the future. The dancers were really talented – it was amazing what they could do; but at the same time they didn’t take themselves too seriously, so it was funny.

In the evening we took Paul to Wah Wah’s for noodles. We’re all planning a surfing trip to Hawaii in 2013! Long distance planning, but it’s for his big birthday and we’re going to need plenty of time to get the cash together. We got some hassle on the tram back from Blackpool... from a guy wondering why gay Pride exists, and why the council closes off the streets for it. He was sure that most of the people there weren’t gay - they were just showing off. He really annoyed me, more than I should have let him. It made me wonder how many people were thinking the same sort of thing (or worse...I’ve heard my own family say worse), I wondered a majority of people were saying things like that – as we left the Pride enclosure you could hear people making horrible comments.

Despite an absolutely epic workload I’m managing to fit in gym sessions. I’ve lost 9lb now. I feel really good for it. I can tell my fitness levels are increasing massively, and I suspect I’ve lost a bit more than 9lb because I’m gaining quite a bit of muscle (and muscle weighs more than fat). My dad and I are going to Tai Chi every week... I didn’t think it would be so complicated to master. I’d like to do Bodycombat classes, too – it’s kind of like intense boxercise - it incorporates a load of martial arts in a non-contact workout... I’m going to see if I can drag Raine along to the Saturday morning class.

This weekend is Blackpool’s first North-by-Northwest festival! As someone who’s always wanted to go to South-by-Southwest I’m amused by the name, but I suspect the acts won’t compare! It’s a good concept, though – five venues around town will be putting on acts, and it’s just £2 to get into all the venues. It’s running over three days but we’ll probably just go on the Saturday. There’ll be a few of us, so if anyone else fancies tagging along, let me know. We’re going to the theatre in the afternoon (to see David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’), so we won’t be at the festival until the evening.

Rome baby

We’re probably going to Rome for my birthday:-D I’m so excited! We thought we would go away for my birthday, but figured it’d be in the tent, surfing in Wales or North Yorks. Then Raine suggested I look at the flights to and accommodation in Rome, I thought they’d be way out of our budget, but they’re not. I can get us flights and accommodation for under £200. Only thing stopping us is Raine’s work – she mightn’t be able to take my birthday off, and she really needs to if we’re going to be able to do it - otherwise we’d be in Rome for a day, which is obviously no good. I’m so excited, it’d be a dream come true. I’m going to eat pizza and pasta and ice cream and look at Roman things...

I’m losing weight, I’ve lost 4lb so far, I’m aiming for 2lb a week, so I should be where I want to be somewhere in August. I’m on a diet (calorie controlled, not a fad one – people ask me ‘what diet are you on’. Answer: the eat less diet - the one diet that works, and doesn’t kill you!) and I’m exercising. When I feel tempted not to go to the gym or to eat something calorific I use the Chandler (‘Friends’ geek joke) mantra, “I’m a strong, beautiful woman”...I use it a lot.

Blackpool sports facilities are brilliant! I can’t believe what I get for my money (swimming, gym and classes). My dad and I are going to Tai Chi together on Thursday. That’s my first class, once I get tired of exercising on my own I’ll sign up for some others. Going to the Gym is very entertaining. It’s mostly full of older people, and the women are hysterical. Both gyms are being fitted with new equipment, and people aren’t amused. The stuff is really good, but I don’t think they like change, and they seem to like whinging a lot. One woman told her friend, “I’ve been coming here for four years and I haven’t lost any weight.” I imagine they reward their workout with a McDonalds. Another woman got on the exercise bike next to me, stayed on it for what couldn’t have been more than a minute and complained that “it can’t be right – it says I’ve only burned 7 calories.” I strongly suspect it was right. The general consensus seems to be that being in the gym building alone should burn a few hundred calories, and if it doesn’t there is something wrong with the gym.

I’m getting very interested in food groups (I’m so cool;-)), and making our diet even healthier. I’ve always tried to get my 5+ of fruit and veg a day, but now I’m also trying to swap foods for wholegrain alternatives (they’re all really tasty, so far) and integrate more beans and pulses. All but one of my tablets makes me very hungry (it was when I went on this mix of drugs that I put on weight), so it’s really important that I find foods that keep my energy levels up and hunger to a minimum. We’ve been having a lot more vegetarian food. Everyone knows how much I *love* cooking, so it’s not something I’m giving up while I’m dieting, I’m just finding new meals (although most of our meals aren’t too calorific, I’m just tweaking the recipes a bit, or having fun finding new dishes).

