Yikes. Well it's been a while. The main reason for that is the fact that I am ridiculously busy and haven't had a moment to actually think of anything to write. I described life to someone recently as chaotic, crazy, cool. Yes, I’d say that's pretty much the long and the short of it. I’ve been hearing a lot of 30 jokes recently, but you know what? I might be perilously close to being ‘over the hill’, but the view is pretty damn good from up here.
So, what's been happening in the last month? Well, the answer to that is A LOT!
Since my last post, I have (amongst other things):
° Been to Liverpool to celebrate the 30th birthday of an old friend.
° Watched a rather insane version of Salome at the Northern Stage.
° Become addicted to watching old French movies on my own at the cinema.
° Indulged in the EAT! festival which was in Newcastle at the start of June.
° Watched a slightly eccentric dance production perform Love and War at the. SAGE. I still haven't figured out what it was about (love and war, presumably), but it was kind of cool in parts.
° Celebrated my own 30th birthday at the Corbridge Beer Festival, and with copious amounts of food and friends - food, beer and friends: what more can you ask for?
° Accidently worked behind the bar at a death metal gig whilst shockingly hungover (I actually enjoyed it, though my head didn't so much)
° Became a new-look climbing frame for 3-year-olds at an old friend's BBQ.
° Signed up for the Great Cumbrian Run – a half marathon in Carlisle in October – and have completely failed to do any training for it.
° Took part in It's a Knockout with my colleagues for charity in South Shields. Painful and embarrassing, but kind of fun.
° Went back to salsa for the first time in years. I’ll be going back.
° Had my first ladies race day experience at Nottingham Races for a hen do.
° Took in some of the Vamos Latino festival that was in Newcastle earlier this month - flamenco, art, and Cuban dance. I wish I'd had time to see more of it.
Intersperse all that with hanging out with friends, nights of crazy dancing, writing, and working hard, and you have one extremely busy (and exhausted) lady. That probably explains why I am sitting at home on a Friday night drinking red wine and updating this. Actually, I WAS studying (for the first time in weeks) but procrastination is, quite frankly, a disease. Is there a Procrastinators Anonymous?
While I’m settling back into life in Newcastle, and surprising everyone by showing no signs of moving on (in fact, quite the opposite), all across the globe big things are afoot. Friends are getting engaged, married (two more before mid-September), having babies. They are moving on to pastures new (near and far), getting new jobs, moving in together, buying houses. Me? I have a million and one things ahead of me. If you learn to look in the right places, the doors open to a whole new world - this is not the same Newcastle that I grew up in. These are exciting times.
