McDonalds Tastes Like A Hangover
Tonight is my last night in Nice, and I tell you, I cannot say that it’s been uneventful. I did make it to Old Nice, to Fennoccio’s, who do 96 different types of ice cream. I’ve been to the beach and did a little bit of a sight-seeing walk with one of the girls. I’ve met lots of random people in the hostel and drank too much a couple of times.
I’ve eaten far, far too much McDonalds, mostly because it’s close and I don’t want to cook. If it’s not McDo’s, it’s microwave food or just cheese. What can I say? I’m lazy, and I’m on holidays.
Last night, we went out again. I bought a bottle of vodka and between myself and another random guy, and we definately went through it all. I was having a great time, until I just ended up drinking far too much, and started getting all weepy. My grandad died on Saturday and drinking too much when that happens is just bad. And then I spent 20 or so minutes listening to some random guy telling me that I had to look out for this other girl that I met, because she’d been drinking and he was sweet on her. He’s like “Seriously, look after her, look after her” and I was just sitting there thinking “Um, what about me? And then there were the old, old self-esteem issues raising their ugly heads. And then my brother was there and drinking too much, and he hurt his foot and I totally lost it, because we always seem to end up taking care of him.
We ended up having to get an ambulance to take him to hospital so that they could make sure it wasn’t broken (it wasn’t) and my brother and I got home at about 6:30 this morning. Fun, right?
So instead of going to Monacco, I spent my last day in Nice just chilling around and doing nothing. I was incredibly tired and very hungover, so I mostly just slept and sat around, which I was cool with. I had McDonalds for lunch and it did, it did taste like a hangover. I felt so, so seedy and just wanted to sleep forever. I almost never want to eat McDonalds again..the normal menu, anyway (guess what’s for breakfast, lol).
Then tonight we had a last supper with some of the friends we’ve met, and one of the guys, Ash, cooked — can you believe it? — duck. So we had duck, egg fried rice, a marvellous sauce, prawn crackers…. all this on a student backpacker’s budget, and 10 of us sat down for a meal. It was great. Really felt like home.
So now, I’m back to Paris and onto a friend’s house just nearby. Then in 10 days, I’ll be on my way to England for the last of my journey before I go back to Australia. I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone past. It’s just flown.
Nice
Have made it to Nice and now have regular internet contact again, because the hostel I’m staying at is honestly awesome. Best hostel so far, and I’m not sure how you could top it. For example, the hostel has just been redone in some sort of marbley-tile thing, so it looks all swanky when you first walk in. My brother and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes, going “Yeah, here we go”, since a lot of hostels have nice receptions but shitty rooms. But the rooms are actually not that bad — they aren’t marbled, but the bathroom (shared between only 4 people, we got a small dorm) is. There’s a gorgeous courtyard and it’s all mediterranian — all terracotta and bright blue. There’s a ‘chill out room’ where we go after 9, and its all swanked up, too. If that weren’t enough, the night manager kept popping bottles of champagne and pouring it for us — I’ve never been to a hostel which gave free champagne before.
Actually, I have the feeling that the owner has just changed hands, maybe, and that the night-manager may be the owner. He’s wearing real Ralph Lauren polos (can tell by the cut) and is very free with the champagne. There’s a kitchen, everything is very clean and well run, there’s airconditioning in all the rooms…it’s really, really lovely.
Nice itself is great, although now I’m here I hear all sorts of dodgy things. Someone got mugged outside the hostel just last night, while one of the guys here had his wallet stolen by a little old lady..others have been sitting as a group when someone runs through and grabs a bag a nicks off with it. It’s a bit dodgy.
But apart from that, it’s lovely. It’s hot and the sun shines and it has this amazing quaintness to it which is so much fun. The beach is gorgeous and I can’t wait to go exploring (currently waiting for the brother to wake up). I have another…6 days or so before I leave, so I want to go to Monacco and then maybe do a boat-thing, go to the beach some more, explore Old Nice, all that sort of stuff.
How?
How to update on everything that has happened since I left Edinburgh? I pondered the question long and hard. And then it came to me, two sweet, sweet words: Dot. Points.
- Left Edinburgh, went to London.
- Photoshoot = awesome!
- Less with the partying, but did catch up with a friend from high school, Kate Gover.
- Natural History Museum = dinosaurs! Also, I got annoyed when all the kids were playing with the games. I wanted to play!
- Lazing in Hyde Park in the sun was wonderful.
- Return to Northallerton.
- E-mail from brother, who is in Edinburgh after coming home from Amsterdam…someone has run out of money and cannot buy a ticket to where I was.
- Several days of exploring Yorkshire, including some plays and lovely icecream.
- Down to my sister’s for my birthday, we go to the pub for a drink and…in walks my Mum!
- Much drinking and HUGE amounts of eating. Truly ridiculous.
- Party, party, party.
- Tomorrow, to Paris!
Whooo….I love dot points. And I must update this more often, otherwise I’ll just get left behind.
What A Time To Start
Because I’m moving away from Edinburgh in 2 days, eek. Not a great time to get back into a blog. I’ll demonstrate the fact by making this post a To Do List:
- Buy an external hard drive.
- Finish packing.
- Do nails (what? I’m going to London for some weird photoshoot competition, nails need to look good!)
- Eat dinner with the girls (my flatmates)
- Get money back from Kevin the landlord.
- Remember to give Kevin money from the other girl.
- Cancel gas and electricity bill.
- Buy one of those vacuum seal bags.
- Go to charity store.
God knows what else, but there’s always more. Sigh.
I Am Reviving This Blog!
My god, I know, right? I haven’t posted in over a year, and even then it was lamenting the fact that time moves so quickly. Which it does.