Luck sprites

Things are quite good at the moment (crazy and busy, but good). My theory – the god/angel/sprite in charge of our luck was off sick or on holiday...just before they left our bad luck gauge was set on high, whoever took over forgot us (and maybe some other poor sods who were looked after in the same area). A couple of weeks ago the god/angel/sprite came back, looked at our lives/my last journal entry, and went, “oh shit.” The day I wrote the last entry, things were still pretty crappy – more slaps in the face... but slowly things have been improving - we’ve had some really good pieces of luck. We’re definitely not taking things for granted, but if our luck gauge can just be set to evens, that’d be good!

You’ll all be glad to know that we’ve not got Swine Flu, and we survived the great Earth Quake of 2009... 10 seconds or so of movement in North West England, that registered at 3.7 on the Richter Scale – big stuff...for us. It moved the Reading Room (in the library) pretty substantially, which is saying something – it’s a massive structure. I’ve never felt an earth tremor before. It was very strange, the room’s for silent work, so we all just looked around, not saying anything. I figured it may well be an earth tremor, since I couldn’t think what else would move something that big, but no one was talking, and we all went back to work – very British. Turns out it was a tremor, the centre of the quake was in the Lake District...My Supervisor thinks the gods were unhappy with the Kadampa Buddhists, since the centre of the Quake was under Ulverston – the home of the Kadampa mothership.

We tried to have a BBQ at the weekend. It was all going well - we had a few friends over, the sun was shining, the beach was nearly empty...then we heard cries for ‘Help’... Raine and I ran over, an 80 year old women had been taken off her feet by a Labrador (I’m so pissed off with the dog people, it went after Joyce’s walking stick because it thought it was something to play with... Yeah - great reason an 80 year old to end up with broken bones – they really didn’t seem to think they were at fault, the dog people). We tried to get her up, but she was screaming in agony. We called an ambulance, and they had to put her on a Spinal Board and carry her to the ambulance. She was terrified, and in immense pain. I told Raine she should go to the hospital with her – Raine’d been drinking, I hadn’t, so I could follow her up in the car. Raine stayed with her in A&E until I managed to get hold of her son. Joyce – the injured lady is a really fascinating woman. Turns out she’s a retired Methodist Minister, she prayed for us all as Raine was leaving. Her friend called us to let us know she’s doing ok (she had half her hip replaced on Sunday night), and we were told she’d like us to visit. I have to say, I would have liked not to go near the hospital again for a very long time (I went there at least once a day when my dad was in), but we went along to visit her, and it was good – she’s a brilliant woman. She was in really good spirits.

I joined the gym – well, Blackpool Council’s fitness scheme. You pay a surprisingly small monthly fee, and you can use any of the Council’s facilities, all inclusive, and attend any classes. There are 80 classes to choose from, two fitness suites, and two 25m pools. The fitness suites have just been done up, and they have the most state of the art equipment imaginable – they know who you are, and warm you up and down, and so much more. I’m on a diet too, and I’m packing in my 5+ a day. Feeling good for it all - trying to chart my moods, as well as weight and everything.

A lesson in life as lemons

Lately Raine and I have been so used to shit happening we’ve referred to bad events of the day as ‘a punch in the face.’ At its peak there was at least ‘one punch in the face’ everyday, and when something bad happened we would sign and ask, ‘is that our punch in the face for the day (meaning, ‘can we get on without injury now’)?’. I strongly believe that people are more involved in determining their luck than random situations are – it’s outlook, and I’m a firm advocate of the ‘if life gives you lemons...’ school of thought. Thankfully Raine is too, so while we recognised that lady luck wasn’t exactly smiling down on us, we tried to find a silver lining (I will use every fortune metaphor possible in this blog). Not easy when fraud appears on your bank account, your dad’s had a stroke, you don’t have a home of your own, family members are losing it and dragging you down with them, University is breathing down your neck, your manic depression decides it’s time to say hello...just a few examples.

I think it’s testament to our strength (Raine says that together we are much greater than the sum of our parts, and I think she’s right) that we’ve ridden through everything. We’ve mostly laughed (slightly hysterically at times) at our fortune. Then, every time something good presents itself we’ve held it aloft and celebrated it as if England had won the World Cup.

So, those good things...well I’m not going to get pregnant. My doctor put me on the Pill, so ’the clothes I’m wearing from now on are going to take up a little less yardage.’ You can’t be too careful. Ah, it’s going to take me a while to tire of this joke...but seriously, as I said earlier, my manic depression reared its head. I’ve been watching my moods really closely since I started feeling my grip on sanity loosening, and it seemed it was largely connected to my monthly cycle, so I’ve been put on the pill. It seems to be helping, too...and such a relief knowing we won’t be hearing the pitter patter of little feet;-)

My dad’s doing great, and I mean great! When he goes out he doesn’t even take a stick anymore, and yesterday he was given the ok to drive. He just needs to have an eye test, and inform the insurance company, then he’s off - driving. This was such a distant hope when the Stroke first struck. He’s writing again (he already has one post-Stroke play under his belt, and it’s a good one!), cooking his own meals...everything. He really is an inspiration – I think he needs to give talks to people who’ve had Strokes. I think back to that first moment, when I saw him in the hospital – he couldn’t swallow or sit up straight, he couldn’t see properly, he couldn’t talk normally (he’d lost some use of his vocal chords so he sounded croaky) he didn’t walk for over a week and then only supervised for short distances with a frame. It’s less than two months later and look at him – it’s amazing.

My dad’s really inspired me, his will to survive and conquer. I’ve cleaned up my life (I’ve largely quit drinking (though this was for a number of reasons, which I might go into in a another entry)), and taken a look at what’s important, and who I am.

Yesterday we left for Newquay (we’re in a ‘Day’s Inn’ motel near Bristol (I’m up insanely early and Raine’s sleeping)), and I feel nervous. I keep likening my feelings to parents who leave their babies for the first time. This is unfair to my dad – obviously I don’t think of him as a baby (these are important distinctions to make when you’re talking about someone who’s had a Stroke – so many people talk down to Stroke victims, as if they’re slightly simple now) – but I’m scared of what might happen while I’m away. This is irrational, and I know he’s going to be fine, but...I will be ringing everyday. Driving here yesterday evening I asked at one point if it was too soon to ring, the answer was yes – we’d been gone an hour and a half! Newquay is going to be good, though – kicking back in our old home, surfing and chilling.

We got our first ever Ipod yesterday – it’s very pretty, in midnight blue, with 1560 songs on. The deposit came back from our old house, and so I treated us in time for the epic Newquay drive. It came with a free speaker-docking station, so it’s pretty funky – it seems to have taken a while for MP3’s to translate into communal listening. In some ways being poor is good (and I recognise that my definition of being poor is relative!) – it makes you appreciate little things so much. Now the weather’s nice Raine and I have a hat, filled with slips of paper, each one is a different, ‘fun free thing to do’...most things in there are brilliant –a game of Frisbee on the beach, a bike ride at sunset...

Well, that’s all for now. Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have a wonderful sun-filled break. I’ll probably update while in Newquay, maybe in picture journal form.

Travels

Flat hunting remains without hope. I looked at a shoe box on Monday - the room we have at Raine's mum's house is bigger than the three rooms of that flat. Saturday we looked at somewhere we'd have loved...had it not had the worse damp we'd ever seen. Our last house had damp, but that flat rivaled a swimming pool. We're thinking we're going to abandon the hunt until we're back from Newquay. We go there for a week next Wednesday (the 8th).

It's good being back by the sea. I'm a water baby at heart. We go for walks at sun down, listening to the waves lapping up, and a few days ago we managed to capture the beauty:



Sunday was a glorious day. We purchased a super cool frisbee, and spent the afternoon on the beach with friends. The frisbee is actually a hi-tech flying disk. Aparently someone won a world record with one - they threw it a quarter of a mile. It does fly like nothing else, but we're not planning to run after it for a quarter of a mile. At sun down we came up with the idea frisbee golf/hoopla - you have to get the frisbee around the golf post:



Once the sun went down we hoopla-ed ourselves some drinks:




The surfboard is now here. The roadtrip to collect rocked. T'was a sunny weekend:



Made it to the hotel in good time. We scored ourselves a recession bargain - Days Inn are selling their rooms for £25 a night.



Set off early to get to London, and had much fun figuring out the roofrack. It actually wasn't too hard, but it was stressful - worrying if we'd done it right, or if the board was going to take flight on the motorway. Thankfully we had it right:



We stopped by Milton Keynes and had noodles with Paul. Now she's sat at home, waiting for some waves, and isn't she beautiful:



My dad's doing really well. I spend time with him everyday. Unless it's long distances he can walk everywhere now. We all went to see Gran Torino last night - really great film!

Travels

It’s my dad’s birthday today. We’re taking him out tonight, to West Coast for a meal. He’s doing really, really well. His voice is back to normal now, and his walking is really coming on. He can walk a fair distance with just a stick for support. He could walk a long way if it wasn’t for his eyes – if there’s a lot going on around him he gets dizzy. I think it’s just a matter of practice, though – he needs to re-learn to cope with activity around him.

We’re still living with Raine’s family. I’m exhausted and can’t bring myself to look at flats at the moment. There are a few possibilities, but I need a break from house hunting. The thought of having to handle another move is overwhelming...and the idea of dealing with another estate agent/looking at another shit tip makes me want to cry!