But I’ve been blogging quite a bit recently, at Girl my-previously-super-secret-Weight-Loss-blog and now not so super secret. This is mostly because I am no longer self-conscious about the fact that I want to lose weight. You can all know! (And I’m succeeding, too, slowly. I’ve lost 16kg and I will lose the rest.) Anyway, I’ve been blogging quite a bit, but it’s a weight loss blog, not an every-day-observation blog. I’ve realised recently that I miss putting myself out there and recording what I think. I don’t want to come back in 10 years and not know what I was going through.
So the layout may change, but expect to see something soon.
Where Does The Time Go?
It’s difficult to believe how quickly time passes. At school it all seemed one big blur, nothing that interesting. Having left school and undertaken other projects [i.e. uni + doing not all that much for 4 months], it’s gotten to the point where I can pinpoint what I was doing at a certain day of the year. Father’s day in 2006, I was in Sydney at my friend Maddy’s. January 3rd this year, I was on my way to London. March 23th 2007 was my first day at work — a fact I rememer because I prophetically told my manager that I had to leave early due to the fact that my ‘best friend’ [a lie] had her birthday that day. Funnily, we later became best friends.
But it all goes past so quickly, a whirlwind of events and thoughts and fleeting glimpses. It came home to me today when I was browsing a forum I’ve frequented for years. A member who hasn’t posted in a long time has put up pictures of her newborn baby. Her baby. I’m trying to recognise, to fit together these differing pictures. How does a girl who is an all-american, cheerleading high-schooler turn into a woman who has been married for two years [do I know of this man? Should I?] who has had a baby [When did this happen?] and is almost finished her college degree [Did she always want to teach?]. How did I miss all this?
It’s not the only thing I’ve missed. I spoke about being at Maddy’s place before. When I left ICMS, Maddy was dating Dan, fully intent on finishing her degree, totally passionate about events. Now I hear news through mutual friends, and I want to know how you reconcile these. Maddy and Dan broke up, Maddy is back with her ex-boyfriend, she’s left her degree [although did come out with a diploma], and has moved to America [with current boyfriend].
It just slips by so quickly, and it’s bizarre because so much happens in people’s lives so very quickly. It’s not that the changes are a bad thing, by any means, but I feel like I’m missing out on the in betweens, the transitions in everyday lives, because I don’t keep in touch. And I feel, too, a little like I’m standing still — have I done anything that would make people go, “How did you go from point A to point B?” I don’t think so.
But maybe that’s because I know the in betweens.
Can I Just Say?
Spammers are idiots. Firstly, the fact that they spam one post 875 times is stupid enough. That they always used the same name makes them twice as stupid, because search comments + name = two clicks and all posts are gone. Hopefully they’ll go away now.
…Ha.
A Bitch, If You Will
I know this is nerdy to end all nerdy-ness, and I doubt that anyone involved with OB will read this post anyway [which could be a good thing, really, I don’t know], but frankly, this year’s Nifty Fifty just wasn’t. nifty. And this isn’t sour grapes because I wasn’t in the fifty, because you can note that I didn’t even post a nomination. It’s just..These awards have been going for years, have evolved and grown. Last years awards were so polished, with graphics and divs with effort put into them. This years awards are, well, not. It’s just text, not even modified text at that. Frankly, I think that the Nifty 50 is the biggest event of the year, and it was rushed. I am not for it.
/rant
February 15 2008 :: No Comments
I Feel Like Joan of Arc…
…Because I burnt myself on, well on chicken, not ‘a steak’ so I guess the terrible pun doesn’t work. And technically it was the oven I burnt myself on. Twice. In the same method. On different hands. I guess I’m one of those people who just don’t learn. And then I did the washing up which was actually quite silly because burnt hands + hot water = mostly just pain. Go figure.
I’m going to be back in Australia on Wednesday night, Australia time. While I love you all, do not call me until Thursday after 3:00pm Australia time. Because otherwise I will cry. Possibly yell. Probably hang up. Because jetlag makes me meanly and such.
I’ve really enjoyed it here in England and I definately want to come back. I almost don’t want to leave, although I’m at the point where I do really miss my Mum and even my room at college where I can just hide. It’s difficult not having anything to do when my sister and her husband are so busy all the time. I feel like I’m smothering them sometimes because it’s hard for all of us to have alone time. But I love being here, I love the climate, I love the food [although the chips aren’t fantastic], I love the fresh air and the green and I almost don’t want to leave. But at the same time I miss summer. And my mummy. So I guess now is a good time to go, when I’m still in love with it, but I also won’t mind leaving, either. Sometimes I’m kind of like, “Awww…dammit” but sometimes I’m like, “I want a hug from my muuuuum.” so, yeah.
But packing sucks and I don’t want to do it. Although it’ll be fun to show my mummy all my new clothes, hee.
January 31 2008 :: One Comment
I Am Not Dead
I promise! I’ve just been too lazy to post, because I am a terrible person, hehe. Although I do manage to fill my not-really busy days with plenty to do. I get up, have breakfast, go for a walk, have a shower, then I’ll do some dishes, some administration stuff, some learning and then my sister gets home. I do some knitting while watching TV, have dinner and maybe go to the pub that night. I’m in the process of learning to cook [I make a mean bruschetta, am learning how to make pie and now have a list of required ingredients to be able to randomly cook at a whim.]
My brother in law is also in the process of teaching me how to manage my finances, which is awesome. I’m still learning, but I’m hoping I’ll have it pretty much down before I leave. I’m also doing the last part of my French course, and writing [a little] and stuff, which is fun.
But I am still alive, i promise.