We got the surfboard, and it’s mighty fine! Can’t wait to get out on the waves with it. Just need a wetsuit now. The roadtrip was great – the weather was amazing... it was indistinguishable from a beautiful summers day. We were hoping the weather would hold, and we’d get to have a beach BBQ on Sunday. Of course the weather didn’t hold... as soon as we said ‘BBQ’ clouds came racing over, carried by gale force wind. I’ve concluded that the ‘b word’ is how we’ve cursed the last two summers... and, come to think of it, our wedding reception!

We’re off to Newquay in two weeks. Where we will definitely not be having any beach BBQs;-) We’re having two days of surfing lessons, and after that we’ll probably take ourselves into the water, unsupervised. It is impossible to overestimate the extent to which I’m looking forward to Newquay. I love it there; it is, without a doubt, the coolest place in the UK.

At the moment I have an urge to run away – I want to up sticks and set up in someplace new, like we did in Newquay. I’ve not wanted to up sticks and leave for a long while...I always want to go on short trips, but I’ve not wanted to leave indefinitely since we got settled in Lancaster. I think it’s because I’m essentially homeless. My feet are starting to touch the ground, after all the rapid upheaval, and I’m finding there’s no stability. I don’t know where I’m going to be living in a few months, I don’t know if I’ll get funding for a PhD, I don’t know what the long term situation with my dad’s going to be...

I received an offer of a PhD place in Lancaster at the start of the week. Now I just need the funding to go with it! Lancaster is crazy, and even though it’s now up to the individual institutions to allocate funding they don’t tell applicants until July. There’s a job at the University that would be ideal, it’s at the Students’ Union (where I worked for over a year, and won an award: Student Employee of the Year), but it’s full time. I would study alongside the position, obviously, but it would mean a very full on schedule. If I have to get a job it’s ideal, though, and I know if I leave it until July, and I don’t get funding, I’m going to have to settle for something awful.

Surfing into the Middle Classes

I’ve bought a surfboard. I got it from Ebay, and it’s a bit of a steal. Only catch – I have to pick it up from London. That’s not a big catch, though – it means ROADTRIP! Raine and I are going to go down on Saturday, and we’re going to stop by in Milton Keynes to stock up on American food (they have a very cool US food shop) and have dinner with Paul. We’re hoping to bag another bargain in time for our trip to Newquay, in four weeks. A lot of boards are in the direction of Newquay, so hopefully we can buy something and pick it up on the way down.

To fund the surfboard purchase I have two guitars for sale – a Yamaha Pacifica with a Marshall Amp and a Tanglewood Odyssey. I don’t use either anymore (I just play acoustic, and I have my Martin), so it makes sense to sell. I took them to a local music store, which a sign in the window asking for used instruments...they tried to rip me off. I have five days left on the two items and people are already bidding more than I was offered by the shop.

Things are ok on the home front. I’m with my dad now – we’re waiting for a nurse to visit. He has a bad back, which may or may not be linked to the stroke – we have to ask the Physiotherapist this afternoon. If he didn’t have back pain he’d be great, he’s getting about well, and going up and down the stairs pretty freely. When he got out of hospital the Physiotherapists were really unsure about how he’d handle stairs, but he’s great with them. His eyes are much better, too – he can read normally, except when he’s tired. All in all it’s looking good, but obviously there’s still a long way to go.

I’ve been getting back into my Uni work. Got an essay back last week, and got a really good mark, which was a real relief – it was my first MA essay, so I didn’t know what level I was working at until I got it back. I have some ideas for my Dissertation, and latest essay. It’s great getting back into work – I’ve really missed it. I wrote a proposal for a conference paper and sent it in yesterday, I have next to no chance of being invited! My supervisor suggested it, but it’s with some really big names in Chicago (all expenses paid) – it’s out of my league. Despite being down on myself, and having next to no time on my hands, I put together a proposal – no harm in being rejected, and it’s all good experience. There’s a more reasonable conference I’m going to submit to in a few days, it’s in Cardiff next month.

We still haven’t found a flat...yesterday I looked around a place that was clearly a drugs den! However, we have a glimmer of hope... I took Raine on a magical mystery tour on Sunday. Everyone’s been telling us how great Lytham is these days, so I packed her in the car and took her. I have to say Lytham is pretty nice – especially in this glorious weather (don’t forget – this is the best weather we’ll get all year, so make the most of it!). Lots of book shops, funky restaurants, non-scary pubs (Blackpool’s full of scary pubs)...I have to accept that I’m now middle class, because I want to live in Lytham...

Whilst in Lytham we saw a sign in a shop about an available flat, so we went in and asked about it. We were taken up stairs and shown a *massive* apartment. It was 100% us – had lots of character, it was just perfect – wooden stairs up to the front door, an enormous kitchen, little hide-y holes. Trouble is it cost too much - we’d need a flatmate... which isn’t ideal. However, we’ve decided to look at other places in that direction, and there are lots of options. It seems like Lytham and St Annes are the places the normal people, who want decent flats, live! It’s even cheaper than Blackpool – that makes no sense (for those of you who don’t know the area, Lytham and St Annes are *posh* - really posh)... I think it’s because most of the flats in Blackpool are looking for people on Housing Benefits, and they just set the price at the top end of Housing Benefits.

My legal highs arrived. We’ve tried one lot – ‘Skunk...a new brand of weed’, and it’s pretty good. Got a nice chilling effect, and keeps your head feeling good the day after. The other one’s a bit stronger, so we’re working up to trying that!

The high life

We took my dad to Leeds last night. He had two short plays being produced by a professional theatre company. Getting him out of the hospital was such a performance. Not the physical removal, but the bureaucracy surrounding it. It took consultations with several doctors, physiotherapists, nurses... He was going to be let out – to go home – on Friday, but that didn’t happen (he should be coming home on Tuesday now). When that plan fell through it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to go to Leeds, but, eventually, they agreed to allow him to leave for the evening, and then come back. The idea of leaving has done him good, his voice has improved a lot over the last few days, and he's been really bright.

The trip wasn't too complicated, we had a wheelchair ready, and he can step in and out of the wheelchair. We had to take so much equipment, to make sure we had everything we'd need – a wheelchair, his walking frame, and a crutch. In the end I don’t think we needed more than the wheelchair. We don’t have a disabled badge at the moment, so we had to drive around Leeds several times, to find the place, and then find an appropriate parking space. I think there’s going to be a steep learning curve when he gets out. There are things you just don’t think about, re. access, when you can walk about freely.

Once we got there the show was really good. There were ten short plays being performed, all of which had been written by aspiring writers, and had faced competition for a place. It was a nice concept - you never got bored, because each play only lasted between 5 and 10 minutes, so you knew there's be a new idea along if one was weak (though most of them were very good). At the end the audience could comment on the plays, and my dad’s got (by far) the most positive feedback (and he was the only writer who'd had two plays accepted). One of my dad's plays had made a woman in the audience cry (it was meant to be sad, so this is a good thing!).

The drive back from Leeds was insane. It was like driving through a minor hurricane, and the rain wasn’t like rain, it was as if buckets of water were being thrown on the windscreen. I was driving across the moors, and it was so scary – the car was just being tossed around, like the wind’s plaything. I think every muscle in my body was tensed. We were in my dad’s car - because it was easier to fit all the stuff he needed in there - so I was the only person who could drive. My dad’s car has power steering, which is nice usually, but in that weather it made me feel less in control – I couldn’t react to the force of the wind as I normally would.

Raine and I have completely moved out of our house in Galgate. We’ve had to move all of our stuff in Raine’s mum’s house, because we just can’t find a flat – everywhere we see is awful. I can’t believe that anyone would live in most of the places we’ve seen. We’re not that picky – seriously. It’s just the places we’re seeing are dire, overpriced, or in seriously dodgy areas. We’ve seen flats that used to be/should be corridors (landlords have just converted all space they’ve got to extort money); one that was across the road from ‘massage’ parlours; and another where you feed £1 coins into a meter to get electricity...

I’m awaiting some legal highs, to try and smoke away my sorrows. They’ll billed as ‘better than weed’, we’ll see. I hope they are - I'm not very good at being a criminal, and I need a giggle! I also want to go on a really good night out, so if anyone’s up for it please let us know! We’ve tried going out the last couple of weekends, but it’s just been a bit of a let-down – no one seems to be out. It’s really quiet on the Blackpool night scene (at least the places we go), in general, at the moment... I think the Banks of Mum and Dad have stopped providing credit for the little uns, and all of us oldies are too exhausted.

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation

Raine and I are moving back to Blackpool (so we can help my parents). Things are crazy at the moment. We need to be out of our house (in Galgate) by Friday, and we don’t have a place to live in Blackpool yet. We moved most of our stuff out of the house, and into Raine’s mum’s house, yesterday. Gordon’s son has a big van, but we could only use it at the weekend, so we had no choice but to move the stuff out yesterday – it would have been impossible without a van. Of course this means we have to move all our stuff again when we find a place!

We had found the perfect flat, but it went before we could sign up for it. Only I had seen it, so we were going to wait for Raine to see it on Saturday... someone signed up before that second viewing, though. It’s taught us a lesson, but a harsh one – it’ll mean if I see somewhere I think is perfect, while Raine’s at work, I need to commit us to it then and there. While Raine and I have very similar tastes, it’s a big responsibility.

We’ve seen so many places this weekend my head’s spinning. Nothing is quite right, though. Anything that would be good is too expensive, and everything else is either too small, or in a dodgy area. We’re not particularly picky, but it’s such a big change for us we want somewhere we can be happy. We have two places to look at tomorrow which I’m very hopeful about. They’re both near my parents, pretty big, and well within our budget. One of them includes gas and electricity with the rent, and the rent is still cheaper than most places we’ve looked at. It’s also really big, and on the ground floor with a disabled shower – which would be great for my dad (my parents only have a toilet downstairs, so if he couldn’t manage stairs for a while he could come round to our place for a shower!). It sounds perfect, but you can’t help but think with all these boxes ticked there must be something wrong with it! Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.

My dad’s doing well – I visit him every day, and I’m constantly impressed by how happy he’s keeping. He’s still in the hospital...in fact he’s still in the same bed... but they seem to have stabilised his blood sugar and blood pressure. He’s still not allowed to walk without supervision, but he’s progressing, and his spirits are high. I get a little annoyed, because the hospital seem so short staffed; he hardly gets any physiotherapy time each day (and none at all over the weekend). He’s meant to be seeing someone about his eyes, but that hasn’t happened yet. I guess it’s because of NHS funding... it really gets me down. We know so many people who are using the State – they can’t be bothered to get a job (and they’ve told us as much), and just claim benefits... I just think, if only the NHS could have the money they’re wasting (and the taxes they aren’t contributing). It gets me so angry...it’s enough to turn me right wing;-)

In-between hospital visiting, flat hunting and moving out we really haven’t been doing anything else. Obviously our Belfast trip was cancelled. We went out on Friday night, with friends, but we were so exhausted we were home before midnight. I’ll be so happy when we’re settled somewhere and we can get into a better routine – we’re eating pretty awfully (living off ready meals and takeaways), and I’m so used to cooking it’s really getting to me. I am going to try and cook a meal tonight, ready for Raine when she gets back from work...but it depends on me getting insured on my dad’s car (so I can go to the supermarket), which is turning into a nightmare – the insurance company insist on speaking to my dad...I finally said they could (although he can speak his voice is very croaky), because it really needs sorting, and asked them to call back in two minutes as his hospital number was on the phone I was speaking on. They didn’t call back. Now I’m waiting for them to call back, again...

Of course, amongst all this, I’m trying to keep up with Uni. Thankfully this is my quietest term, but that doesn’t make it all that quiet! I’m trying to keep on top of PhD applications, but to be honest I’ve let a few deadlines go, and if it comes down to it I’ll take a year out and apply for 2010 entry. I prioritise my current study in the time that I have to work. On Friday I found out about a PhD studentship – their person specification practically described my research plan and experience... but it’s in London, and I’d have to live in the South West. As things stand that just wouldn’t be possible. I think I’ll apply, though, and if I did get offered a place, and the funding (unlikely!), then I would re-assess my options at that point.

Bad News

Early on Monday morning my dad had a stroke. We got news that he was in hosptial at 8am, it wasn't until mid-afternoon that we found out he'd had a stroke. We thought it was going to be a heart attack, or something like that. You don't expect a 53 year old to have a stroke. While it's bad news things aren't bleak, it hasn't affected his speech, personality or comprehension. His left side is affected, but the MRI scan has shown that it shouldn't be permanent - he can re-learn what he's forgotten, because it's the area of the brain concerned with co-ordination which was affected. Yesterday he managed to walk, with a frame, which is great. He's improving a lot everyday.

It's strange, after 4 days it's sort of become normal, and I'm telling everyone it's ok. There are lots of things which have to be sorted out, and so I'm telling new people the news several times a day, and everyone takes it so badly. I have to remind myself that it is *big* news. My reaction right from the start has just been, "ok, this has happened...where do we go now. What do I need to do." I cried a couple of times, a day or two after it happened, but I'm trying to keep my head firmly pointed forward - there's no point doing anything else.

We are on the look out for ridiculous pyjamas (for my dad). We were sorely disappointed when the male pyjama range proved highly sensible. We did manage to find a flamingo to tie to the end of his bed, it's called Fandango. We want a mini-Fandango to tie to the walking frame...I'm not sure my dad's as enthusiastic about the plan.

Until yesterday I was locked in a war with 'Patientline', the awful company that manages bed side entertainment in hosptials. You pay them an extortionate amount of money for TV, Internet, Radio and the telephone. My dad's bedside unit didn't work, and each day I was fobbed off with excuses. It was so annoying, because it meant my dad was sat there with nothing to do, just thinking about what's happened. We took him in a radio, but it had to be taken away for an electrical test. When I got to the ward yesterday his unit was fixed - this was unsurprising, I'd threatened 'Patientline' with our local MP and the media. Also, of course, my dad got all his electrical equipment back at the same time! I'm glad he's got lots to do now, but annoyed it took such drastic measures for something to be done.

Amidst all this I am searching for Universities to do my PhD at. The RS department at Lancaster has failed to secure funding for a PhD student, so everything's up in the air. My tutors are being excellent, though - they're actually emailing people they know trying to find out where there might be money for me!

Friday Week 4

I like the middle of term, and I like Lent term, so this is a good time of year for me.

The nights are drawing out, and since I follow similar patterns through the weeks I can watch spring encroach. Most of the country's had snow; in fact, judging by the news, it seems that Lancaster and the Fylde are their own impenetrable microcosm, meteorologically opposed to everywhere else in the UK. Everywhere else is under a thick blanket of snow. It's meant we've had some beautiful days, though, crisp and clear. I'm in the Reading Room, which has a massive window (two storey, length of the library) looking out across the edge of campus, and a few miles to Morecambe Bay... it's a pretty stunning view today.

Friday means the library is quiet, only people who really want to be here are. It gives the place a good vibe. Half of us are probably blogging, but there's something positive about it all. It's really calm. In general I like the start of term around campus, in the learning areas, because people aren't frantic - there aren't deadlines. The student body is segregated, into natural groupings, those no uneasiness - the library isn't filled with the noisy, who want quick fix answers so they can go off and party; it's left to those who really love the place, and what it represents - learning, knowledge. It's strange, I look around and I know most of the people here (we're the people who are around on a Friday afternoon, at this time in the term) even though I've never spoken to them.

This week I think I've been more popular than I've ever been in my life - literally. I wrote '25 random things...' about myself, in reply to a Facebook thread, and I seem to have impressed a lot of people - even people I've never met. I didn't put a lot of thought into it, it was just a means to procrastinate at the start of the week. It's strange... it's really nice, but strange all the same. As a result, tonight we're going out - someone got in touch and invited us out in Blackpool, someone who we've not spoken to in ages. It's quite funny - we thought it was an invite from someone else (because we didn't have either of these people's numbers stored on our phone). We accepted the invite, but the way the reply to this message was written made me think it wasn't quite right. A little investigation confirmed it was from someone *completely* different. I'm very glad we realised before we went out - it would have been very anticlimactic to find out on arrival.

I'd been so excited about going out with the original person I ended biting the bullet and asking them out... Raine and I fell out with him about a year ago, he screwed us over, but a few weeks ago he sent a complete apology. It was a complete surprise - we never expected an apology, because things had ended pretty nastily and conclusively. It meant a lot. He'd been our best friend for a while. So tonight we ride - the three of us again! I think it's going to be pretty wild.

January

January went by in a blur, in that way that January has. February makes me hopeful for Spring, but it's not to be just yet - the snow's come down in a big way, all over the UK, today.

This weekend we went to my Aunt's 80th birthday party. As may be a hazard of an 80th party half the guests napped after lunch:

The party was good fun, so long as Raine and I remembered to show no physical affection, and not mention the wedding! To be fair, though, people seem to be more at ease with us these days. My Grandma bent over backwards to ensure we were at the party (we've avoided a few family events, thinking it might be appreciated if we faded away into the background).

I'm in the middle of applying for my PhD, whilst also juggling my MA work. My dissertation is well underway, and my interviews will be starting this month. I'm excited about it. My new course: Religion and Social Theory is really enjoyable. I had fun writing my first Masters essay, on the Mormon reaction to the 'Proposition 8' vote in California.

Raine and I have booked a week away in Newquay at Easter. We cannot wait. There'll be a lot of surfing. Paul will be joining us for a few days. It's going to be epic!

We're saving for the holiday, but we've managed to fit in some low budget fun! We had a voucher for West Coast in Cleveleys. We found a new drink while we were there: Agwa.

It's made from the leaves of Coco plants, and infused with Lime, it gives you an oxygen kick. It's pretty interesting, and came mixed with energy drinks in very funky glasses!

We've seen a few good films. I strongly recommend Revolutionary Road - in terms of writing and direction it's one of the best films I've ever seen! Slumdog Millionaire was also excellent.

2008 with pictorial stimulation

January washed up the now infamous Riverdance ferry in Cleveleys, about 100m from Raine's mum's house.

It became a major visitors attraction, much to Pat and Gordon's annoyance - since it stuck around for a long while (the last pieces have just been removed).

February I scored a job interview with a big company, but decided with some gentle persuasion from my lecturers' to follow my dream, and take the road to academia. Which meant MA and AHRC (funding) applications, alongside the small task of finishing my BA. We also went to Belfast, with my dad, to see Nanci Griffith at the Belfast Nashville songwriting festival, a great festival which has become an annual event for us three, and in 2009 we'll be dragging Paul along.

In March I took Raine on a surprise break to the most wonderful La Rosa: Campsite Extraordinaire - a camp of gypsy caravans in the middle of a national park.

I finally finish my BA in April, and on my birthday in June I find out I got a First - wahoo!! Much partaying surrounds results day, and graduation.


The summer is filled with rain - lots and lots of rain. I take up my job at the Students' Union full time, while Raine works for a vehicle hire company. We receive some very sad news - our young lecturer: Paul Fletcher (who became a father for a first time in February) dies suddenly at a conference in Australia. He was my second MA and AHRC reference, and at the end of August I hear I have received full funding (in a year when the already highly competitive funding was made even more competitive) - I'm at work when I hear, and jump (literally) around with joy, before containing myself enough to pass the news on. I take Raine out in Blackpool that night, to our favourite Tex-Mex restaurant.

Throughout the summer we were planning for our September wedding - which fell on Raine's birthday (our third anniversary). While most of my (extended) family struggled with the idea, and chose not to attend, our closet friends and relatives were there for a wonderful day.

Unfortunately our BBQ was moved indoors, because the unprecedented amount of summer rain had waterlogged our reception location's lawn. Still, we had a brilliant time - everything we wanted and more - it was chilled out and 100% us - we refused to do anything just because it was meant to be that way.


We went to Newquay for the honeymoon - where we lived for 6 months at the start of our relationship. We had a brilliant time revisiting old haunts, meeting up with friends, and taking up surfing - which we now have the bug for. We can't wait until it gets warm enough to get down there and on the board again.


Unfortunately days after our return from Newquay we lost Austin, our beloved Mini. On a country road we ended up in a collision with another vehicle, although I'm still hurting it could have been a lot worse. People on the scene were amazed there was a passenger walked out of there (though walked is a bit optimistic - limped clutching various appendages, is more accurate...). I now have a slightly bent nose, which goes wonderfully with my scar and has led to much mocking (even from people who shouldn't even be qualified to mock me - it's that irresistible, apparently) whenever there is any chance I might fall over - e.g., "be careful out there, there's ice, you might fall on your nose".

We now have a very safe and sturdy VW Polo: Claus; with his dedication to efficiency and safety he's fought his way into our hearts.

I started my MA in October, and although it's very hard work, I'm really pleased with the course. Raine also started her new job, for an exam board in Lancaster - it's not the most exciting job in the world, but it's well paid with good conditions, and it means we get evenings, weekends, and expendable cash!

As a condition of my funding I've had to give up my job, but I've become more active in my non-paid activities - I helped fundraise for breast cancer awareness in October:


We went on a protest against the BNP in Blackpool:


In November I was elected by the student body to be Student Trustee of the Students' Union. Not quite as exciting as Barack Obama's election as President, which we watched unfold through the night, alongside our American Themed party night, but it's a start.

December we went to London on holiday. We stayed in a wonderful hostel: Palmer's Lodge, which has made London affordable for us - so expect us back there very soon! We went for Santacon - an event Raine has wanted to attend for years. We dressed up as Santa, along with 1000 other Santas, and went on a magical mystery tour of London, spreading Christmas cheer.


Christmas was spent in Blackpool. We cooked for both sets of parents and hosted at Raine's mum's house, it went really well - we cooked a great meal, and everyone had a brilliant time. The year went out with a fizzle, though, as I ended up stuck in bed with Sinusitis. We celebrated New Year at home, toasting new year as it came around at key places in the world - Australian lunch time, chinese food for tea, and some exciting beverages from around the world.

2009, I have to go through the application process again for my PhD and funding. I'll be staying at Lancaster for the PhD, I was going to apply to Oxford, and went for a visit with a potential supervisor, but I decided that I'm in a very privledged place in Lancaster, and it's here that I'm going to stay. We'll be moving out of the back water of Galgate, although it's been good not to move for a while, this house now has more problems than it does advantages. We'll either move into Lancaster City Centre, or to Manchester or Preston. I want to get fit, I have my gym/swim membership, and the surprisingly good Wii Fit. We also want to surf a lot, here and abroad (getting abroad is top of our to-do list!).